Friday, May 20, 2011

The Beginning

Genesis 1 is a highly controversial book that demands a large level of faith to grasp the concepts that are written therein.  It concentrates more on the origin of mankind, and less on God and the many mysteries of God.  It merely establishes God as a Supreme Being, without giving much details of God - His origins, especially.

God exists outside of time.  He always is.  Time was created for mankind, and is used by mankind to track times and seasons.

According to scientists, a big bang occurred, bringing time and space into existence some 12 to 15 billion years ago (Internet Encyclopedia of Science, 2005).  The question for science is: "What caused the 'big bang'?"


Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning GOD created the Heaven and the Earth."  In the beginning GOD.

God is.  In Exodus 3:14, He identified Himself to Moses as "I AM THAT I AM".  He existed before creation occurred and will always continue to exist.  In John 8:58, Jesus referred to Himself as "I AM", making Himself equal to and a part of the Godhead.  He also said, "The Father and I are ONE." (John 10:30)

The Hebrew word for God is Elohim, which is a plural form.  However, according to Jimmy Swaggart's commentary, the verb that follows God in Genesis 1:1 is singular.  God is multiple Personalities in one Godhead.  He is a Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  They existed together before the start of creation as we know it.

John 1:1 refers to Jesus as the "Word" of God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.  In Him was life; and the life was the Light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

The Father spoke the Word, and the Holy Spirit brought creation into existence.  The Holy Spirit is the Power of God.  He teaches (John 1:33), helps and bring things to memory (John 14:26), brings power (Acts1:8), speaks through us (Luke 12:12; Acts 1:8), and allows us to see into God's Kingdom (Acts 7:55).

Earth is placed in a galaxy called the Milky Way that contains about 250 billion solar masses (Frommert and Kronberg, 2007).  A solar mass is a way to measure masses within space - the mass is measured against the sun to determine their sizes.  Galaxies are made up of star systems.  Within the Milky Way, our star system is the Solar System that consists of the sun and the objects that orbit the sun.  Our galaxy has about 200 billion stars!  And it is estimated that there are more than 170 billion galaxies within the universe.

Outside of time and space, the Supreme Being speaks creation into existence.  Genesis 1 does not say when God created the Heaven and the Earth, even though the book does document timelines of creation.  God takes full credit for the total creation of Heaven and Earth, and there is no misinterpretation of the statement in Genesis 1:1.

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."

What does that mean: "the Earth was without form, and void"?  Could it be that it did not exist as yet on a physical plane?  Could it be that there was a spiritual plane before the physical plane came into existence?  Could the description mean something totally different than a first reading indicates?  The answer to the latter question is "yes".  Although God transcends both the physical and spiritual planes, the term refers to something other than that the Earth had no shape and was empty.

The Hebrew phrase for "without form and void" is "tohu-va bohu", which means "formless and empty".  According to Dictionary.com, "void" means "having no legal force or effect; useless; destitute; empty; or a gap".  "Void" may also mean "canceled".

An online commentary speaks of a different earth age, prior to the one we presently know (www.gracecenterd.com).  In the first earth age, there was a total destruction.  And it was after this destruction of the first earth that God rebuilt the Earth.

Angels are referred to in the Bible as being messengers, holy ones, mighty warriors, and sons of God.  They look like man.  Abraham entertained angels unawares in Genesis 18 (which we will look at shortly); and St. Paul cautioned in Hebrews 13:2 that "some have entertained angels unawares."

Angels existed on the first Earth, which was ruled by a mighty angel, Lucifer, also known as "Day Star, son of Dawn" (Isaiah 14:12), a perfect and beautiful being (Ezekiel 28: 11 - 17) until he became proud and decided to exalt himself above God.  He led a rebellion against God with a third of the angels of Heaven; and God threw them out of Heaven.  This was a part of the darkness that Genesis 1:2, referred to.  Jesus, in Luke 10:18 said: "I beheld Satan as lightening fall from Heaven."  This caused a ruin to occur on the Earth as God destroyed the first earth.

The other darkness was a physical darkness, and emptiness that existed.  There was absolutely no light visible anywhere throughout the entire earth.  And the waters of the cosmos combined so that there was no distinction between the waters under the earth, on the earth and above the earth.

Darkness and water existed on the face of the earth (Genesis 1:2), until God moved or hovered on the face of the waters, bringing order back to the Earth, and calling forth light to penetrate the darkness (Genesis 1:2, 3).  Lucifer was not destroyed, but existed within the darkness and waters of the earth.

Light had existed  before, but was now absent, due to the cataclysmic events that had destroyed the first earth.  Jimmy Swaggart's commentary indicates that light became visible on the first day, when God called it forth, and then the celestial bodies (sun, moon, and stars) became visible in the fourth day of creation.

Which brings us to another question: is the six-day creation literal?  Scripture speaks of a day being like a thousand years to God (2 Peter 3:8).  Psalm 90:4 likens a thousand years to God as a day or as a watch in the night.  A watch was approximately four hours (Pogorzelski, 2011).

It is quite possible that creation occurred within a literal six-human-days period.  It is also quite likely that it occurred in a six-God-days period, which could be over six thousand human years.  Please note, though, that the text specifies: "And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day." (New International Version - Genesis 1:5).  There were clear distinctions showing that there was an evening and a morning.  These are "natural days" (Barnes, 2011).  God completed creation in six actual human days.

In Day One, God called forth light through the darkness that was on the earth.  "The Light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:5)

In Day Two, God separated the waters and reestablished the firmament around the Earth - dividing the water within the Earth (terrestrial waters) from the water in Heaven (atmospheric waters).  Mists had now formed on the earth.

In Day Three, God called forth dry land and established the Seas.  He brought forth grass and trees of all kinds on the Earth.

On Day Four, God called for the lights in Heaven - the sun, the moon, and the stars.  These were now made visible on the earth, past the darkness that had previously existed.  The sun now produced heat and light to sustain life forms within the Earth.

On Day Five, God created the birds, fishes, and whales and ordered them to multiply throughout the Earth and the Seas.

On Day Six, God created the other creatures of the Earth.  Then, He created Man.

"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 creepeth upon the earth.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.  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 moveth upon the earth." (Genesis 1: 26 - 28)


The Triune God worked together in the creation of man.  Man was created in a likeness of God.  He did not evolve from other creatures.  He looked like God, and he looked like angels.  In the next chapter in which we see God walking and talking with Man in the garden, there did not appear to be any difference between God and the Man He had created.  Remember, too, that Abraham entertained angels unawares in Genesis 18 and Paul had cautioned that we sometimes entertain angels unawares in Hebrews 13.  Scripture says that Man was created a little lower than angels (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:7), but our likeness (with exception to cherubims and seraphim that have wings) appear to be identical.

God then blessed Man and instructed him to replenish the earth.  What does that mean?

According to Dictionary.com, the word "replenish" means: "To make full or complete again; to fill again or anew".  That means that something had been there before.  Something that had been taken away that now had to be restored.

Remember that God had destroyed the first earth and all that was within.  So man was replacing original life on earth.  He was given power over the earth.  The earth that had originally belonged to Lucifer was now given to Man for him to multiply and fill the earth.

God provided food for man.  Genesis 1:29 and 30 are clear that food was to be obtained from the trees - not from the fish, bird, or animal life that man was protecting, ruling, and subduing.  According to the scripture, the fruits and herbs were also provided for the beasts of the earth and fowls of the air and everything that crept on the face of the earth to use as food.

"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 looked at all He had made, He blessed everything, and He proclaimed it all to be very good.  It was absolutely perfect.

Reference

Barnes (2011).  Barnes' Notes on the Bible: Genesis 1:5.  Retrieved May 20, 2011 from http://bible.cc/genesis/1-5.htm

Biblos.com (2011).  Genesis 1:1.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://bible.cc/genesis/1-1.htm

Cardinald Joseph Ratzinger (1995).  In the Beginning: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://www.philvaz.com/apologetics/p81.htm

Dictionary.com (2011).  Void.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/void

Frommert, H. and Kronberg, C., 2007.  Galaxies.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://messier.obspm.fr/galaxy.html

GraceCentered.Com (n.d.).  Commentary on Genesis.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://www.gracecentered.com/christian_forums/apologetics-and-faith/commentary-on-genesis/10/?wap2

Internet Encyclopedia of Science, 2005.  Big bang.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/Big_Bang.html

Pogorzelski, F. (2011).  Bible time lunar - solar system.  Hebrew months.  Retrieved April 27, 2011 from http://www.catholicevangelism.org/bible-time.shtml

Overview of the Books of the Bible - Old Testament: Genesis - Numbers

This overview looks at the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, called in Hebrew the Torah (תּוֹרָה, meaning "Instruction") or in Greek the Pentateuch (Πεντάτευχος, meaning "Five Books").  It is also called the Five Books of Moses.  These five Books are the first five Books of the Christian Holy Bible, The Old Testament.  These Books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The book of Genesis introduces God, documents creation, the historical beginning of man, the fall of mankind, the great flood, the Tower of Babel and the scattering of mankind throughout the earth, and the beginnings of the Jewish peoples through a covenant with a man named Abraham.

According to Jewish and Christian traditions, the book was inspired by God and written by a man named Moses, approximately 1445 to 1405 years BC (Swaggart, nd).  The main characters are Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Esau, and Joseph.

Exodus was also written by Moses approximately 1445 to 1405 BC (Swaggart, nd).  It documents the slavery of the Jewish people, Moses' petition to Pharaoh for Israel to leave Egypt, ten plagues on Egypt, the first Passover feast, the departure of the Hebrew people from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, God feeding the Israelites, God instituting the Ten Commandments, and the building of the Tabernacle.  The main characters are Moses and Aaron.

Leviticus is a book that "pertains to the Levities".  It is like an instruction book to the Levi priests.  It was written by Moses approximately 1444 - 1440 BC (Barrick, 2004).  It is a book on holiness.

Numbers is from the Greek word Αριθμοί arithmoi that means "numbers" or the Jewish name Bəmidbar (or במדבר) which means "In the desert of" (or bəmidbar Sinai - "in the desert of Sinai").  It is an account of the Israelites journey through the desert, after they left Egypt, that lasted almost forty years.  In this book, the people are numbered twice, Moses appoints priests to help him govern the people, and spies are sent into the Promised Land, Canaan.

Deuteronomy is the fifth and last book written by Moses and speaks of the "second law".  It's Hebrew name is  Devarim (דְּבָרִים) which means "spoken words".  It contains Moses' speeches and instructions to the Israelites.

Reference:

Barrick, W. D. (2004).  The book of Leviticus.  Retrieved May 19, 2011 from http://www.drbarrick.org/Website%20Files/LeviticusIntro.pdf

Bratcher, D. (2004).  The book of Deuteronomy: Introduction and Overview.  Retrieved May 19, 2011 from http://www.cresourcei.org/deuteronomy.html

Holy Bible: King James Version - Jimmy Swaggart Commentary Edition, Heritage Publishers, TX

Wikipedia (2011).  Book of Numbers.  Retrieved May 19, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Numbers

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Brief Overview of the Holy Bible

The word "Bible", according to Webster's dictionary, means "the sacred book of the Christian Church; the Old and New Testaments".  It is a collection of sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity.

The origin of the word "Bible" is Greek (τὰ βιβλία ta biblia) and it means "the books".  The Holy Bible no longer appears on the best selling book list, because it is the number one selling book in history, and has sold billions of copies.


The Bible is divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The word "Testament" refers to a covenant - a covenant between God and Man.

There are a total of sixty-six books that complete the Holy Bible.

The Old Testament is the Hebrew scriptures (the Tanakh) containing thirty-nine books.  There are five law books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), twelve historical books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther), five poetry books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon), and seventeen prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi).

The New Testament is the Christian scriptures containing twenty-seven books.  There are five historical books (Matthew, Mark, Luke John, and Acts), and the remaining twenty-two books are letters; of which thirteen are written by the Apostle Paul.  The letters are Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation.

The Roman Catholic Church recognises other scriptural writings: Tobit, Judith, 1 Macabees, 2 Macabees, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, Greek Additions to Esther, The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of The Three Holy Children, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon - which do not appear in The Holy Bible.  There are also other writings that are recognised by some orthodox churches that also do not appear in the Holy Bible.

The oldest Greek translations of both the Old and New Testaments date back to the fourth century.  The oldest version of the Hebrew Bible (the Masoretic Text) - the official version of the Jewish Bible - dates back to the Middle Ages.

In 1604, the authorised King James Version was begun, in which we had the first English translation of the Holy Bible.  Many are familiar with the 1611 version, which was an exact copy of the original King James Version.  The Bible had been translated from Greek and Hebrew to English.

There are currently hundreds of translations of the Holy Bible and more than a thousand lingual translations of the New Testament that exists.

The Holy Bible tells a story of the beginnings of man and his relationship with God who created all things that are seen and unseen.  It is a Book of Love, History, Forgiveness, and Reunion between God and Man.

Reading Plan

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. - 2 Timothy 3:16 KJV
Welcome to the Bible Study.

Purpose of Bible Study
Many people have Bibles.  Some have more than one copy and more than one translation.  Many people don't read their Bibles.  Others read popular scriptures.  Most people don't understand the Bible - especially those scriptures that go into genealogies and the law.

The purpose of this Bible study is to increase knowledge, increase relationship with God, and to document the timelines through the Bible.

Preparation
In preparation for the Bible study, I've accumulated different versions of the Bible, even though my Bible of choice is the King James Version.  I have a concordance, a dictionary, and I also look to other commentaries of the Bible to stimulate interesting discussions.

Bible study is not a chore or a task to be anticipated with trepidation.  It is not a race.  There is no plan to read through the Bible in one week or one month - there is no hurry.  This study is an adventure that will take us through the Bible as we look at the history of man and the history of God that He shares with us.

We start each Bible study with prayer and worship of God, and open ourselves to receive from God.



Plan
I have read through the Bible a few times, from cover to cover.  The first time, I experienced a feeling of accomplishment for having completed reading the entire Bible.  On other occasions, as I've read, I've discovered things I somehow missed, during earlier readings.

Sometimes it is easy to "skip over" things, and sometimes that changes the meaning of what is being read.

I considered two plans: reading the Bible from the first book to the last book, and reading it chronologically through time.

For this study, we will do a chronologically reading of the Bible.  I chose the plan that was posted by The One Year Bible Online, simply because it was a clear and organised plan, and it saved me doing prior research to track time lines.

I hope that we will be able to stimulate interesting discussions as we travel together through the Bible.



Resources
  1. Holy Bible: King James Version, Hendrickson Publishers Inc, MA, 2004. 
  2. Holy Bible: King James Version - Jimmy Swaggart Commentary Edition, Heritage Publishers, TX
  3. Quest Study Bible: New International Version, Zondervan, MI, 2002
  4. The Student Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Zondervan, MI, 1996
  5. Webster's English Dictionary, Strathearn Books Limited, ON, 2005
  6. The New Combined Bible Dictionary and Concordance, Baker Book House, MI, 2004
  7. The One Year Chronological Bible - http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/  - http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf
  8. ESV Bible, 2010 - http://www.esvbible.org/
  9. eSword, 2011 - http://www.e-sword.net/