Genesis 1-11: A Bible Commentary By Charles R. Sabo Chapter 1
Introduction
Since the beginning, the word of God has been under attack, by the satanic realm. The first instance of this attack can even be located within Genesis chapter 3, while it continued on through that event concerning the fall in the Garden of Eden. It has always been deception induced by the satanic realm that has caused humanity to be confused on what has been intended to be truth from the word of God. Many, believers and non-believers in God and his truth, have misinterpreted God’s word; these misinterpretations have been induced by the satanic realm, or just manifested to induce an agenda, which realistically has the motives of Satan overall. Anyone, who misinterprets God’s word, can cause a theological perspective that can drive people away from their belief in God’s word. Realistically, these agendas can be directly, or indirectly fulfilling the agenda of the satanic realm.
The confusion, induced by these misinterpretations of Genesis 1-11, has accomplished the largest impact over the faith of countless individuals over the entire timeline of mankind. Over the first three thousand years of the creation, the truth of the word of God had been passed down through the generations by the use of word-of-mouth; campfire stories, home schooled patriarchs, and legendary writings had been the only means of passing the word of God down through the generations. Some will imply that because of the grapevine affect, the truth of the creation, and the first three thousand years, cannot be reliable. However, it can be construed that the word of God is true, therefore the words written by Moses in Genesis can be believed to be literal in their interpretation; as in the entire Bible, there are certain instances where spiritual discernment should be used, when considering allegorical interpretations.
Within the genealogy of Genesis, it is realistic to understand that the history of the creation was only passed down from Adam to Methuselah, to Noah, to Shem, to Jacob (Israel). Five individuals taught their offspring (sons, grandsons, great grandsons...etc.) Moses then had an understanding already of the creation account (spoken by children of Israel), when God had personally provided him clear details of the events as a close friend.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. (Ex. 33:11)
Adam was 130 when he begat Seth.
Seth was 105 when he begat Enos.
Enos was 90 when he begat Cainan.
Cainan was 70 when he begat Mahalaleel.
Mahalaleel was 65 when he begat Jared.
Jared was 162 when he begat Enoch.
Enoch was 65 when he begat Methuselah.
Methuselah was 187 when he begat Lamech.
Lamech was 182 when he begat Noah.
Noah was 500 when he begat Japheth, Shem, and Ham, which was 100 years before the flood.
Methuselah died on the day of the flood.
Lamech died 5 years before the flood.
Shem was 100 when he begat Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was 35 when he begat Salah.
Salah was 30 when he begat Eber.
Eber was 34 when he begat Peleg.
Peleg was 30 when he Re’u.
Re’u was 32 when he begat Serug.
Serug was 30 when he begat Nahor.
Nahor was 29 wheen hee begat Terah.
Terah was 70 when he begat Abram.
Abraham was 100 when he begat Isaac.
Isaac was 60 when he begat Jacob (Israel).
From the diagram on page xi, it is easily understood that the word of mouth had realistically passed down between five individuals over that first two thousand years (approx. 3,700 years ago), which was then brought into writing within the Book of Genesis by Moses (approx. 3,200 years ago). Because Moses actually had heard from God personally, he then wrote down the details from God, which confirmed what had been passed down from Adam on down to Jacob (Israel) originally. There is no hidden interpretation, nor allegory within the literal interpretation of the creation account. The issue, which needs to be determined, is the recognition and interpretation of the allegorical accounts (spiritual meanings) within Genesis 3. That is what readers have the challenge of understanding, which should only be taught by qualified individuals, who are gifted with the spiritual gift of interpretation, as well as an education in hermeneutics and eschatology. In this Bible commentary, I will break down each verse with an in-depth interpretation, based on my education and what the Holy Spirit is telling me.
Genesis Chapter 1
Introduction
Genesis chapter one is easy to understand, yet its complexities should be researched in detail, because God has amazing theological clues to consider. While breaking down the original Hebrew text, one can bring in the intent of the author (God), which presents evidence of the Triune Godhead (trinity). Though many will insert assumptions between the lines of this chapter, it should only be a literal interpretation through its entirety. The sovereign all-knowing (omniscient) God seems to have anticipated the heretical doctrines that would spin out of control, while those that desire to go along with the worldly dogmas create hypothesized assumptions. Amazingly, chapter one is so literal, that one has to avoid any twists to spin off from this chapter. Common sense and logic should be used, while using knowledge that we already have concerning God Himself.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth. The noun “beginning” was translated from the Hebrew noun “rē'???,” which is defined as: “first, beginning.” The point of the beginning should be considered to be the first events of the creation itself; it has nothing to do with God’s home, but is an environment that is of a different location, or dimension, other than God’s heaven.
This first verse in Genesis 1 is a summary of what is then described in verses 2-8, which consisted of two days. Verses 2-5 explain the creation of the Earth, time, and the separation from light and darkness, while verses 6-8 describe the creation of the first heaven, which is the Earth’s atmosphere. In the case here, God created the first heaven, before He ever created the second heaven. (first heaven=Earth’s atmosphere, second heaven=stars and planets, third heaven=God’s home) “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” (Gen. 2:1) Notice in Genesis 2:1, the noun heaven was used in the plural form, which can be concluded to be more than one heaven was created during the six-day creation. The second heaven was created on day four (Gen. 1:14-19). Using logic, one can conclude that God created the Earth first, then He created the first heaven (on day two) around the Earth, which was kept in place by the gravity of the Earth.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5)
The Apostle John opened up his gospel writings with a mimicry of Genesis 1:1, when the same expression “in the beginning” was used. His intent was to reveal that God the Son was there for the entire creation. The eventual determinate that reveals, whom he was referring to, was divulged in verse 1:14: “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” This Holy Spirit filled Apostle divulged the most enlightening testimony towards the deity of Jesus Christ within his entire gospel. The Apostle Paul testified very similar references of the Lord Jesus Christ’s participation in the creation within his epistles.
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Col. 1:16-17)
John had implied that the Word (Jesus Christ) was there in the beginning with God (the Father) and that the Word is God. Paul confirmed that Jesus Christ was there as well, while even implying that He created everything as John had declared. This can provide imagery of both the Father and Son side by side creating everything, but Paul had implied something even more fantastic in 1 Corinthians 8:6.
But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Cor. 8:6)
The Apostle Paul implied in 1 Corinthians 8:6 that God the Father is but one God, “of” whom are all things, and we “in” Him. The Father planned all things and we are “in” His will, or eternal plan. Meanwhile, our Lord Jesus Christ is who acted out His Father’s will in all of creation and salvation, and we are here as the Father’s children by Christ, who acts out, or fulfills His Father’s eternal plan. Therefore, the Son of God was given the instructions (little book) from His Father (Rev. 10:2), by which He (Christ) stepped forward in executing the Creation, as well as its fulfillment of all that had and will happen.[1]
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, (Rev. 10:2)
The little book (scroll) is still a mystery to the current day, but we have already ascertained that the mighty Messenger (Rev. 10:1) is the Son of God. John had indicated that this little book (scroll) was in the mighty Messenger’s hand and opened. Allegorically, John implied that the mighty Messenger stood on the sea with His right foot, and on the Earth with His left foot. The sea is an allegorical representation of a multitude of people (Rev. 17:15), while the Earth is an allegorical representation of the rest of the planet, with its creatures, land, and water. Jesus the Messiah stands (has control) over the sea (all people) and the Earth (creatures, land and waters). While He stands, He has His little book (God the Father’s plan) in His hand.[2]
The Hebrew noun used for “God” in Genesis 1:1 is the plural use of “El,” which is “Elohym.” If Moses was informed by God what to write in this verse, God’s choice of words was in plural form. One cannot say that this is absolute proof of plurality, because in Exodus 7:1, when God referred to Moses being made as a “god” (singular) to Pharoah, He used the same plural “Elohym.” In retrospect, one has to rethink the plurality of “El” being used as “Elohim” and consider it to be a generalized word when speaking of a single god or multiplicity.
The prophets of the Old Testament were informed by God Himself that He was the only God. “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deut. 32:39) Other self-proclaiming passages of the singularity of God include Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6-8; 45:21; 46:9; Hosea 13:4 and Joel 2:27. Meanwhile, there are many verses, spoken by the prophets, which proclaim God’s singularity such as: Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 6:4; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; 19:15; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 18:31; 86:10; Isaiah 37:16, 20 and Zechariah 14:9. So the Israelites were convinced to believe that God was a single Person.
Because polytheism surrounded Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the belief in a single God was highly unusual. The freedom of religion, as you wanted to believe, was commonplace. The time that the Israelites spent in Egypt was characterized by their religion known as “The Cult of Yahweh,” originally thought as a tribal god of the Semites.[3] Coming out of Egypt, Israel was given the Laws of Moses and then by the time of the Israelite monarchies, the threat of polytheism was invading their belief in Yahweh as a single God; it became a threat to their national survival.[4] God brought His prophets in to continually reassure them that these other gods were not real and that He was the only true God.
In Genesis 1:26, we can also find the Hebrew noun “Elohym” used, while God’s comment was: “Let us make.” The Hebrew verb used was asah ??????, modified into a plural ????????? to translate as: “let Us make.” The conversation is between more than one person, but with the plurality of “Elohym,” it can only be the Godhead talking amongst one another. The noun “image” is translated from the Hebrew noun “selem” ?????, which is modified into plurality to say: “in our image” ???????????. The same can be said about “likeness,” which is the Hebrew word “d?muwth,” which is modified into plurality the same way. Once again this can only be seen as intentional by God to imply that He was speaking amongst the Triune Godhead. Genesis 1:26 can be read “and the ‘Godhead’ (Elohym) said ‘Let Us’ make man ‘in Our image,’ and ‘Our likeness.’” If the original Hebrew text reveals plurality, then one cannot declare that God is only one Person. In Jeremiah 23:36, we will find the phrase “the words of the living God;” the adjective “living” in Hebrew is chay ???, but in Jeremiah 23:36, it is in the plural form ???????; one should understand that the Hebrew modifiers for plurality usually appear on the verbs and adjectives in descriptive context of the noun. This verse implies that the “living God” is in a plural context.[5] Therefore, the use of “Elohim” in Genesis 1:1 should only be thought in the singular as the Triune Godhead consisting of more than one person.
Genesis 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. The conjunction “and” connects this verse with verse 1. Because it is connected to the last sentence as a clause, it too must be considered to be “in the beginning” and when God had first created the Earth. This is the beginning moment from verse 1, and thus explains a more detail description of the Earth’s condition at that time.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding.
Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who has stretched the line upon it? (Job 38:4-5)
Within Job 38:4-5, The Lord asked Job if he was there when the foundations of the Earth was laid; He commanded him, if he had understanding of that day, to declare it. Many will insert their propaganda to support their agenda, while declaring that they have understanding. Were they there? The only man that was there is Jesus Christ, who was there from the beginning and is the One who actually laid the foundations of the Earth Himself (Jn. 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, 1 Cor. 8:6). He asked Job: “Where were you?” The only interpretation for Genesis chapter one is to be a literal one. The Word of God (Jesus Christ) was there and declared it here of what He had done literally, for us to know. Therefore, put away your allegory and inserts of additional conditions and events; the words are not here.
Moses used the Hebrew noun “t??,” which means “formlessness,” which the translators have used the expression “without form” as that noun. Moses also used the Hebrew noun “b??,” which means “emptiness, void.” Here, the translators used the word “void” as that noun. Before visualizing the Earth from the first two Hebrew nouns used, we must also use the next clause in completing the description that Moses had used (and darkness was upon the face of the deep). The word “darkness” is also used as a noun, which was translated from the Hebrew noun “?ō?e?,” which is defined as “darkness, obscurity.” If we use the word “surface” for the Hebrew noun “pān?m,” instead of “face,” it would be easier to imagine. The Hebrew noun “t?h?m” that was translated as “deep,” can refer to waters, but the next clause used the Hebrew noun “mayim” for the noun “waters.” I don’t mind considering the possibility that Moses was referring to the waters, when he wrote “deep,” but we should also consider the previous description being elaborated on here in this clause. The Hebrew noun “t?h?m” that was translated as “deep,” can also mean “depths, deep places, abyss.” If the Earth was without any form, and was just empty space (void), its surface (face) of that deep void would be utter darkness.
There is nothing to read between the lines here, just literal interpretations. Unlike those that want to squeeze millions of years between the lines here, the description is literal just as God had explained to Moses.
If Moses had intended for the expression “darkness was upon the face of the deep” to refer to the “face of the waters,” then the darkness described the fact that there was no light to see anything. This is an important point being made here in verse 2; within God’s creation, there was no light.
The Spirit of “Elohim” (the Triune Godhead) moved (rā?ap?) upon the surface (face) of the waters. The Hebrew verb “rā?ap?” can better be defined as “to hover.” The third Person of the Triune Godhead hovered over the surface (face) of the waters. So, now we have all three Persons of the Triune Godhead known to be present. With the acknowledgement of “waters” being present, the formless void contained water first, without any land referenced. This is very hard for our minds to imagine, since we have never seen a formless void, to even imagine waters on a formless void.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Because we know that all things were created “by” Jesus Christ, while He fulfilled His Father’s plan, we must presume the voice here from God to be that of God’s Son. “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Cor. 8:6) In addition (and) to the creation described within verses 1-2, God the Son then spoke and commanded “Let there be light.” From verse 1:2, we must ascertain that there was no light within the creation. We should also realize that the second heaven, consisting of stars and planets had not yet been created. Because day four was the creation of the luminaries (Gen. 1:14), there was absolutely no stars, the sun, nor the planets anywhere on day one. The creation was completely dark and void of light whatsoever.
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. (1 John 1:5)
Though 1 John 1:5 can be interpreted spiritually, we can use this literally as well, because we know what the other passages have declared. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Rev. 21:23) John implied in Revelation 21:23, that the Lamb (God the Son) will be the light in eternity, and that there will be no more sun, nor moon to shine upon the Earth. Since we know that God is from everlasting’s past (Is. 40:28, 43:13, Mic. 5:2), we also know He is light, therefore His light has always been, because He has always been. When God is in heaven, even before the creation, His light has always been. Once God stepped into the place (or dimension) of the creation, His light did not shine as of verse 1:1-2; here in verse 1:3, there was no light, until He commanded “Let there be light.” How can this be? Why had His light not shined on the creation as of yet?
Many want to say, “God created light.” Did He? He has always been light, and He has always been. He didn’t create Himself, and His light has always been within Him; therefore, God did not create light. What had to happen within the creation, in order for His light to be seen by Him? Surely, the words spoken never imply that He created light! He said “Let there be light,” then there was light. Since God’s light could not be seen within the creation, until He commanded “Let there be light,” we must concur that God created time within the creation. Once time had been created within His creation, His light was then able to travel and be seen. From this point in the creation, God’s light shined upon it, while luminaries were yet in the future (day four).
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. This verse is in addition (and) to the previous verse, when there was light in the creation, due to the creation of time within the creation. Then God was able to see (saw) His own light within the creation. When God saw His light within the creation, He saw that it was good, because He is good. “And Jesus said unto him, “Why call you Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18) The statement by Jesus in Mark 10:18 does not mean Jesus in not God, because Jesus was teaching that no man is good (Rom. 3:10-12), therefore His teaching didn’t concern who He is. Truly, Jesus is good, because He is God the Son. In the case here in Genesis 1:4, Elohim (Triune Godhead) saw the light and it was good.
In addition to seeing the light, God divided the light from the dark. Once again, we can only imagine what this is, because we have never encountered such a thing. When God’s light shines, there is no need to have any other light; the entire space of His being is lit up, without shadows. The shadow that an object casts, did not exist, until this point. In the case on the first day of the creation, God caused the flight of light to be in rays of a straight path, thus shadows of darkness would manifest behind an object. This is something mankind has encountered throughout the history of the creation. The reason that God divided light from darkness is because this is what is needed to divide the day from the night on the globe of the Earth. In eternity, God will reverse this affect, and His light will be everywhere with no need for the sun, moon, or any other luminous object. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Rev. 21:23)
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. This verse should be read in addition to what had been implied in the last verse. Once God divided the light from the darkness, the Earth then began to manifest its days and nights; there has never been a change in the length of the complete 24 hour day, even though the lengths of each 24 hour day’s light (day) and darkness (night) varies based on the rotation of the Earth and its revolutions around the sun. Daytime is the light of the 24 hour day (measurement of time), when the darkness is always called the night. A day (measurement of time) has always been 24 hours.
The second clause of verse 1:5 is in addition to (and) the naming of the darkness as night, and the lightness being called day; because all of this happened within a 24 hour period (day), God revealed to Moses that the evening and the daytime (morning) added together to be that first day.
No assumptions should be added, nor twists of the length of time that this first day consisted of. God defined the length of a day with His own words right here. The evening (darkness) and the morning (light/daytime) has always been 24 hours within this creation.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Pet. 3:8)
Heretical doctrines have been construed due to the misunderstanding of 2 Peter 3:8. Ridiculous twists of this verse, motivates those of an atheistic agenda. They paste their misinterpretation of 2 Peter 3:8 into Genesis chapter one, to mean that God intended for the interpretation of the Hebrew noun “yom” (day) to be equal to one thousand years in the creation. This causes others to implant doubt in the word of God, by implying (twisting) that the time concerning the 6-day creation be millions of years apart, one day from another. 2 Peter 3:8 confirms that the time in God’s heaven (3rd heaven) is on a different timeline than the 24 hour day timeline on Earth (the creation). God’s heavenly timeline was not in affect within His creation, because on day one He created the timeline of the creation. Peter had implied that one day in heaven’s timeline is equal to one thousand years in the timeline of the creation. If there is no darkness in heaven, it is no wonder that a day lasts for a thousand years compared to the timeline on Earth.
The first day of the creation ended after the daytime (daylight) ended. Please notice that the Hebrew noun “?ere?” is defined as “evening, night, sunset.” The 24 hour day began with darkness as seen in verse 1:2. Then after God created time, then divided light from darkness, the 24 hour day ended when the daylight became dark again (sunset); this sunset (darkness) began the second day of the creation. The history of Israel has always recognized that the day ends at the darkness (evening), therefore their 24 hour day begins at 6pm each evening (sunset), then ends upon the end of the daylight at 6 pm the next day (sunset).
Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. This was the beginning of the second day, when God commanded for a firmament be in the midst of the waters. It seems to be an important foundation of the Earth, to be something so high up in priorities, to be on day two. The noun “firmament” is translated from the Hebrew noun “rāq?a?,” which also is defined as: “extended surface (solid), expanse.” On day one, the waters were all one mass on the face of the deep formless void. Here on day two, God created the expansion that separated (divided) waters into two locations (midst [middle]) of the waters). The first remained in place on the face of the deep formless void (Earth), while the second mass of water was above the Earth, separated by this expanse. Some will assume that the waters above the Earth are the clouds, but clouds had not yet come to the Earth (not until the flood). If there were clouds, then it would have rained on the Earth; according to Genesis 2:6, there was a mist that went up from the Earth. “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” (Gen. 2:6) The important point here to maintain is that the waters separated as equal masses, because they were divided in the midst (middle). In verse 1:8, God named the firmament heaven, which one can then conclude to be the Earth’s atmosphere, which is the first heaven (see verse 1).
Genesis 1:7 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. The waters above the Earth’s atmosphere (firmament) was supernaturally being stored above the Earth. If this were clouds, then Moses would have used the Hebrew noun “ānān” instead of the Hebrew noun “mayim” for waters. As stated in verse 1:6, the firmament (Earth’s atmosphere) divided the waters in equal quantity (in the midst) between the waters on the face of the deep formless void (under the firmament), and the waters up above the Earth’s atmosphere (above the firmament). God had obviously had a plan for the huge quantity of waters above the Earth’s atmosphere (firmament), as we will find out in Genesis 7:11.
Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Ahah! God named this firmament “Heaven.” Obviously, this cannot be God’s home, which is the third Heaven; this is the first Heaven, now known as the Earth’s atmosphere. Waters cannot exist beyond the atmosphere of the Earth, so this heaven has to be the first heaven of the three. If a person were to research the Earth’s atmosphere, they would find that it is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.
In the case here, God created the first heaven, before He ever created the second heaven. (first heaven=Earth’s atmosphere, second heaven=stars and planets, third heaven=God’s home) “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” (Gen. 2:1) Notice in Genesis 2:1, the noun heaven was used in the plural form, which can be concluded to be that more than one heaven was created during the six-day creation. The second heaven was created on day four (Gen. 1:14-19).
And the evening and the morning were the second day. The sum added together, consisting of the evening and the morning, were the second day. The first day ended at sunset, while the beginning of the second day began at evening. When one adds the evening (night) and the daylight (morning) together, it completes a 24 hour day (yom). Mankind has come up with the division of the morning (bōqer) into morning and afternoon, but God called all daylight morning. Common sense tell me that the logical conclusion is that God’s reference to morning should be considered all daylight, just as evening is to be considered all night (darkness). But to define Himself, God removed all doubt in Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) The 24 hour day does not begin at midnight (12:00 am), nor at sunrise, but at sunset (6:00 pm).
Genesis 1:9 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. As evening came upon the creation, so did day three begin. God, continued to create by simply speaking: “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” After having created the expanse called the firmament (v. 1:7), He called it heaven (v. 1:8), which was the first heaven, otherwise known as the Earth’s atmosphere. Here in verse 1:9, God commanded the waters under the Earth’s atmosphere (heaven) to be gathered together in one place, thus the dry land of the Earth was in one place as well.
There is a doctrine known as “Pangaea” that has brought many conclusions, even religions. “Pangaea” is a belief that the continents of the Earth use to be one landmass. Here in Genesis 1:9, God has provided absolute confirmation that this was the case. All of the dry land was together at one time as one land mass. Though the picture below is not absolutely one land mass, it does reveal that the continents do fit nicely together, even after six millenniums have passed. As the power of God had manifested this simply by speaking, it became so.
Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. Here in verse 1:10, God named the dry land Earth, which can even be recollected to be still in existence in the modern day. When I shovel the dirt of the dry land, I am shoveling Earth into the shovel. God also called all of the waters gathered together in one place as “Seas.” If is it one mass of water, why does He call it “sea” in the plural form (Seas)? God had all along used the term “water” in the plural form as well (waters) in verses 1:2, 7, 9. He would not be dividing the waters and the dry land until after the Flood of Noah (Gen. 8:1-14). Please keep in mind, that the waters was only half of the existing waters, since the other half existed above the firmament (Earth’s atmosphere) (Gen. 1:6).
The Hebrew noun “mayim” is a plural form used by Moses for “waters,” which is from a root primitive dual noun, but this has also been used in the singular form as “mayim.” Moses used the plural form (???????) of Hebrew noun “yām” (???), which has been translated as the noun “seas.” This may be the reason that the translators have determined that the Hebrew noun “mayim” has been translated in the plural form “waters,” since Moses had used plurality for “yām” as “seas.”
Genesis 1:11 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. Once again, rather than waving His hand, or a magic wand, God spoke and 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:” As one can see, upon God’s command, “it was so.”
Here on day three, God created grass, herbs, and trees after his kind. The noun expression “his kind” is translated from the Hebrew masculine noun “m?n,” which is defined as: “kind, sometimes a species.” Because it is an actual masculine noun, the translators used the male gendered pronoun as “his.” The gender disclosure is not as important as the designation of a species. God created the seeds for reproduction within the plant itself. No need to genetically modify the seeds, nor genetically modify watermelon to be seedless. Mankind has corrupted God’s creation by both genetically modifying a species of plants (or trees), and also grafting branches from one species into another. If God meant for an apple tree to bare other kinds of fruit, He would have created them initially that way. If God meant for corn to produce “high fructose corn syrup,” He would have made corn higher in fructose. If mankind was not meant to eat of the genetically modified plants, what can it be that these plants do to humans, when they live on eating them? Is that why cancer and other diseases are so common in today’s world? Changing God’s creation always will be an abomination unto Him, being the creator. It is an abomination to God to genetically modify anything, including mankind. Violators will be taken to court, as any human that violates another human’s creation (lawsuit), but God’s court will be at His White Throne Judgement (Rev. 20:11-15).
The Earth (land) brought forth grass, herbs, and trees on day three, even when there was no luminaries as of yet. There was no sun to shine on the Earth, on this third day; it was only God’s light that maintained the plants and gave them life at this point.
Many heretics want to insert millions of years between each day of the creation. How can this be, that the plants of the Earth would go millions of years without the sun to shine? Are they insinuating that God’s light maintained the plants for millions of years? It would be a possibility, because with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26). But, if all things are possible, why not believe that God created all things in six 24-hour days? If fossils begin to pop into your brain, please go to Genesis chapter 7 (in this commentary) for an accurate explanation of the fossils. For this reason, God wrote Genesis 1-2 (through Moses) intended it to be in a literal interpretation of the events.
Genesis 1:12 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. This verse modifies the expression “and it was so” from the previous verse. Rather than repeat what was commented upon in the previous verse, I will explain what God saw that was good. As explained in the previous verse, all plant life was created after its own kind, with its own ability to produce its own seeds for reproduction. Because it was of God’s original creation, never corrupted, nor of the fallen creation (Gen. 3), but was made by the incorruptible God. Just as God is good, so was His creation good, because it was perfect. When God saw His perfect creation thus far, He saw that it was good, because He is good. “And Jesus said unto him, “Why call you Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18) The statement by Jesus in Mark 10:18 does not mean Jesus in not God, because Jesus was teaching that no man is good (Rom. 3:10-12), therefore His teaching didn’t concern who He is. Truly, Jesus is good, because He is God the Son. Just as God is good, so was His creation good, because it was perfect, as He is. No disease, no death, no corruption whatsoever.
Genesis 1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day. To this point, the creation was only 72 hours old. The sum added together, consisting of the evening and the morning, were the third day. The first day ended at sunset, while the beginning of the second day began at evening. When the second day ended at sunset, the third day began at evening. When one adds the evening (night) and the daylight (morning) together, it completes a 24 hour day (yom). Mankind has come up with the division of the morning (bōqer) into morning and afternoon, but God called all daylight morning. Common sense tell me that the logical conclusion is that God’s reference to morning should be considered all daylight, just as evening is to be considered all night (darkness). But to define Himself, God removed all doubt in Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) The 24 hour day does not begin at midnight (12:00 am), nor at sunrise, but at sunset (6:00 pm).
Genesis 1:14 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: As evening came upon the creation, so did day four begin. Once again, rather than waving His hand, or a magic wand, God spoke and 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:” In the case within day two, God created the firmament of the first heaven. Surely, He did not place these luminaries within the Earth’s atmosphere (firmament), so this second firmament (expanse) of the heaven is the second heaven, consisting of the sun, the moon, and the rest of the stars and planets in the universe. God created the first heaven (day two), before He ever created the second heaven (day four). (first heaven=Earth’s atmosphere, second heaven=stars and planets, third heaven=God’s home) “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” (Gen. 2:1) Notice in Genesis 2:1, the noun heaven was used in the plural form, which can be concluded to be more than one heaven was created during the six-day creation.
Until day four, God’s own light divided the day from the night, but with the creation of the sun and the moon, the creation had its own luminaries to bring it its light. In addition to the moon and the sun, God also created the other suns (stars) and other planets revolving around those suns, that could be seen through the Earth’s atmosphere (first heaven). The night sky was and is lit up by the sun’s reflection upon the moon, as well as the light of the other suns (stars) and planets. During the daylight (morning), the Earth’s sun has brought its light upon the creation for approximately six thousand years.
In addition to providing light to the Earth, God also intended these luminaries to be “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” Interestingly, the noun “signs” is translated from the Hebrew noun '??, which is defined as “sign, signal, warning.” The noun “seasons,” in the original Hebrew, is the word mow`ed, which means “appointed place, appointed time, meeting.” Obviously, the dividing of time has historically been used, concerning the sun, for days and years. The Earth makes one complete rotation in a 24-hour period called a day, while the complete revolution of the Earth around the sun takes one year.
3Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
4These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons. (Leviticus 23:3-4 KJV)
First, look at these two very important verses in Leviticus 23, then review the original Hebrew text for these words that are underlined. The word “feasts” in the original Hebrew noun is “mow`ed.” The definition of the noun “mow`ed” is an “appointed place, appointed time, meeting.” God had given Israel divine appointments. The word “convocations,” in the Hebrew text, is the noun “miqra'.” The definition of the noun miqra' is “convocation, sacred assembly.” Notice that the Hebrew noun for both “feasts” and “seasons” are the same noun “mow`ed.”[6]
God has used the planets, stars, and moon for signs of coming and fulfilled prophecies all through the Bible. The Feast of Trumpets cannot begin, without the first siting of the new moon, for the first day of the month of Tishri, which is the biblical “new year.” The Star of Bethlehem was a sign of the birth of the Christ (Messiah). The first and last Feast of the Lord takes place on a middle day of the month, which also brings a full moon. With full moons, there is a chance for a “blood moon” on occasion. A “blood moon” is a lunar eclipse which is caused by the alignment with the sun, Earth and moon. The Earth blocks the sun’s light to the moon giving it a red glow. Take a look at a few of many examples of events, or signs of the heavens:
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. (Joshua 10:13)
Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. (Isaiah 38:8)
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31)
From looking at the definitions of these words, from the original Hebrew text, one can see that God had set divine appointments for Israel to remember. God declared the need for a celebration; this would keep Israel’s focus on those days. He made them holy convocations, or meetings. He had offerings assigned to each of these feast days. He had established seven feasts for Israel to celebrate and remember each year. There are four spring feasts and three fall feasts. The four spring Feasts are The Feast of Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), or Feast of Shavuot. The three fall feasts are the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), The Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Through Scripture, He reminded Israel of the coming Messiah. He gave them a prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He gave them a prophecy that He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). These are a few of many, which anyone can find in God’s Word.[7]
Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. The pronoun “them” connects to the noun “lights” within the previous verse. The lights in the firmament of the heaven have given light upon the Earth now for approximately six-thousand years. As was disclosed in the previous verse, the firmament of the heaven is to be considered the second heaven, since it hosts the luminaries (lights) of the universe, outside of the Earth. Therefore, the first firmament (first heaven) cannot possibly be this second firmament (second heaven). As one can see, upon God’s oral command, “it was so.”
Genesis 1:16 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. Though it seems redundant here in verse 16, the point being made becomes more specific. The two great lights should be obvious to all of mankind, which are the sun and the moon of planet Earth. The greater light (sun) rules over all lights during the daylight. You cannot see the other stars, while the sun rules over the light of the day. Occasionally, we can see the moon’s light during the daylight, but that is still the suns light that we see. After the sun has set, the lesser light (moon) rules over the night sky. The other stars and planets, can be seen, because the moon is a lesser source of light than the sun (the greater light). As I first stated, this verse elaborates on the previous verse, so God confirmed here that He also made the stars of the second firmament (expanse), which is the second heaven.
Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, The pronoun “them” connects to the noun “lights” within the previous verse, being the “two great lights.” God set the “two great lights” into the firmament of the second heaven, to be the ruling lights upon the Earth. By stating that He set these two great lights (sun and moon) in the firmament (expanse) of the heaven, we absolutely must conclude that this is the second firmament (or second heaven), since the first firmament (expanse) was created on day two (Gen. 1:6-8), which divided the two bodies of water one from another in their midst (middle). As explained in verse 16, the two great lights ruled the light of each the day (sun) and the night (moon), which was set up into the second heaven.
Genesis 1:18 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. God may seem redundant, but there is an absolute truth being demonstrated with this verse. God finished creating the second firmament (second heaven) and placed the sun and the moon in that second heaven to rule over the day and the night. After all that He had created on day four, God saw that it was perfect (good). This is before the events of Genesis 3, and the fall of the creation, so the creation to this point was not corrupted and was perfect.
Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. To this point, the creation was only 96 hours old. The sum added together, consisting of the evening and the morning, were the fourth day. The first day ended at sunset, while the beginning of the second day began at evening. When the second day ended at sunset, the third day began at evening. The fourth day began with after the sunset of the third day, thus it was called evening. When one adds the evening (night) and the daylight (morning) together, it completes a 24 hour day (yom). Mankind has come up with the division of the morning (bōqer) into morning and afternoon, but God called all daylight morning. Common sense tell me that the logical conclusion is that God’s reference to morning should be considered all daylight, just as evening is to be considered all night (darkness). But to define Himself, God removed all doubt in Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) The 24 hour day does not begin at midnight (12:00 am), nor at sunrise, but at sunset (6:00 pm).
Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. As day four ended at sunset, the evening started day five. Once again, rather than waving His hand, or a magic wand, God spoke and said: “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” Obviously, the waters being referred to here are the waters below the open firmament (Earth’s atmosphere). The translators have chosen a singular noun “creature” for the Hebrew noun “?ere?,” which is actually defined as: “teeming or swarming things, creepers, swarmers.” Therefore, it fits more appropriately to say “the waters brought forth abundantly the schools and swarms of moving creatures that have life.” In addition (and) to schools and swarms of sea creatures, the abundance of fowls in the open firmament called (of) heaven (Earth’s atmosphere). The translators used a singular form for the noun “fowl” as well, when the Hebrew noun used by Moses was “?p?,” which is defined as: “flying creatures, fowls, insects, birds.” It would be more fitting to say that the firmament brought forth an abundance of flying creatures, fowls, and insects.
To push a point further, this verse confirms again that the first firmament was called heaven (see v. 1:6-8), which the flying creatures would all be flying in (fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven).
Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Verse 21 elaborates further details concerning the previous verse. Of the abundance of swarming and schooling creatures in the waters, they were all made according to their kinds, or species. To contradict the nonbelievers of the world, who believe in the evolution of kinds into different kinds, God created the creatures that live in the waters and in the sky after their own kind. Never can a species mate with a different species successfully! The evil abomination to God is when mankind attempts to mix species through science; it is absolute evil! God created His creatures each of their own kind, and saw that it was good. Certainly, this was before the fall in Genesis 3, but the goodness of God can still be understood to be the case, when it comes to the nonexistence of interbreeding of the species.
Micro-evolution of a species can be seen, when a species mutates to become either better or worse than its previous generation. But macro-evolution is not even remotely possible, when a myth has been construed to be that a species can mutate into a totally different species. There are many types of dogs, but all of that one species; there are many types of cats, but all are still of that one species; there are many snakes, but all are of that one type of species. A snake cannot mate with a frog, nor can it mutate into another species.
Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. The fruit of God’s blessing was given to the sea creatures and flying creatures, so that they could proper and multiply. Once again, the elaboration remains here in this statement concerning the nonexistence of evolutional changes in the species (kinds). The myth of evolution desires it to be said that sea creatures grew legs and lungs, then became land creatures, and eventually could fly. Here, God said that the sea creatures were to be fruitful and multiply in the waters of the seas, while the flying creatures would multiply on the Earth. He never intended, nor said, that the sea creatures be fruitful and multiply in the seas and in the Earth (land).
Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. To this point, the creation was only 120 hours old. The sum added together, consisting of the evening and the morning, were the fifth day. The first day ended at sunset, while the beginning of the second day began at evening. When the second day ended at sunset, the third day began at evening. The fourth day began with after the sunset of the third day, thus it was called evening. Upon the sunset of the fourth day, came evening, which started the fifth day. When one adds the evening (night) and the daylight (morning) together, it completes a 24 hour day (yom). Mankind has come up with the division of the morning (bōqer) into morning and afternoon, but God called all daylight morning. Common sense tell me that the logical conclusion is that God’s reference to morning should be considered all daylight, just as evening is to be considered all night (darkness). But to define Himself, God removed all doubt in Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) The 24 hour day does not begin at midnight (12:00 am), nor at sunrise, but at sunset (6:00 pm).
Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. As day four ended at sunset, the evening started day six. Once again, rather than waving His hand, or a magic wand, God spoke and said: “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:” Land animals were brought upon the Earth, after their own kind (species). Species varied from cattle, creeping things (ie…insects, amphibians, reptiles), and beasts (ie…cats, dogs, horses, micro-organism). To contradict the nonbelievers of the world, who believe in the evolution of kinds into different kinds, God states that He created the creatures that live on the Earth after their own kind (species). God spoke, and it became so.
Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. The redundancy of expression has once again been expressed here, to explain a very important point. Never can a species mate with a different species successfully! The evil abomination to God is when mankind attempts to mix species through science; it is absolute evil! God created His creatures each of their own kind, and saw that it was good. Certainly, this was before the fall in Genesis 3, but the goodness of God can still be understood to be the case, when it comes to the nonexistence of interbreeding of the species.
Micro-evolution of a species can be seen, when a species mutates to become either better or worse than its previous generation. But macro-evolution is not even remotely possible, when a myth has been construed to be that a species can mutate into a totally different species. There are many types of dogs, but all of that one species; there are many types of cats, but all are still of that one species; there are many snakes, but all are of that one type of species. A snake cannot mate with a frog, nor can it mutate into another species.
Genesis 1:26 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. In Genesis 1:26, we can also find the Hebrew noun “Elohym” used, while God’s comment was: “Let us make.” The Hebrew verb used was “asah” ??????, modified into a plural ????????? to translate as: “let Us make.” The conversation is between more than one person, but with the plurality of “Elohym,” it can only be the Godhead talking amongst one another. The noun “image” is translated from the Hebrew noun “selem” ?????, which is modified into plurality to say: “in our image”.????????????. The same can be said about “likeness,” which is the Hebrew word “d?muwth,” (?????????????), which is modified into plurality the same way. Once again this can only be seen as intentional by God to imply that He was speaking amongst the Triune Godhead. Genesis 1:26 can be read “and the ‘Godhead’ (Elohym) said ‘Let Us’ make man ‘in Our image,’ and ‘Our likeness.’” If the original Hebrew text reveals plurality, then one cannot declare that God is only one Person. In Jeremiah 23:36, we will find the phrase “the words of the living God;” the adjective “living” in Hebrew is “chay” ???, but in Jeremiah 23:36, it is in the plural form ???????; one should understand that the Hebrew modifiers for plurality usually appear on the verbs and adjectives in descriptive context of the noun. This verse implies that the “living God” is in a plural context.[8] Therefore, the use of “Elohim” in Genesis 1:1 should only be thought in the singular as the Triune Godhead consisting of more than one person.
To be in an “image” bearer of the Triune Godhead, is something that each and every human being can take hold of. It seems pretty important to be considered to be made in God’s image. It can be understood, based on Genesis 9:6, that the death penalty was commanded upon mankind, because we are made in God’s image. “Whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.” (Gen. 9:6) When someone disrespects God’s Everlasting Covenant, God has commanded that death should come to them at the hands of men. This is known as justice, through the death penalty, which God handed down to mankind to administrate. If being image bearers is so important, can mankind comprehend why God had made this so? What can be interpreted concerning this important condition, which every human being holds?
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 Because whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Rom. 8:28-30)
If God predestined certain individuals to be conformed to the image of his Son, then those individuals are called to be justified believers (the elect). Upon glorification of the justified believers, they will all have the same genetic makeup of God the Son in His glorified condition. “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” (1 Cor. 15:39) The Apostle Paul had expressed to the Corinthians that the earthy bodies of men are earthy and corruptible, but the heavenly are of the heavenly as Jesus Christ is now. Upon the resurrection, the individuals who are predestined to be called and justified, will be glorified. So the image bearers become the heavenly, because they are image bearers already, then glorified like God the Son.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1 Cor. 15:47-49)
Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 15 to explain The Resurrection of Life (John 5:28-29) in this very important epistle. Because mankind has been made in God’s image (before the fall in the Garden of Eden [Gen. 3]), His immortality was already incorruptible. Adam and Eve were immortals, made in the image of God. Once the fall had occurred, the individuals predestined to be in the image of God’s Son, need to be called, justified, and then glorified, as Jesus Christ had become upon His resurrection.
…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. Mankind has been given “dominion over” all other living creatures of the Earth. The inflected Hebrew verb “rā?a” is defined as: “to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down.” Before the fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve ruled over a very cooperative domain of species, where death did not exist, nor was there any fear. Once the fall had occurred, death became dominant over the creation, which may have caused the animals to be innocent victims of mankind, until after the Flood of Noah (Gen. 7-8). They had not yet been given fear of mankind until Genesis 9:2 after the flood.
The dominion rule over the creatures has already had three phases thus far. 1) Before the fall, no death or fear existed between man and all living creatures. 2) After the fall, mankind killed and brutalized animals, without fear existing between them. 3) After the Flood of Noah, God caused the living creatures to fear and dread mankind, as well as among each other. The adversarial creatures would feed on each other, while mankind fed on them.
Once eternity has come to the creation, a return to the original condition from the Garden of Eden will come to pass.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Is. 11:6)
7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. (Is. 11:7) Notice the lion will be eating straw and not eating the calf; a little child will be leading them and will not be eaten, nor eating them. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. (Is. 11:8) The asp, a serpent, will not be a threat, nor would the cockatrice (serpent with rooster’s head). 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Is. 11:9) Within the New Testament, there is a book which reveals specifics of the future advent of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 19-22, one can read about the coming of the Lord back to the Earth. The Resurrection of the saints who had been killed during the 70th Week of Daniel (Rev. 20:4). Revelation 20:4-6 reveals the one-thousand year reign of Christ, where one can understand that there will still be a fallen world. One can see that Satan is released and causes a final war (Revelation 20:7-9). Revelation 21-22 reveals eternity and how it transpires and is set up. The knowledge of the Lord will be full among all living creatures. Not part full, or even a little bit empty; it will be 100% full; this verse reveals that the entire human existence will be full of the knowledge of God, just as the water covers the sea; how much water covers the sea? That would be 100%.
Through the telescope of the Old Testament prophets, the readers envision the birth of the royal Son and His reign to be forever; with only the Old Testament, the Jews did not see that it will happen within His two advents.[9] Zechariah 14:16-18 reveals that there will be a time after Christ arrives, which He will reign and everyone upon the Earth will come to worship Him on the Feast of Tabernacles. This cannot be eternity, because there will be still judgments applied to people who do not comply (Zech. 14:17, 19). Isaiah 11:10-16 reveals the “Root” of Jesse (Jesus) will come to the Earth and conquer those in rebellion and set forth His Millennial Kingdom, as Zechariah had later prophesied in Zechariah 14. Isaiah 11:15-16 reflects upon the same smite that the Lord is to bring upon Egypt revealed within Zechariah 14:19.
With what Isaiah has implied in Isaiah 11:6-9, he revealed that the fallen world will no longer be in existence. The wolf dwelling with the lamb indicates that the corruption of the fall is not a part of that kingdom. It seems there will be no more carnivore animals (lion shall eat straw). The leopard will lie down with the goat (kid); the suckling child will be playing on the hole of an asp, while the toddler is playing in the den of the cockatrice. Truly, one can see the differences between what Isaiah is implying in 11:6-9 and what Zechariah 14 is implying.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. As we read through Genesis chapter 1, we will observe all of the most important facts of the six-day creation account. Genesis chapter 2 lays out more detail of the creation, which were a result of the six day creation. We should put on a lens to view the creation in a micro-view in chapter 2, rather than the macro-view in chapter one. Here in chapter 1, God indicated that the creation of man and woman were made in His own image. As I explained in the previous verse of this commentary, mankind was created as image bearers of God for a reason. The manifestation of the sons and daughters of God is key here. In the micro-view of the creation, the lens we view this reality in is important, in order to focus on this very important point. Since the image bearers are those who become righteous and resurrect into incorruptible bodies of immortality, then there will be those who will not, because they will not believe and trust in God’s words.
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:15)
I am stepping outside of Genesis 1:26-27 commentary, to present a possibility as to why this is so much of a priority of God to make His point here in Genesis chapter 1. The Greek noun translated for the word “life” is “pneuma,” which can also be defined as: “the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one.” In Revelation 13:15, the second beast will have the power to (give or cause) influence that which governs the souls of those making themselves in the image of the beast. It is hard to imagine that a statue, or photo, could accomplish what the “image of the beast” is being given power to do within Revelation 13:15. To supernaturally cause idols, or photos, to speak is absurd; also, for a statue, or photo image, to accomplish the murders of every person who would not worship the “image of the beast” is incomprehensible.
And deceived them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Rev. 13:14)
In Revelation 13:14, the word “image” is being used here. Many theologians want to declare this as an idol, or photo image; this is not the intent of this verse; the Greek noun is “eikōn” has been translated as image: below are the Lexicon definitions for this Greek noun:
1. an image, figure, likeness
1. an image of the things (the heavenly things)
2. used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God
2. the image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed, is likeness not only to the heavenly body, but also to the most holy and blessed state of mind, which Christ possesses
3. the image of one
1. one in whom the likeness of any one is seen
2. applied to man on account of his power of command
3. to Christ on account of his divine nature and absolute moral excellence.
If we take any of these definitions and apply it to the text, we would find that the text is referring to making each person in the likeness of the beast. Just as all mankind is made in the image of God, the verse is commanding the people to “acquire” or “make themselves” an “image” of the beast. The words used in Revelation 13:14 is “to make” which is Greek verb “poieō,” which is defined:[10]
1. to make
1. with the names of things made, to produce, construct, form, fashion, etc.
2. to be the authors of, the cause
3. to make ready, to prepare
4. to produce, bear, shoot forth
5. to acquire, to provide a thing for one's self
6. to make a thing out of something
7. to (make i.e.) render one anything
1. to (make i.e.) constitute or appoint one anything, to appoint or ordain one that
2. to (make i.e.) declare one anything
8. to put one forth, to lead him out
9. to make one do something
1. cause one to
10. to be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about)
When considering Revelation 13:14, one can easily imagine that the image of the beast is all of those who will have made themselves of the same DNA, by taking the mark of the beast. These new hybrid beasts will be able to speak, and also be at enmity with God and His people made in His own image. These ex-humans will be at war against all that are not like them. They will search and kill all who will have refused to take the “mark of the beast” and become in the image of the beast.[11]
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or on their foreheads: (Revelation 13:16)
Everyone on the Earth falls into at least one of the six categories spoken of within Revelation 13:16; some will fall into multiple categories. Right after these inhabitants of the Earth are told to make themselves in the image of the beast, they will be commanded to wear a “mark” on the right hand, or on their forehead. If we look back to the 144,000 children of the twelve tribes of Israel, they are to be sealed by God on their foreheads (Rev. 7:3). In Revelation 9:4, the great and strong locust people will not be permitted to sting those, who have the seal of God on their foreheads. What this “mark” is, cannot be clearly identified from the Scriptures. If one were to research the news, one can find a technology that has been in the process of being implemented to the masses called RFID technology. This technology is actually a small computer chip that can communicate to a central system, where all of one’s health, financial, criminal, and personal information is stored. These RFID chips can be injected into a person’s wrist, or forehead; it can be scanned, and communicated with, by anyone with the devices and access to the storage data.[12]
A video series called Watchers by L.A. Marzulli, reveals that many UFO abduction victims were injected with a microchip, which had been actually changing the abductee’s DNA. With the continuous advancements made in the changing of human DNA, the RFID technology could be used in accomplishing what Revelation 13:14-16 has implied.[13]
With the potential of this being the actual “mark of the beast,” one can then understand why God has declared them to be damned forever, for simply accepting this RFID chip. A person’s DNA could potentially be permanently corrupted. Just as those before the flood (days of Noah) were unredeemable, and just as the Canaanites were irreconcilable, so will these people be destroyed without God’s mercy. Every man, woman, and child will be damned without the mercy of God. They will be absolutely unredeemable people, after they will have accepted the “mark of the beast;” they will no longer be in the “image of God” and not be children of God. “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matt. 24:37)[14]
Genesis 1:28 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. The blessing, that God (Elohim) had brought upon them (Adam and Eve), can be listed into many conclusions not mentioned; but, the blessing can also be explained somewhat from the micro-view disclosed in Genesis 2:15-25. In a nutshell, the conclusion should be the most basic, which is marriage between man and woman, the ability to procreate (Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth), as well as the dominion given to mankind over every other living creature of the Earth (and subdue it, and have dominion over).
The verb “replenish” is wrongfully translated from the Hebrew verb “mālā',” which is defined as: “to fill.” The Hebrew word “mālā',” is never defined as: replenish, or refill. Never should someone twist this into “refill,” since this will be the first time the Earth is to be made full. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful, and multiply, and “to fill the Earth.” They were to multiply in order to fill the Earth. The command was to be handed down to all of the offspring of Adam and Eve, so that the Earth would be filled with image bearers of God.
Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. Though we could say that God said and it was so, as the Creator, it may be that this was God’s first commandment to Adam. He had already made Adam before this verse, so it may be that Adam was already created with the ability and desire to eat herbs and fruit. Even so, God said it, and it was done. The command was for mankind to eat herbs and fruit from trees as their meat ('ā?lain) of their diet. The Hebrew noun “'ā?la” is defined as: “food, object of devouring.” Before the fall, Adam and Eve were vegetarians, as will be mankind in eternity (Rev. 22:2). There will be no more flesh eaters in eternity, neither the animals, birds, fish, and insects, nor the sons and daughters of God (Is. 11:6-9).
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Rom. 1:22-23)
God created each (all) herb to bear its own seeds, as well as all fruit from the trees bearing their own seeds. It is an abomination to God, to genetically change God’s creation into seedless fruit, such as seedless watermelon and oranges. To change genetically, what God has made, is an abomination unto Him. Genetically Modified Organisms break the boundaries of fixed, neat categories and thus pollute the entire system of order in the universe.[15]
You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material. (Lev. 19:19)
Unfortunately for those who fall guilty of these crimes, they will be burned in the fire of eternity. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt. 7:19) Matthew 7:19 was spoken by God the Son, which had a spiritual meaning towards the wicked fruit that is brought forth by wicked people. It is not good fruit, to cause God’s genetic makeup to change due to what man calls “science.”
Genesis 1:30 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 herb for meat: and it was so. To confirm what I had stated within the previous verse, all creatures on the Earth were vegetarians. There were no carnivores on the Earth before the fall in the Garden of Eden. The command was for every living creature to eat herbs as their meat ('ā?la) in their diet. The Hebrew noun “'ā?la” is defined as: “food, object of devouring.” Before the fall, all living creatures were vegetarians, as will be in eternity. There will be no more flesh eaters in eternity, neither the animals, birds, fish, and insects, nor the sons and daughters of God (Rev. 22:2; Is. 11:6-9). “every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life.” No exceptions, God said “every” in each case, was given herb for food (meat). As God had commanded, it became so.
Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. God (Elohim) created mankind and the creatures each of their own kind, and saw that it was very good. The Hebrew adverb “m?'ō?” (very) that modifies the Hebrew adjective “???” (good). Certainly, this was before the fall in Genesis 3, but the goodness of God can still be understood to be the case, when it comes to the nonexistence of interbreeding of the species. This also reflects the condition of the non-fallen Creation, which was considered exceedingly (very) good (excellent, perfect). Adam, Eve, and the incarnate Jesus Christ (see commentary on Gen. 1:1) are the only members in the history of mankind, who ever had experienced the very goodness of the Creation. As has already been discussed, eternity will return the Creation back to this perfection. “And He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said unto me, ‘Write: for these words are true and faithful.’” (Rev. 21:5)
To this point, the creation was only 144 hours old. The sum added together, consisting of the evening and the morning, were the sixth day. The first day ended at sunset, while the beginning of the second day began at evening. When the second day ended at sunset, the third day began at evening. The fourth day began with after the sunset of the third day, thus it was called evening. Upon the sunset of the fourth day, came evening, which started the fifth day. Upon the sunset of the fifth day, came evening, which started the sixth day. When one adds the evening (night) and the daylight (morning) together, it completes a 24 hour day (yom). Mankind has come up with the division of the morning (bōqer) into morning and afternoon, but God called all daylight morning. Common sense tell me that the logical conclusion is that God’s reference to morning should be considered all daylight, just as evening is to be considered all night (darkness). But to define Himself, God removed all doubt in Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Gen. 1:5) The 24 hour day does not begin at midnight (12:00 am), nor at sunrise, but at sunset (6:00 pm).
[1] Bray, Gerald. The Doctrine of God. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Merkle, Benjamin R. "How Many Elohim?: Reformed Exegesis and the Challenge of Anti-Trinitarianism. In Defending the Trinity in the Reformed Palatinate: The Elohistae." Oxford University Press (Oxford University Press), 2015: Accessed 05/13/2018: https://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198749622.001.0001/acprof-9780198749622-chapter-2.
Sabo, Charles R. The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Bible Commentary. Tucson: Charles. R. Sabo School of Theology, 2020.
—. The Feasts, The Harvest, and The Resurrection. Tucson: Charles R. Sabo School of Theology, 2014.
—. We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood. Tucson: Charlees R. Sabo School of Theology, 2014.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Gerald Bray, The Doctrine of God (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 112.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Benjamin R. Merkle, "How Many Elohim?: Reformed Exegesis and the Challenge of Anti-Trinitarianism. In Defending the Trinity in the Reformed Palatinate: The Elohistae" (Oxford University Press, 2015: Accessed 05/13/2018:https://www.oxfordscholarship.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198749622.001.0001/acprof-9780198749622-chapter-2), 4.
[6] Charles R. Sabo, The Feasts, The Harvest, and The Resurrection, (Tucson: Charles R. Sabo School of Theology, 2014),
[7] Ibid., 25-26.
[8] Merkle, "How Many Elohim?: Reformed Exegesis and the Challenge of Anti-Trinitarianism, 4.
[9] William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Jr. Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2004), 376.
[10] Strong, New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 72-73.
[11] Sabo, Revelation of Jesus Christ, 190.
[12] Ibid., 190-191.
[13] Ibid., 191.
[14] Ibid.
[15] D.J. Haraway, Modest_Witness@Second_Millenium.FemaleMan?_Meets_OncoMouse?, (New York: Routledge, 1997).