Dennis L. Finnan Commentator
"The World, the Word & You! Broadcast"

IN THE BEGINNING, GOD...

“PERHAPS NO WRITING OF MAN IS MORE DISPUTED THAN THE BEGINNING CHAPTER AND WORDS OF THE BIBLE THAT DESCRIBE THE ORIGIN OF OUR UNIVERSE, OUR WORLD AND YOU AND ME…” 

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about the beginning of all things …

…Today we are going to explore perhaps the most loved or hated portion of the Bible concerning who we are and where we came from. This passage of Scripture is in the Old Testament Book of Genesis. Now “Genesis” is from a Greek word, meaning “beginning” or “generation.” Genesis is the book of generations, or beginnings. This book, the first in the Holy Scriptures, is also known as the seed-plot for the entire Bible. Yes, Genesis records for us the momentous beginning of the universe, human history, civilization, sin, salvation, sacrifice, marriage, and the family. Now, in the Book of Genesis, we find four important events, which are, (1) the Creation, (2) the Fall, (3) the Flood, and (4) the Tower of Babel. The Creation account in Chapter One, includes everything, from electrons to galaxies, from dinosaurs to dandelions, and from Adam to angels!

However, most disputed of all are the first 31 verses that tell us who we are, where we came from and to whom we are accountable. It is for this reason, I’d like to explore some concepts of it for your interest and hope. But before I do, let’s pause one more time to listen to another moment of music, then I’ll return with today’s talk, IN THE BEGINNING… Stay tuned.

… Today we’re talking about the origin of all things. You know, there is absolutely no place on the face of the earth to find out about our origins, other than the Bible, God’s written Word that gives us an account of how all things began. However in the Book of Genesis, chapter One, we have many today who dispute its reality, and question its audacity to suggest that the Universe and the world we live in, was the “creative” act of some omnipotent intelligent Designer, known as God. Nevertheless, I want to examine the record of the Bible and share with you some important things you need to know. Let’s begin by reading the opening statement that describes the origin of all things. Scripture starts out and says,

Gen 1:1 (NASB)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

There in ten words, you have the most sublime and concise statement ever recorded of how all things came to be! Of course, this is in one way a “SUMMARIZATION STATEMENT,” but Genesis One is also a “REFUTATION STATEMENT.” You see, it absolutely refutes all other philosophies and religions of the world, that try to explain the origin of life as we know it. Yes, no scientist or historian can improve upon, “In the beginning God . . .” For, this simple statement refutes the atheist, who says there is no God; the agnostic, who claims we cannot know God; the polytheist who worships many gods; the pantheist, who says that “all nature is God”; the materialist, who claims that matter is eternal and not created; and the fatalist, who teaches that there is no divine plan behind creation and history. Yet we are simply told, “in the beginning, God, created…” EVERYTHING!

Now, that fantastic statement today, is vehemently rejected by the evolutionist who condemns and criticizes every fact of what is said in reported Genesis One. Let’s examine now what Genesis One tells us. Dr. Henry Morris writes in his wonderful book, “The Genesis Record,” that this first chapter of the Bible, reveals six important things about our world, and who we are. Morris say Genesis tells us the,

(1) Origin of the universe,  (2) Origin of order and complexity, (3) Origin of the solar system, (4) Origin of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, (5) Origin of life, (6) Origin of man.  Now let’s note the work and the order God performed it in the first six days of Creation, and may I say these were consecutive solar 24-hour days, as we know them, not eons or periods of time... We begin with,

1.  THE FIRST DAY: We see the creation of light energy (1:2-5).

Gen 1:2-5 (NASB)  And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

We are told, the Holy Spirit moved (vibrated) upon the earth. From this divine, vibrating energy source, electro-magnetic energy waves began to flow—waves of visible light, as well as short and long-wave radiation and heat, plus sound magnetism. Thus, the created Universe was energized all over. The earth, rotating on its axis also began at this time. Both energy and matter were now present in the space, mass, time framework. Next came,

2. THE SECOND DAY: the creation of the firmament, the separating of the waters (vv. 6-8).

Gen 1:6-8 (NASB)  Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

This water spoken of here was created in two forms: (1) regular land-based water in shallow ocean, river, and lake beds, and (2) atmospheric water—in the form of invisible translucent water vapor extended far out in space. Following this we find,

3. THE THIRD DAY: the formation of land and seas and the creation of plant life (vv. 9-13).

Gen 1:9-13 (NASB)  Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Here we are told that God instantly brought forth lush green vegetation and exotic flowers, which then graced the newly emerged dry ground as aged mature plant life yielding seed. By the way, these verses alone totally refute the harmful doctrine of “Theistic Evolution,” which says life began eons ago from a glob of scum floating on some remote ocean surface. But to the contrary, Moses tells us, life was supernaturally created on the third day of Creation and began on dry ground. Continuing along comes,

4. THE FOURTH DAY: the creation of the sun, moon, and stars (vv. 14-19).

Gen 1:14-19 (NASB)  Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

We saw on the first day God created physical light energy, that is intrinsic light first, then God lit the generators of light later. This is both the logical and the Biblical order. It may be asked why God created the earth on the first day, but waited until the fourth day before establishing the sun, stars, and moon. Two possible reasons are suggested for this, one dealing with priority, the other with prevention.

A) That of priority. God created the earth first, because it was the most important thing in His mind. It was upon planet earth that He planned to create on the sixth day a creature made in his very own “image.” This creature, man, would live on earth, and not the moon. Moreover, plans had already been made in the fullness of time for the second Person in the Trinity ( God the Son) to wrap human flesh and bone about Him and visit planet earth. Finally, it will be upon the earth, not Pluto or Venus that the King of kings, Jesus Christ, shall one day visit the earth again and touch down upon the Mount of Olives to establish His promised Millennial Kingdom. Secondly God waited till the fourth day,

B) that of prevention. Almost without exception, every ancient civilization has worshiped the sun, moon and stars. But God wanted his people to worship only its Creator, namely, Himself. Thus, He informs us that life and light existed before the sun, and that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the ‘Father of lights’..” (James 1:17). Now comes,

5. THE FIFTH DAY: the creation of marine animals, fish and fowl (vv. 20-23).

Gen 1:20-23 (NASB)  Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

What a contrast is seen here, from the tiny hummingbird to the massive blue sperm whale. All the necessities for living creatures were present on the earth by this time: light, air, water, soil, chemicals, plants, fruits, and so forth. However, one deficiency yet remained ¾ the earth’s surface was still “void” of land dwelling inhabitants. So God continued and on,

6.  THE SIXTH DAY: the creation of land creatures and God’s image, mankind (vv. 24-31).

Gen 1:24-31 (NASB)  Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” …31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Here we are! Now, we learn where we all came from. We are not the product of mindless evolution as fools say. No, “Man,” is a unique creature created unlike any other life. They immediately become the highlight of this day and of the entire creation week. Do you realize this about yourself? You were made in the image of God, and possess the highest kind of life of all Creation. Indeed, Plant life possesses unconscious life; Animal life possesses conscious life; But, Man alone possesses self-conscious life! Thus, here was a creature that could not only eat of Eden’s delicious food, but could and hopefully would glance heavenward first, and thank that One who created both the eater and food. No dandelion or dinosaur could do this. Now we are told that once God had completed His creation work and surveyed it all, He pronounced the whole Creation to be “very good!”

That should have been the end of the story… However, we know today that although the world is a beautiful place and there are indeed, many wonderful things to give thanks for, our world is in a great mess and disorder within the complexity of all things. Any scientist can tell you, something is wrong! Any newspaper can affirm this, by showing that everything exists in a state of decay, and increasing disorder and ruin, especially the life and living of God’s highest creation, mankind. What happened? Well the Bible, my friend also tells us. When God created the first human beings, the progenitors of the human race, He created them perfect and sinless. But that state was untried and unproven, so being created in the image of God, God had to give them what He alone had – a free will to chose one’s destiny. So, Adam and Eve had the ability to choose to remain in the state of perfection, or not. Well, Scripture tells us through sin and disobedience to God’s commands for living in His universe, they chose to try to go it alone and to exclude God from their lives and existence. As a result, they brought God’s curse and judgment on them and all the children who would be born from them, and the entire creation as well, since God gave them “rulership” or kingship over it all. We read of this terrible event and judgment in,

Gen 3:17-19 (NASB)  Then to Adam He [God]  said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Here we are told, God then lifted His life sustaining hand of order and maintained complexity, and allowed the universe to, in effect, begin “winding down.” Now in my home I have a number of antique clocks. I collect them. But one thing I must do either weekly or monthly. I must “wind” them up or they cease to run. You see, God created and wound up the universe, and now God’s hand to maintain that lovely perfect world and universe would be still. What was wound up once, would go until it simply ran out.

Psa 102:25-26 (NLT)  In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 Even they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away.

Thus, science affirms that the Universe is literally wearing down and out. As it does, all things are moving from complexity to chaos, including the mind and body of mankind. God’s Word tells us,

Rom 5:12 (NASB)  Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

However, this “bad news” story God speaks to us here explains the terrible conditions we experience in our world of life and living… BUT, there is also “GOOD NEWS!” For although God’s hand is still, as to winding up the universe again and again, He has promised to “maintain” it for a considerable length of time, to allow His love and work of redemption to continue until, in His sovereign plan the last human being is given an opportunity to be saved from the judgment sin of death, physically and eternally. We are told,

Col 1:15-17 (NIV)  He [Jesus Christ, God’s Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Yes, God is now “holding together,” the universe as it winds down. He keeps it from imploding and self-destructing. Why? Because,

John 3:16-17 (NIV)  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

So, Genesis One tells us God created the worlds and you and me because, He wanted to love someone like Himself, and He wanted us to be like Him in that we could love Him back, but with our own will. Have you come to realize you are here, alive now, for the very purpose to love God? If you haven’t come to realize this and respond to God’s redemptive love, God says the original death penalty of disobedience of Adam and Eve, which includes your sinfulness too, will bring your eternal destruction on that day set aside to judge the world. What must we do?

Acts 17:30-31 (NIV)  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

All of us need to look up into the creation itself,  and cry out to God, “Save me, I know I’m a poor sinner;” And, the glorious promise is, God will! Yes, He has provided a way back to the Garden of Eden and eternal life Adam and Eve were to enjoy, but threw away. One day God is going to restore the Universe and give mankind who loves and serves Him, an eternal blissful existence forever and ever. You can be a part of this, my friends, if you call out to God and ask Him to forgive your sins through the blood-death of Jesus Christ who offers to pay for all of ours when we turn our lives, hearts and wills over to Him for His glory. Nothing can be simpler than the statement in the Bible, which says,

Acts 16:31 (NIV)  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

May God so open your eyes to see, hear and respond to God’s glorious promise and offer for Jesus sake, Amen.

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Source References for Recommended Reading:

1. THE GENESIS RECORD - A SCIENTIFIC AND DEVOTIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS by HENRY M. MORRIS BAKER BOOK HOUSE

Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2. WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE, by DR. H. L. WILLMINGTON TYNDALE HOUSE PUBLISHERS, INC. Wheaton, Illinois

·         Radio talk #2202

·         Broadcast date: June 2, 2002

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.