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Bible Q & A
Q.
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It is my understanding that verses 1 and 2 of Genesis, chapter 1, explain the creation of the earth. Yet, you say these verses
describe events which happened before the seven day “creation week.” Can you prove your belief from the Bible?
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A.
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Yes, we can! The
Hebrew words for “without form and void” (Gen. 1:2)
are tohu
and bohu.
Translated into English they mean chaotic, in
confusion, waste, empty. Why would God create the
earth in disorder and then have to straighten it
out? That wouldn’t make sense! The Hebrew word for
“created” used in Genesis 1:1 implies that the
creation was a perfected work. It implies order and
system, not chaos or confusion! We read in I
Corinthians 14:33 that “God is not the author of
confusion.” God is the author of peace. He is the
author of law and order.
God told Job that
the angels shouted for joy when the earth was
created (Job 38:7). This is further indication that
when God created the earth, He created it useful and
beautiful.
Conclusive proof is
found in Isaiah 45:18. Notice: “For thus saith the
Eternal that created the heavens; God himself that
formed the earth and made it; he hath established
it, he created it not in vain…” “In vain” is an
inappropriate translation. The original Hebrew word
is tohu.
This is the same identical Hebrew word used in
Genesis 1:2 meaning “confusion” or “emptiness” or
“waste”—a result of disorder, a result of violation
of law. Thus, this verse is a plain statement that
when God created the earth it was not
tohu—in
a state of confusion and disorder. It became that
way long before the seven day “creation week,” which
actually begins in verse 3.
An added point of
evidence is verse 2 of Genesis 1. Here the English
word translated “was” is from the Hebrew word
hayah.
This word is translated “became” in Genesis 2:7,
9:15 and 19:26. In the first three chapters of the
Bible, and many other places where you find the
Hebrew word
hayah, it denotes a condition that was
different from a former condition. In other words,
the earth “became” chaotic. It had not always been
that way. What caused it to become chaotic? See
the next question. |
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