In the Beginning

God Created the Heavens and the Earth

What I am about to share with you is not new, but rather has been shoved to the back of the closet like a pair of old jeans that are 2 sizes too small. It’s truth that is a little wrinkled and dusty and hasn’t seen the light of day in a while.  It’s time it was taken out, shaken out and put back to work for the Kingdom of God!

Ok, lets do this.

In the Beginning…

The bible, from Genesis to Revelation, tells one comprehensive story.   It is the story of God, His creation, and the corruption of and eventual reclaiming and restoration of His creation.  The story of the bible is “what was will be again.” The part of the story we are living out right now is the time in between “what was” and “what will be”.  You and I are living so up close and personal to this that we can’t adequately see the big picture.  It’s like having your face so close to the page that you can’t see the whole book.  We need to draw ourselves away and objectively see things the way God sees them. 

So, the first thing we have to do is get a clearer understanding of what creation looked like “in the beginning”, and how it was.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens. Stop.

God first created the realm of heaven and all the heavenly beings designed to inhabit that realm.  Notice that the word heaven is plural, meaning there is more than one dimension of the heavens. 

“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Nehemiah 9:6

“For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited),“I am the Lord, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:18

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!  Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!  Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded, and they were created.  He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.” Psalm 148:1-6

Colossians 1:16-17,

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16,17

We can keep reading in Psalm 33:6, Proverbs 3:19, Jeremiah 10:12-13, Hebrews 11:3, Isaiah 44:24, and SO MANY MORE passages that speak of the plurality of the heavens.

Heaven is a place that is unrestricted by the dimension of time.  That is why it is called eternity, and heaven and earth were created at some point in eternity past.  There is no way for us finite beings to know how long ago this was because we do not know how time was measured in eternity.  Truthfully, it is not necessary for us to know how long ago it was, but perhaps one day we will. 

Heavenly beings were created to dwell specifically in the heavens.  In scripture, these beings are sometimes called the “sons of God”, cherubim, seraphim, or angels.  They were individually created by God with specific design and purpose for the kingdom of heaven.  They were not intended to procreate as men do.  They were not to “beget” sons and daughters of their own.  They are spirit beings and their bodies were created of light and energy that is compatible to their dwelling.  As man was created from the components of the earth to inhabit the earth, heavenly beings are created of the substance of the realm of heaven.  Men are natural, heavenly beings are supernatural.  1 Corinthians 15:40-48 provides us a little insight into this.

It is very important to realize that when the bible says that God created the heavens and the earth, it is not simply talking about the area immediately surrounding the earth, it’s atmosphere or the universe, but the entire realm and dominion of the heavens and the heavenly beings.  

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

When God created the heavenly realms, He also created the sphere and substance of the earth.  But at this particular moment in eternity, it is unfinished.  It is merely suspended in the universe awaiting it’s completion.  The sun, the moon and the stars have not yet made their appearance in the grand story.  The earth is there, and even in this state has a purpose to serve. 

But you will have to wait for the next post to discover what that is. 

And I think you will be amazed!