Transcript Lesson 2 for January 12, 2013 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form,

Lesson 2 for January 12, 2013
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was
on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was
hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2)
At one stage –“in the beginning”—God created the
universe and our planet Earth.
At that moment, the elements in Earth were all mixed
together without any order or life.
There was no light to light up the planet but the Spirit
of God was there in the darkness.
“The work of God’s Spirit must have some
connection with the activity that was
presently to be initiated, an activity
bringing order out of chaos. The Spirit of
God was already present, ready to act as
soon as the order should be given. The Holy
Spirit has always been doing this very work.
This divine Agent has ever been present to
assist in the work of creation and
redemption” (SDA Bible Commentary, on Genesis 1:2)
We don’t know how much
time had passed from the
creation of the planet until
the six days of Creation
before it being populated. It
could have been something
immediate or much
time might have
gone by.
God devoted the first three days to shape and prepare the
planet. He devoted the other three days to fill it and to
give meaning to the places he had already prepared.
DAY
HE
CREATED
HE
NAMED IT
DAY
HE FILLED
1
Light
Day, Night
4
Sun, Moon
and stars
2
The
firmament
Heaven
5
Birds and sea
creatures
3
Dry land
Earth, Seas
6
Terrestrial
animals
Once everything was ready, He created man and woman and placed
them at the home He had created for them; our planet Earth.
“For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the
earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who
formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other”” (Isaiah 45:18)
Which power did
God use for His
creative work?
The power of
His word.
“God said…”
(Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24)
“by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
standing out of water and in the water” (2 Peter 3:5)
The Bible tells us that God created from nothing, just by the power of His word without
any resistance.
The divine word is powerful enough to create without an evolutionary process which
would need death and survival of the most suitable in order to bring man to existence.
Death, suffering and other ills were not caused by God. They came to existence as a
natural result of the rebellion against His guidance.
“Akin to the theory concerning the evolution of the earth is that which
attributes to an ascending line of germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds the
evolution of man, the crowning glory of the creation.
When consideration is given to man’s opportunities for research; how brief his
life; how limited his sphere of action; how restricted his vision; how frequent
and how great the errors in his conclusions, especially as concerns the events
thought to antedate Bible history; how often the supposed deductions of
science are revised or cast aside; with what readiness the assumed period of
the earth’s development is from time to time increased or diminished by
millions of years; and how the theories advanced by different scientists
conflict with one another,—considering all this, shall we, for the privilege of
tracing our descent from germs and mollusks and apes, consent to cast away
that statement of Holy Writ, so grand in its simplicity, “God created man in
His own image, in the image of God created He him”? Genesis 1:27. Shall we
reject that genealogical record,—prouder than any treasured in the courts of
kings,—“which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God”?
Rightly understood, both the revelations of science and the experiences of life
are in harmony with the testimony of Scripture to the constant working of
God in nature”
E.G.W. (Education, cp. 14 “Science and the Bible”, pg. 130)
“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the
light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God
called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the
morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5)
Let’s emphasize that…
“Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus 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. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and
the morning were the second day” (Genesis 1:6-8)
God divided the waters so part of them stood on earth (the seas) and
the other part was placed over the firmament (the heaven) God created
in that moment.
That “firmament” was meant for birds (Gn. 1:20) as we can see today.
We now call that firmament atmosphere.
During the Flood, the waters over the atmosphere fell on earth, “all the
fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven
were opened” (Genesis 7:11). Clouds replaced them and the rain cycle
began.
“Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be
gathered together into one place, and let the dry land
appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth,
and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas.
And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the
earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the
fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed
is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth
brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to
its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in
itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
So the evening and the morning were the third day”
(Genesis 1:9-13)
To feed the beings He was going to
create.
To renew the oxygen in atmosphere,
so they could breathe.
To create an environment of great
beaut so man could contemplate it
and take care of it.
After the first part of Creation, God paused and
contemplated it, “And God saw that it was good”
“The great Master Artist writes His name on all His created works,
from the loftiest cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop upon the wall. They
all declare His handiwork, from the lofty mountain and the grand
ocean to the tiniest shell upon the seashore”
E.G.W. (The faith I live by, January 18)