IN BEGINNING

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV

 

The Holy Spirit existed before the beginning. In Moses’ historical record of man the Holy Spirit is there early moving upon a needy creation.

                        Genesis 1:2

2 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. NIV

God Created In Beginning

In this beginning God “created.” There is not an English equivalent to this word because it refers to an action impossible for man – creation of something from nothing. The word “created”[4] means to cut, shape or form.  The Father provided intellect, planning, design and direction revealing His will to the Son. The Son of God as heir of all creation always executed the will of the Father in physically forming and making the creation. The God the Holy Spirit provided the power and omniscient communication of every finite detail of the creations progress and state of existence to God the Father. All that related to man was done in beginning according to the writings of Moses.

Other inspired authors as well share this creative beginning shedding light on God’s creative authority of all that exists. 

                        John 1:3

3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. NIV

                        Colossians 1:16

16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. NIV

                        Hebrews 1:2

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. NIV

                        Revelation 4:10-11

10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." NIV

The general object of this creation was the heaven and the earth and all things therein. By inspiration[5] the Apostle Paul included the creation of visible and invisible, thrones, powers, rulers and authorities. God not only created the things we can see, but also created many things we cannot see at this time.

Moses creative historical theme was inspired for a special purpose to Israel.  This message for all the people of the earth detailed a particular creation of God – that of man. Man’s creation is the climax of the account of Moses. Israel was to understand their roots. Life was from God in a very special way that cannot be replicated in any form or fashion by anyone or anything else in the entire universe. Moses uses this same word “created” that can only be a quality of God in reference to man’s existence and life.

                        Genesis 1:27

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. NIV

                        Genesis 5:1-2

1 This is the written account of Adam's line. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man." NIV

Heaven Existed Before the Earths Creation

Moses reference to this beginning is not a point in time or chronological history. In the Hebrew style all that is mentioned does not have to happen in or around the same time or period. This beginning as a theme refers to all the actions of God that involved bringing mankind into creative existence. It refers to more than a statement of events in relation to man’s immediate beginning. It also includes other actions in relation to all created acts of God early in Himself that made the beginning of man  possible. The time extent of interpretation of this beginning determines much of our theological and scientific interpretation of Scripture in relation to the world we live today. If we allow in beginning to include the theme of everything God has ever created even beyond what we now see, know and understand - this tells us much about the age of heaven.

            For example many when considering the age of heaven feel obliged to include the earth as if these are one. Much philosophical debate engages the question of the age of man and the earth.  I once remember seeing six different classifications of theories about origin and creation. Each classification had multiple combinations of possibilities. One could choose new earth or old earth, new man or old man. Wading through all this is mind boggling indeed. The problem here is most of our concepts of age are built on earthly experience. The lack of agreement comes from figuring the age of heaven from an earthly perspective as if the kingdom of heaven and the current earth were the same entity.

            Lessons from both the Bible and history warn us about trying to understand God’s creations, purposes and plans from earthly perspective.  If we are not careful our theology will hinder acceptance of truth and perhaps our witness to other honest seekers of God. In Jesus day one of the main theological reasons for the rejection of Jesus as Messiah was that Elijah had not yet come. Malachi closed out the Old Testament with the promise Elijah would come before what teachers deduced was the coming of the Messiah.

                        Malachi 4:5

5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. NIV

 

            The Jews stumbled over this theological deduction throughout the ministry of Jesus. It was brought up many times, even to Jesus.

                        Matthew 17:10

10 The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?" NIV

            In similar fashion some deductions from theology about creation can easily conflict with truth in the world of scientific understanding[6] of God’s creation. The early Greeks such as Aristarchus of Samos six centuries before Christ knew enough to propose the earth revolved around the sun. While not widely held it was written down in a number of books. Years later it is thought a scientist named Copernicus read these assumptions of ancient science. In the 16^th century Copernicus, who is now regarded as the founder of modern astronomy, made his own conclusions that over centuries changed the views of both the religious and scientific world.  

            In a great battle of science and religion, Martin Luther and many contemporaries making their own deductions from Scripture preached against the possibility of the earth revolving around the sun. Listen to Martin Luther’s words:

People gave ear to an upstart astrologer who strove to show that the Earth revolves, not the heaven or the firmament, the sun and the moon…this fool Copernicus wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred Scripture tells us Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and not the earth.

Martin Luther and others evidence came from Scriptural deduction of Joshua 10:12-13 and Psalm 19:4-6. Without belaboring the point we today understand the deductions of science from theology were incorrect. From man’s perspective it would appear the sun stood still in Joshua’s day. Wrong assumptions from an earthly view caused these honest men to reject truth about God’s creation we readily accept today.

            The same problem may exist about our theological deductions about the age heaven. By heaven I mean not just the stars, galaxies and planets of the universe we have barely discovered. The kingdom of heaven includes more than the material dimension we know today. A small oversight should be noted in most of the theological theories of creation. While we debate the age of our present earth we forget to address the age of the kingdom of heaven.

            In a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum I saw a small period at the end of a sentence that when viewed with a magnifying glass appeared as a beautifully detailed picture. That is the same way most of us view the beginning. The beginning of all things we know today is all lumped together as a far distant dot.  The truth of the matter is we only see the highlights that God feels we need to see. Since those events are so far disjoined from our present time, God’s revelation about parts of the past all looks the same when it comes to chronology. We must remember our earthly perspective and that God often gives us His Revelation from an earthly point of view. Often He explains complicated information in simple forms, as it would appear to us, for our understanding.

            One can easily understand the deduction of heaven and earth being the same creative age, since they both are mentioned in the same sentence as if God created it all in the same action. Heaven does not have to be the same age as the present earth.  This assumption is beyond the intent and message God was giving in this inspired Scripture from Moses to Israel. Moses message mentions nothing about chronological order. He neither affirms nor denies any details regarding the age of heaven as related to the present earth.

WhenMoses wrote about the beginning He was teaching Israel general information needed to understand God’s historical view and plan for mankind. This theme, referred to as in beginning, not only includes as subject man’s creation, but also encompasses all of God’s creative acts that have some effectual bearing on the present state of man.

Jesus taught that God’s marital plans for mankind were different in the beginning and how man’s sin made a change.

                        Matthew 19:4,8

4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator `made them male and female,'

8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. NIV

The theme of in beginning does not mean God never did anything else outside the subject covered or that some subjects addressed appeared in different points of history chronologically. The actions of God have involved more than man. In the Genesis record God did not include the creation of angels or the morning stars. We are told wisdom[7] was there before the creation of the earth and heaven and before the beginning. Not everything we are aware of regarding God and His kingdom must fall within a chronological timeframe of the beginning of man. As mankind, the egocentric beings we are, we would like to think we are all God has ever created or done. Everything is for us.

 Influenced by the Greek historical mindset of sequential order by inspiration the Apostle Peter wrote that the heaven is very old and was in existence when the earth was formed. He penned,

                        2 Peter 3:5

5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. NIV

The Greek word used by the Apostle denotes more than heaven just being old. The term “long ago”[8] means “of old time.” This word is used in the Scriptures to denote something long ago in the past history of a person or place. Peter here wrote more than “old” in reference to heaven. He added the work EK (εκ) saying EKPALAI (εκπαλαι).    EK means “from.” Only one other time this combination word is used in Scripture. The idea is that of a great distance or expanse of time. He used a word that carried the meaning very old in a time long before his present time.

Many try to limit the age of heaven to our present earth timeframe and say no more than several thousands of years. We force this deduction to say everything God has ever done either fits snugly into six short rotations of the earth or occurred after the creation of man. But this is the argument the Apostle Peter is making against the scoffers who in the last times would question the promise of the Lord’s coming. Consider for a moment what he says.

                        2 Peter 3:3-4

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." NIV

 

The error of current scoffers is believing the kingdom of heaven now is not significantly different from its beginning, that “everything goes on as it has since the beginning.” Some start with an explosion and primordial soup and evolve the heaven and earth over billions[9] of years to today as a continuum. They propose a continual systematic steady change since long before man has been living and dying upon the earth. They say “the beginning” was the explosion and expansion of the universe.  Before this explosion was “nothing”[10] with the universe existing as an empty “vacuum.”[11] While the possibility of an old heaven and earth creation exploding and expanding is true, the problem according to Peter arises when one leaves out a major change that occurred before these events. These last day scoffers ere in thinking heaven and earth are therefore unchanged and that it just goes on as always.

At timespopular Christianity follows the same error as the scoffers. Many Christians teach everything has basically continued on from a created “beginning” just six thousand years ago that has never altered. Nothing is different about heaven from the moment of its created existence. It is organized the same as it always has been since God first made everything. 

 

Heaven Experienced A Destructive Change

Peter refutes the idea of scoffers by telling of a catastrophic event that altered the very makeup of the kingdom of heaven from what it is now. The often made error of both groups, secular and religious, is they “deliberately forget” that something must have existed for some period of time before the explosion or creative acts of God they teach. Peter construes whatever was there in the kingdom of heaven was changed from its original form.  He says,

                        2 Peter 3:5-6

5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. NIV

Peter says these scoffers “deliberately forget” something. What about the state of creation before the big bang? What about the kingdom of heaven before the creative acts of Genesis? What about beyond the six thousand to over fifteen billion years to the former form of God’s Kingdom before this event Peter speaks? Many scoffers and popular theist deliberately forget to go beyond what we see today to the previous structure of God’s kingdom.

As proof Peter shares there was a destructive force sometime in the past that affected everything in God’s domain. The Apostle told how things today are not as they had been beyond most current thoughts. The “present heaven” in organization and relation to God is different from what it was. Peter further wrote,

                        2 Peter 3:7

7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. NIV 

The word “present”[12]  νυν  (NUN) means the current, present or immediate in contrast to the past. Peter was possibly saying there was another heaven and earth long ago in the past. This creation suffered destruction that changed the organization of the heaven and earth to what it is now.

What is the event that radically changed the heaven and the earth to our present system? What happened that resulted in a universe in which we live on a planet with sun, moon and stars the way they appear today? A theory behind the cause of the destruction that restructured the very makeup of the kingdom of heaven is presented in Chapter 2 – Who Turned Out The Light? [See Appendix -Figure 1 foldout The Fulfillment of the Times]

Before looking at a possibility for the cause consider for a moment the particular change Peter speaks. Remember Peter is writing about some event that made a large modification in the function and order of the kingdom of heaven and earth. Peter shares  “By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.”

Many understandably think this is a reference to Noah’s flood described in Genesis. If so this Scripture would describe how the floodwaters changed the face of the earth so that the present earth is different than previously formed. Peter would then refute the scoffers by explaining the world’s present condition is the result of the flood, which scoffers  today deliberately overlook and forget. This is a plausible argument for the application of this Scripture, since present day science denies evidence of a global flood. This historical account however is probably more than the flood of Noah.

There are reasons we ought to be suspicious in applying this passage to Noah’s flood. Foremost is the fact that Peter while mentioning the “days of Noah” elsewhere in his writings makes no reference to the global flood of Noah’s day. Of course the debate could go either way. It is either so clearly understood to be Noah’s flood that Peter did not feel need to clarify it or since it was not this well known event he does not mention it.

Another question that needs consideration here that may tip the scales on Peter’s meaning. Noah’s world was overflowed with water, but did it really in an immense way change the organization and operation of the kingdom of heaven? Did the flood change God’s relationship and function in heaven? As one looks at the entirety of the Scriptures, not to the degree another event did.

Looking way back in time long before the days of Noah, Jesus tells about pre-existing problems in the kingdom of heaven. These problems were long before the flood of Noah and even the fall of man.  He told the disciples, “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” had been given to them in Matthew 13:11. Jesus gave this understanding in  parables. Each parable portrays secret knowledge about the kingdom of heaven that Jesus wanted His believers to understand. Jesus in the  (“tares” KJV) tells of a pre-existing “enemy” that affected God’s relationship to His kingdom.

                        Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, `Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28 "`An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, `Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29 "`No,' he answered, `because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" NIV

Where and when did this enemy arrive in God’s kingdom? As one studies Genesis in Moses’ historical account, we are not introduced to his existence until much later in a detailed review of man’s creation. What happened for God to have an enemy who could come and sow weeds in his field? More importantly when did the birth of an enemy take place? Moses does not address these questions, because Genesis is not a history of the enemy, but a history of man. 

Peter tells his readers “the earth was formed out of water and by water.” No one would doubt this being a reference to the Genesis account. 

                        Genesis 1:2

2 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. NIV

                        Genesis 1:6-8

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day. NIV

For the first two days of the Genesis creation the earth was overflowed with water. It had no sun, moon or stars to track or measure the time as we experience time.

The next question is does Genesis 1:2 describe a world that “…was deluged and destroyed” as Peter described it? The word signifies to destroy utterly; the idea is not extinction, but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being[13].

Look at the description of the earth in Genesis. At this point it is:

• “formless”- a vast desert, waste and barren[14]^,[15]

• “empty”- emptiness[16]

• “darkness was over the surface the deep” – no light of God the Father is present

A valid description of a ruined world is to call it a desert wasteland barren, empty, and dark separated from the Light of God the Father.

It still might be a stretch to connect Peter’s world that was utterly destroyed with the Genesis world if it was not for Jeremiah. He also describes a similar world that had come to ruin. Read his description.

                        Jeremiah 4:23-28

23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. 27 This is what the LORD says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. 28 Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back." NIV

 

As Jeremiah testified of the judgment of God upon Israel he was given a vision of an example of God’s judgment in the past. Jeremiah was saying do not think God will not judge your sin with ruin because God has judged previously and here is the example of that judgment.

The earth Jeremiah describes experienced God’s fierce anger. Notice the similarity of the description to Genesis 1:2:

• “formless”

• “empty”

• “at the heavens, and their light was gone.”

These are the same three descriptors of Genesis 1:2. Jeremiah used the same Hebrew words for “formless” and “empty.” He further shared that the world at that time had no man. This was perhaps before man’s creation. The word “towns” refers to the creatures and organization of God’s kingdom prior its destruction. God in His fierce anger brought this land to desolation but it would not be for complete annihilation. God still had some use and love for this creation.

This is where the Genesis creation comes into importance. God begins educating Israel about the purpose of man in redemption of a creation now suffering His judgment upon sin. Sin in the creation preexisted man. God determines before the foundation of this present world to clean up a ruined mess for other purposes. We will look more this in Chapter 3-God Has A Loving Plan.

Genesis records God’s divine commands whereby the dark ruined creation was set in order to function apart from the light and energy of God the Father. From God’s perspective of time, which Peter shares is different from man’s time; it took God the Son six days from beginning to completion. The amount of time this represents from man’s perspective is under great debate in both secular and religious circles. Christian and secular scholars disagree with opinions that calculate a range as far as fifteen billion years to just six twenty-four hour days. For purposes of our study the age of this earth is unimportant to our understanding of heaven and God’s loving plan for His creation. We only really need to understand everything has not continued “on as it has since the beginning of creation” and we now live on this “present” earth separated from a loving God the Father due to sin. We must remember in interpreting the Scriptures relative to creation not to fall into the trap of the end time scoffers believing everything has gone on as it has since the beginning of creation.   

The judgment of God changed heavens organization and form from its original conception. If the description of Genesis 1:2 is the result of God’s judgment of the past world, this means the kingdom of heaven had to preexist that time period. Something had to happen there to merit God passing judgment in the first place. 

God Created in Heaven Before Creating the Present Earth

God has been creative in heaven for a long time. It is outside the very character and nature of God for Him to be lazy or unproductive.  Other God created beings lived and continue to live in heaven. The angels were in heaven and God made the angels.  They sang and shouted at the creation of this world.

                        Job 38:4-7

4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? NIV

There may be other creations besides the angels there such as “the living creatures”, “morning stars” and  “the twenty-four elders.” There is no rule that states every creature we see in Scripture applies to man and the period of time man has existed on the earth. The kingdom of heaven was existent long before man. Jeremiah 4:25 shares at the destruction of God’s wrath there were “towns”[17] perhaps speaking of other living creatures of God in that beautiful garden of the past heaven before man.            

Heaven Originally Had No Existing Sin

In the eternity of the past heaven, no sin initially existed. God is Holy without any sin. For God the Father to fellowship with the past heaven no sin could exist. Scripture tells us when sin was introduced into heaven it was authoritatively and completely removed from His presence. The heaven of God the Father’s domain always functions to the glory of God in perfect harmony and obedience with His will and purpose.

Heaven Had No Darkness

Jeremiah in speaking about the judgment of this past heaven and earth noted there was no light of God the Father present.

                        Jeremiah 4:23, 27-28

23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 27 This is what the LORD says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. 28 Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back." NIV

No darkness existed in heaven past. There could not be if God the Father was there. God energized the entire creation with His light. God was the only light in full fellowship with His creation. There were no sun, moon, or stars in that original heaven. These were not needed just as they will not be needed in the new heaven and new earth to come. There was an original earth or material dimension in the beginning creation lit by God’s light in awesome beauty. God in His Holy judgment brought the creation to darkness and mourning apart from Himself.

Heaven Had Government and Structural Organization

Our lack of understanding of the detail of heaven causes us to make simplistic visualizations. For the most part heaven is a serene spatial area filled with clouds, fluff, non-binding loose clothing, and an atmosphere of relaxed bliss and purity. Our cartoons, paintings, songs and movies depict heaven this way. People walk on clouds, wear white flowing robes and strum on harps. The lack of detail in our depictions comes from a deep desire for a simple lifestyle free from our world’s complex myriad of stressors and decisions. Our natural desire for heaven is for it to be uncomplicated and serene.

On the contraire, Heaven is a detailed and complex organization of God’s creation. Its many different kinds of created occupants always have had different levels[18] of responsibility and authority in conduction of God’s business. God is central lifted above on a throne. Lucifer is considered one of the prominent angels. Heaven as God’s kingdom long before man experienced perfect order, form, and organization. For an unspecified period heaven functioned to the glory of God. Angels ministered according to their responsibilities. A heavenly government existed. The details are a mystery.