In the Beginning- The History of God, Creation, Angels and Man

In the Beginning-  The History of God, Creation, Angels and Man     

Where did God come from? Who was there with God in the beginning? What was there in the beginning? When did time begin? How long ago was that? This study is an account of the beginning of everything; of time, of creation, and of us as revealed in the Bible. From the Word of God, we learn about our great God- His origin, His attributes, His nature, His desires, and  His plan and purpose for us.

Of course, God has neither beginning nor ending. GOD ALWAYS WAS!  God called Himself ‘I AM THAT I AM’ Ex3:14. God is revealed in the Holy Bible through all 66 books from Genesis to Revelation; 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, transcribed by 40 writers over a 1500-year period as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost 2Pe1:21. Jn1:1 tells ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’! God is the Word, and the Word is God.  Jesus, who is the Word, said ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away’ Mt24:35.  God’s Word is very important to Him and should be to us! It is ABOVE EVERYTHING in this world and even in ‘the world to come‘ Mk10:30!

In The Beginning With God- In the Beginning of Time and Creation 

There are two beginnings in the Bible– the first one was the VERY BEGINNING Jn1:1, when only the Word and God existed; before anything was, before the Word created everything v3, before the creation of the angels and man. Then there is the NEAR BEGINNING Ge1:1; the beginning of time and creation, when God created the heavens and earth and man. Some scientists place the age of our universe at 14 billion years old, and the earth at 4.5 billion years old. Those subscribing to a young earth theory believe that the earth was created in six literal days, and is no older than 6000 years old. Since there should be no contradiction, what does the Word of God say about the VERY BEGINNING and the NEAR BEGINNING– the beginning of time, the beginning of creation, the beginning of angels, and the beginning of man?

In the VERY BEGINNING– the Word and God, John 1:1

John 1:1-3 state when the VERY BEGINNING was; when only the Word existed with God, and the Word was God. ‘All things were made by the Word and without the Word was not anything made that was made’. The Bible states the Word was in the beginning with God.  Then the Bible reveals ‘theWord was made flesh, and dwelt among us’ Jn1:14,  and that Jesus Christ is ‘..The Word of God‘ Re19:13. Jesus Christ is God!

God was manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ 1Ti3:16 and Jesus was with the Father in glory before the world was Jn17:5.  Jesus is ‘the image of the invisible God’ Co1:15.  Jesus is ‘the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of God’s person, and Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power..’ Heb1:3. Jesus is ‘the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end’ Re1:8. Jesus Christ is the very beginning of all things; ‘..before all things and by Him all things consist’ Co1:17;  ‘All things were created by Him and for Him’ Co1:16; ‘for His glory, honor and pleasure’ Re4:11. Jesus is ‘..equal with God‘ Php2:6.

JESUS is God’s redemptive name ‘for He shall save his people from their sins’ Mt1:21.  How long ago was the very beginning?  The very beginning refers to the ageless existence of time. God was always there in the beginning, and the beginning was always there with God!  It is very mysterious and incomprehensible!

In the NEAR BEGINNING– God Created the Heaven and the Earth, Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1 states ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth’.  Here we see when God created Time, Space, and Matter– the Beginning, Heaven, and the Earth! This is the beginning of all creation.  It began with heaven, and then with earth, our world.  The Bible reveals what happened in the beginning, before or from the foundation of the world.  In this facet of time, from the foundation of the world, we learn what God desired to accomplish.  Jesus said He was loved of the Father ‘before the foundation of the world’ Jn17:24. God chose us in Jesus Christ ‘before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before God in love’ Ep1:4. God saved and called us with an holy calling.. before the world began‘ 2Ti1:9.

God knew that Adam would sin because the Bible states Jesus, the Lamb of God, was ‘slain from the foundation of the world Re13:8.  We were ‘redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and spot ‘which God foreordained before the foundation of the world‘ 1Pe1:18-20. The works of God were finished from the foundation of the world Heb4:3. God’s secrets which were hid in parables from the foundation of the world Mt13:35, are now being revealed to us.

It is given unto us to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven Mt13:11, to know the ‘..unsearchable riches of Christ’, and the ‘fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ’ Ep3:8,9.  Jesus said ‘..Come, ye blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ Mt25:34. God’s love for us is shown in His plan for us to be ‘..the called, and chosen, and faithful‘ in Christ Re17:14. God’s redemptive plan for mankind- His works and secrets, and soon coming kingdom on earth were all established BEFORE and FROM the foundation of the world!

In the NEAR BEGINNING– the Gap Theory of Creation Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2

The Bible suggests that the Genesis 1 account may not have been the creation, but the RE-CREATION of earth, and then man. Ge1:2 states that ‘the earth was WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID..‘. God does not create anything WITHOUT FORM AND VOID.  Something must have happened after God created the heaven and the earth Ge1:1.  Ge1:3 suggests there was a RE-CREATION of earth and of man- ‘..the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters‘ Ge1:2; ‘.. thou renewest the face of the earth’ Ps104:30.  The six days of creation in Genesis 1 was actually a RE-CREATION of the earth. God spoke everything into existence saying ‘let there be and there was’. As ‘..one day is with the Lord as a 1000 years and a 1000 years as one day‘ 2Pe3:8, the 6th day creation of man is a parallel to the 6000 years of mankind so far, and the 7th day when God rested the soon coming 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ .

Bible chronology reveals it has been only about 6000 years since Adam began, till today.  All nature has beauty and complexity! Eccl 3:11 tells God ‘..made everything beautiful in his time’. When one meditates on the beauty of God’s creation in its form, flora, and fauna; its colors, intricacies and details, one can conclude that God does not create nothingness (void), but is very purposeful and wise in all that He does.

The prophet Jeremiah revealed what may have happened when the earth was without form, and void. Jeremiah used the same phrase as in Ge1:2- ‘I beheld the earth and lo, it was WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID’ v23. Jeremiah implied there was a pre-Adamic existence of inhabitants and cities. He wrote ‘I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man.. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black’ Je4:23-28.    

The whole earth became desolate (void), all cities and all living creature destroyed, and the heavens blackened (darkness) because of God’s fierce anger, but ‘yet will I not make a full end‘, suggesting earth was re-created later in Ge1:6-12! Here Je4:25 is a key verse; ‘I beheld, and lo, there was NO MAN..’ suggesting that man was completely gone from the earth, and implying God had once destroyed the earth before Adam was created.  

Scientists say that the original earth is about 4.5 billion years old, based on radiometric age dating of meteorite material, on the ages of the oldest-known terrestrial and lunarsamples.  The age of the universe is placed at 14 billion years old.  Since Adam, 6000 years ago, at no time was there an absence of man living on the earth, even after the great Noahic flood, when all perished except only 8 people. But Jeremiah wrote of a pre-Adamic civilization Je4:23-28, even as many archaeologists have suggested or proven by carbon dating. Something happened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. This is called ‘THE GAP THEORY OF CREATION’!

In The Beginning- a Great Rebellion in Heaven; the Fall of Lucifer

The Bible states that the creation of angels preceded that of man Ps8:5; that there are over 100 million angels in heaven Re5:11.  Lucifer, son of the morning, Is14:12, wanted to be like the most High God v14.  Lucifer was ‘the anointed cherub that covereth’ Ez28:14.  God gave Lucifer his wisdom and beauty v12.  Lucifer was beautifully adorned with sparkling precious stones v13.  God gave him power and created him perfect v15.  His beauty, wisdom and brightness caused him to become exceedingly proud v17.  Lucifer’s music was so beautifully and skillfully performed, as he led the heavenly host in worship to God. Their adulation of Lucifer fueled his heart with pride and iniquity. Lucifer could not contain and humble himself before God.

Lucifer set up a plan to displace God. He began to foment sedition in heaven. Ez28:16 tells us ‘By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned’. Lucifer sinned in heaven.  He began to traffic in the ‘the multitude of thine iniquities’ v18. Lucifer and his followers became defiled v18. He wanted to be like God. These are the ‘five I wills of Lucifer’. He said in his heart ‘.. I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High’ Isa14:13,14. Lucifer wanted to steal God’s glory, throne and congregation, and to be number one.

Lucifer, being very wise and cunning, thought he knew everything, and that his plans to supplant God would succeed. Lucifer led a rebellion of one third of the angels in heaven against God Re12:3,4. They were defeated and cast down to earth Re12:9. Since angels, unlike man do not die, many of these fallen angels are now on earth; but are now called devils or demons Mt4:24, Lk8:30. Lucifer’s downfall was his pride.

Something happened such that it made the earth become ‘WITHOUT FORM, AND VOID’ Ge1:2.  Is14:12 states ‘O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Could this be the time when Lucifer and his angels were cast from heaven and ‘made the earth to tremble, made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof..’ Is14:16,17? Jesus said ‘I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven’ Lk10:18? Lucifer is now called ‘the dragon, the old serpent, the Devil and Satan which deceiveth the world’ Re12:9. Satan, ‘..the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night‘ Re12:10. 1Pe5:8 states ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour’. The devil ‘was a murderer from the beginning.. and the father of lies’ Jn8:44. Satan’s job on earth is ‘.. to steal, and to kill, and to destroy’ Jn10:10 as many as he can; to take as many people to hell with him, and later into the lake of fire Re20:15.

In the Beginning- God told Adam and Eve and Noah and His Sons to Replenish the Earth   

On the 6th day of creation, God created man in his own image.. ‘male and female created he them’ Ge1:27. God gave man dominion over all living creatures v26.  God then told Adam and Eve ‘BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY, AND REPLENISH THE EARTH..’ v28. God later told Noah and his sons after the flood the same thing, ‘BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY, AND REPLENISH THE EARTH’ Ge9:1. To replenish the earth means to stock it up again with people, like it was before the creation of Adam and Eve, and before the flood when many died. Both scriptures imply that before Adam and Eve, there were some kind of inhabitants living on earth before the RE-CREATION of earth and man which began in Ge1:3-28.

Thus, God recreated the earth and restocked it again with people beginning with Adam and Eve. The Bible is only a 7000 years account of God’s dealing with mankind, of which 6000 years since Adam till today have transpired.  Another 1000 years of the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth is coming soon, after the defeat of the forces of the Antichrist and the false prophet. Then after that the timeless eternity will begin, details of which have not yet been revealed. But there will be a new heaven and a new earth, ‘.. the first heaven and earth were passed away‘ Re21:1.

In the Beginning- God’s Purpose Regarding Man

The Bible tells of God’s great wisdom and love for us; how God engineered a plan for those who really love Him; how Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven and sending Jesus to earth to redeem us are used to bring forth God’s plan into fruition on earth for us. The Bible tells of the depth of God’s great love for us; to know what is ‘.. the hope of his calling.. the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe..’ Ep1:19. It speaks of our relationship with our Father in heaven, and our inheritance to come. It tells us what God has in store for us in the coming eternity!  What is God’s master plan for man? Why are we here?  What is life all about? What happens to us after we die?  Do we all have to die? No! God has a special plan in mind for us! The apostle Paul wrote ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed‘ 1Co15:51.

God’s purpose from the beginning was 1. to dwell on earth with man, 2. to have His name glorified throughout the earth, 3. to have a kingdom on earth to rule in. To accomplish this, first God had to re-create earth, then man. God then had to come to earth as the man Jesus Christ, to reveal his Name. Jesus came to earth to save sinners Mt1:21,18:11, Lk9:56. He came to make us free Lk4:18,19, Jn8:36. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil 1Jn3:8. He came to give us a more abundant life Jn10:10b.  He came to preach and teach the gospel of the kingdom of God, and to heal every sickness and disease Mt4:23,9:35. Jesus then became our example to follow, for us to be like Him. Soon Jesus will return to earth a 2nd time to smite the nations Re19:15- to defeat and cast the false prophet and the Antichrist into the lake of fire, Re19:20. Then Jesus will establish His millennial kingdom on earth and Satan will be bound for a 1000 years Re20:2. But these are just temporal things 2Co4:18, and not the ultimate purpose of God for man! 

In the Beginning- God’s Ultimate Plan for Man 

Finally, all that God did, all that was created, and all that happened was to bring forth God’s ultimate plan for man. This is the eternal purpose that God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord Eph3:11. God wants more deserving sons and daughters like Jesus Christ to give them everything that He has– His kingdom, His glory and majesty, His power, and to rule and reign with Him forever in the timeless eternity. This is what Lucifer wanted when he rebelled against God in heaven. But this blessing is only for the overcomers in Christ. Jesus said ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things; I will be His God & he shall be my son’ Re21:7.  Heb2:10 states ‘For it became God.. in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation (Jesus) perfect through sufferings’.

1Jn3:1-2 state ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when Jesus shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is’. God wants to have more sons and daughters like Jesus Christ. God’s ultimate plan is culminating after 6000 years of mankind, and God will soon enter into His rest.

Ro8:29-30 state ‘For whom God did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Moreover whom God did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also GLORIFIED’.  Jesus taught us to pray ‘.. God’s will be done in earth, as it is in heaven‘ Mt6:10!  God will always have His way on earth and all His plans will be fulfilled.  Thus, God’s ultimate plan for man began with the BEGINNING of RE-CREATION OF EARTH, and of man!  Amen!