THE BEGINNING
I would like to propose an interpretation, possible translation, but definitely study of Genesis 1:1-2.
These verses I will be dissecting read like this in the New International Version - Genesis 1:1-2 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
My translation is as follows...
Back at the start of all that humans can observe in space and time there was God and He is responsible for creating the heavens and all that is in them and the earth and all that is on and in them. However, at this time allow me to take you back to the time when the earth was not formed yet, all the plans for earth and heaven were still in God's mind. Then there was a tangible darkness which covered the first layer of the abyss and God's presence hovered, rested, and meditated over the sewer-like liquid of the abyssal darkness.
Now to how I got this translation.
Verse 1 of the original text states "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This statement is a stand alone statement that lets the reader know that God is the one responsible for Creation. The next verse/sentence to follow starts with the word "Now" which indicates a specific time that the reader is about to identify and he does - when "the earth was formless and empty" or when the earth was only in existence in the mind of God and Not physically created yet. The rest of the verse starting with "darkness..." are extra details that I will now explain.
When I looked up the original Hebrew for the word "darkness" - Choshek - the words that I found were: misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness. As opposed to the absence of light. 1 John 1:5 - "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." (New International Version) In addition, James 1:17 - "Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning." (Good News Bible Translation) To me, "darkness" sounds like a description of the fallen cherub - Lucifer.
According to my knowledge of Christendom, none of these negative things existed until Lucifer was demoted. I call it a "demotion" because Satan still has access to God's throne for he is called "The Accuser of the Brethren" (Revelation 12:10). Conceding the original verse, I would place his Rebellion (Ezekiel 28:11-19) somewhere between God creating all things in the Spiritual Realm and Him creating the known, physical universe. The one-third of angelic host that Lucifer convinces to join his ranks has to have an "earth" to be banished or flung to according to Revelation 12:4 -"His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth." So, this violent persuasion occurred sometime after the creation of the earth. Many believers know that fallen Lucifer, in the form of a serpent, came to Eve and enticed her to sin. But the time frame between the creation of man/woman and the temptation of Adam and Eve is not given. Believers know that God walked with man in the cool of the day for a while and enjoyed harmonious fellowship/relationship with each other while being stewards over what God created on the earth (Genesis 2:4-3:19). But again, the amount of time in this state with God is a mystery.
The descriptive words of "darkness" which allude to Lucifer's existence as a fallen being, also support the reality of angels at this time. Again according to Ezekiel 28 Lucifer was God's perfected creation " 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." A created, angelic being of the Cherubim Class that enjoyed the privilege of being the next best being down from God. Job 38:4-7 also speaks to other angels at the beginning by saying, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Read that verse backwards and it becomes clear that the Spiritual Realm, including the angels, had to be in existence before the creation because the angels "shouted for joy" while God was speaking Creation into existence. As a side note "morning stars" and "angels" seem to be two different things in this verse. I have heard it said by some scientists that the first stars that exploded into being ("morning stars") probably made a sound that still reverberates through the universe and we just have to tune to the right channel to hear it properly. While the holy "angels" are much more than exploding balls of gas and light. They are spiritual beings.
So, according to my study of the word "darkness", the view seems to be one of fallen Lucifer covering the "surface" or first layer of "the deep" or abyss (Teh-home in Hebrew) as it is defined in the original Hebrew.
I translate "the Spirit of God" into God's Presence because of personal preference. Even though both are one-in-the-same, saying God's Presence reminds me of His - Omnipresence and those times when He manifests His direct presence, like when someone who has a presence about them walks into a room and you cannot help but notice him/her.
"Hovered", when I looked up the original Hebrew, had those meanings that I mentioned in the translation - hovered, rested, and meditated. Other translations had "brooded".
"Waters" had an interesting definition. When looking up the original Hebrew I found such descriptive words as - urine, semen, piss, and wasting. Yuck! The Spiritual Realm, before the creation of the physical universe, and maybe even God's Throne itself (definitely His presence) seems to sit atop a "sewer system" whose warden is none other than fallen Lucifer or Satan.
Here is something else to ponder. The scientific community has hypothesized an ingredient in the Big Bang Theory. It involves the existence of something scientists call Dark Matter. According to dictionary.com this is a hypothetical form of matter invisible to electromagnetic radiation, postulated to account for gravitational forces observed in the universe. The interesting thing is, the main verse, Genesis 1:1-2, may speak to this Dark Matter and it's role in the Creation Story.
What if the "sweeping of Satan's tail" of a third of the angelic host of heaven after the earth was formed (therefore possibly the whole universe) had something to do in God's plan with the creation of gravity and Dark Matter's role in gravity. It is Not that God needs this Dark Matter that Lucifer provided and still provides, but that it was designed by God to happen that way. One thing we know for sure - "He [Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)
After studying this verse and giving you this breakdown, I imagine this scenario - God and God's creation of His Spiritual Kingdom before the Creation of the physical Universe. Who knows how long everything goes fine. However, Lucifer rebels and finds himself seriously demoted to the overseer of the realm's sewer-system which Satan created with his pride. Who knows there could be links to the idea of Hell and the Lake of Fire here, but the sewer-like picture we are given does not present itself with fire. Maybe that comes later.
Then we have the Creation of the very first thing in the physical universe - light. God goes on to create from there all that is. When God gets around to creating us and treasuring our relationship the way He did and does, I get the image of Satan having an "Ah-Ha" (evil-villan) moment. Desiring to hurt God where it matters most Satan aims at God's image, humanity, to bring rebellion into their existence. Misery loves company. And so we gave into the "craftiness", the lie(s) of the Father of Lies and rebellion/sin entered our human-nature. Nature was also cursed.
But God....
Many know this, but here it is again - "For God SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him WILL NOT PERISH, but have eternal life." - John 3:16
In addition to this and all that has been stated 1 Peter 1:20 declares, "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." Wow! Father God had a plan and Jesus was on board before the creation, which lines up with Luke 14:28-31 - "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?"
Think on this - He counted the cost and thought us worthy enough to live, teach, suffer, die, resurrect and come back for! What A Friend I Have In Jesus!
These verses I will be dissecting read like this in the New International Version - Genesis 1:1-2 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
My translation is as follows...
Back at the start of all that humans can observe in space and time there was God and He is responsible for creating the heavens and all that is in them and the earth and all that is on and in them. However, at this time allow me to take you back to the time when the earth was not formed yet, all the plans for earth and heaven were still in God's mind. Then there was a tangible darkness which covered the first layer of the abyss and God's presence hovered, rested, and meditated over the sewer-like liquid of the abyssal darkness.
Now to how I got this translation.
Verse 1 of the original text states "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This statement is a stand alone statement that lets the reader know that God is the one responsible for Creation. The next verse/sentence to follow starts with the word "Now" which indicates a specific time that the reader is about to identify and he does - when "the earth was formless and empty" or when the earth was only in existence in the mind of God and Not physically created yet. The rest of the verse starting with "darkness..." are extra details that I will now explain.
When I looked up the original Hebrew for the word "darkness" - Choshek - the words that I found were: misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness. As opposed to the absence of light. 1 John 1:5 - "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." (New International Version) In addition, James 1:17 - "Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning." (Good News Bible Translation) To me, "darkness" sounds like a description of the fallen cherub - Lucifer.
According to my knowledge of Christendom, none of these negative things existed until Lucifer was demoted. I call it a "demotion" because Satan still has access to God's throne for he is called "The Accuser of the Brethren" (Revelation 12:10). Conceding the original verse, I would place his Rebellion (Ezekiel 28:11-19) somewhere between God creating all things in the Spiritual Realm and Him creating the known, physical universe. The one-third of angelic host that Lucifer convinces to join his ranks has to have an "earth" to be banished or flung to according to Revelation 12:4 -"His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth." So, this violent persuasion occurred sometime after the creation of the earth. Many believers know that fallen Lucifer, in the form of a serpent, came to Eve and enticed her to sin. But the time frame between the creation of man/woman and the temptation of Adam and Eve is not given. Believers know that God walked with man in the cool of the day for a while and enjoyed harmonious fellowship/relationship with each other while being stewards over what God created on the earth (Genesis 2:4-3:19). But again, the amount of time in this state with God is a mystery.
The descriptive words of "darkness" which allude to Lucifer's existence as a fallen being, also support the reality of angels at this time. Again according to Ezekiel 28 Lucifer was God's perfected creation " 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." A created, angelic being of the Cherubim Class that enjoyed the privilege of being the next best being down from God. Job 38:4-7 also speaks to other angels at the beginning by saying, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Read that verse backwards and it becomes clear that the Spiritual Realm, including the angels, had to be in existence before the creation because the angels "shouted for joy" while God was speaking Creation into existence. As a side note "morning stars" and "angels" seem to be two different things in this verse. I have heard it said by some scientists that the first stars that exploded into being ("morning stars") probably made a sound that still reverberates through the universe and we just have to tune to the right channel to hear it properly. While the holy "angels" are much more than exploding balls of gas and light. They are spiritual beings.
So, according to my study of the word "darkness", the view seems to be one of fallen Lucifer covering the "surface" or first layer of "the deep" or abyss (Teh-home in Hebrew) as it is defined in the original Hebrew.
I translate "the Spirit of God" into God's Presence because of personal preference. Even though both are one-in-the-same, saying God's Presence reminds me of His - Omnipresence and those times when He manifests His direct presence, like when someone who has a presence about them walks into a room and you cannot help but notice him/her.
"Hovered", when I looked up the original Hebrew, had those meanings that I mentioned in the translation - hovered, rested, and meditated. Other translations had "brooded".
"Waters" had an interesting definition. When looking up the original Hebrew I found such descriptive words as - urine, semen, piss, and wasting. Yuck! The Spiritual Realm, before the creation of the physical universe, and maybe even God's Throne itself (definitely His presence) seems to sit atop a "sewer system" whose warden is none other than fallen Lucifer or Satan.
Here is something else to ponder. The scientific community has hypothesized an ingredient in the Big Bang Theory. It involves the existence of something scientists call Dark Matter. According to dictionary.com this is a hypothetical form of matter invisible to electromagnetic radiation, postulated to account for gravitational forces observed in the universe. The interesting thing is, the main verse, Genesis 1:1-2, may speak to this Dark Matter and it's role in the Creation Story.
What if the "sweeping of Satan's tail" of a third of the angelic host of heaven after the earth was formed (therefore possibly the whole universe) had something to do in God's plan with the creation of gravity and Dark Matter's role in gravity. It is Not that God needs this Dark Matter that Lucifer provided and still provides, but that it was designed by God to happen that way. One thing we know for sure - "He [Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17)
After studying this verse and giving you this breakdown, I imagine this scenario - God and God's creation of His Spiritual Kingdom before the Creation of the physical Universe. Who knows how long everything goes fine. However, Lucifer rebels and finds himself seriously demoted to the overseer of the realm's sewer-system which Satan created with his pride. Who knows there could be links to the idea of Hell and the Lake of Fire here, but the sewer-like picture we are given does not present itself with fire. Maybe that comes later.
Then we have the Creation of the very first thing in the physical universe - light. God goes on to create from there all that is. When God gets around to creating us and treasuring our relationship the way He did and does, I get the image of Satan having an "Ah-Ha" (evil-villan) moment. Desiring to hurt God where it matters most Satan aims at God's image, humanity, to bring rebellion into their existence. Misery loves company. And so we gave into the "craftiness", the lie(s) of the Father of Lies and rebellion/sin entered our human-nature. Nature was also cursed.
But God....
Many know this, but here it is again - "For God SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him WILL NOT PERISH, but have eternal life." - John 3:16
In addition to this and all that has been stated 1 Peter 1:20 declares, "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." Wow! Father God had a plan and Jesus was on board before the creation, which lines up with Luke 14:28-31 - "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?"
Think on this - He counted the cost and thought us worthy enough to live, teach, suffer, die, resurrect and come back for! What A Friend I Have In Jesus!
Comments
Post a Comment