The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com

#7101

The following study is a excerpt from "Mankind; The Two Separate Creation Events" as published by the WATCHMEN BIBLE STUDY GROUP   -       

     "In the beginning...."  These are the first three English words in the Bible.  But when was this beginning?  Did it begin a mere six-thousand years ago with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?  What does the Bible tell us?  As with all of God's word, there is so much more written just below the surface right there before our eyes, hidden to most but there for the discovery of all.  Let's dig it out!

     We will study what God's Word, The Bible, says about the beginning; the beginning of not only the history of the creation of the world as we now know it today, but also the creation of the world that then was, as well as the world that is to come (Heaven).  These are known as Earth Ages, and there are three of them spoken of in the Bible; we will learn of them in this study.  We will also read of time-gap in scriptures, a great flood and destruction other than and before Noah's flood; we will even read of dinosaurs in the scriptures.

     Unfortunately, due to the lack of quality in-depth teaching of God's written Word, many Christians have been led into confusion regarding foundational truths that are so very important to our understanding of the whole of God's Word and His plan.  There is a plan and a "theme" to the Bible and it flows from Genesis through Revelation.  But how can we understand the ending of God's plan (Revelation) if we don't fully understand the beginning (Genesis)?  Today we will study several key scriptures in the Bible that many of us have just read over without fully understanding the deeper truths that were contained within them.  Understanding these key fundamental truths is vital to understanding the whole of God's Word.  But due to the false teachings and the half truths that we have been exposed to our entire life, often we must first unlearn the untruths, before we can learn the truths of God's most Perfect Word, The Bible.

     This present topic (the beginning) is so very important because it will shatter a myth that has caused many intelligent well intentioned souls to disregard the Bible because they feel that the Bible goes against good, hard scientific fact; although in reality, nothing could actually be further from the truth.

     You may have been told at some point by some of the unlearned within the 'religious community' that this earth is only six-thousand years old because of the fact that it is when God formed Adam in the Garden of Eden (4004 BC).  And then you go to a museum and see entire skeletal remains of dinosaurs that have been Potassium-Argon dated to millions of years old!

     Carbon 14 and Potassium-Argon dating are reported by Scientists to be quite accurate, although great care must be used in the testing of the specimen for results to be accurate. But it is only through God's perfect laws of nature and the very science that He gave us to explore and harness; that we are even able to date these items at all.  Carbon 14 and Potassium-Argon dating calculate the deterioration or transformation of certain elements.  These elements deteriorate or transform at a constant rate and thus allow us to determine the age that a certain organic specimen was alive.

     The discovery of dinosaur remains that are dated to millions of years old does not go against the truths that God has placed in the Bible for us.  In fact, it is scientific discoveries such as that which bears witness to His truths when we competently look at them!  It was God that created the science, He created the elements and the laws of nature.  It is a gift of God that chemicals and molecules act and deteriorate in a constant fashion, and that we have this scientific means of documenting the past of our planet earth.

     Near the end of this study, We will see of a place that God mentions the dinosaur in the Bible.  This should prove unnerving to those that stake their soul on the fact of the Bible being just the imaginations of some old sheep herders in Jerusalem.  For we did not even discover the existence of dinosaurs until the A.D. 1800's, but the latest book written in the Bible was written in approximately A.D. 94 (Revelation).  And the book that the dinosaur is mentioned in (Job) is thought to be the first book of the Bible put into writing, it is believed that the book of Job was written even before Moses scribed the book of Genesis sometime around 1490 BC.

     Let's begin our study at the first verse of the first chapter of the first book in our Bible.  Genesis was written by the inspiration of Almighty God through the hand of Moses, for Moses was not yet born when the events recorded in the beginning of the book Genesis transpired.  We can determine from the genealogies recorded in the Bible that Moses was born on or about 1571 BC, and Adam was formed in 4004 BC in the Garden of Eden.  Thus what we read here is the Divinely inspired account of the creation of the foundation of the world, and we most certainly must reflect on every word, for they are the words of Almighty God Himself.

     We will now look at [Genesis 1:1 and 1:2].  We will take certain key words and do an in-depth study of the meanings of them in the Hebrew language, which is the language that the Old Testament books of the Bible were originally written in.  These below definitions are taken from the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, a must have Bible study tool for the serious student of the Word.

     Below are the first two verses of the Bible and they say much more than we can see on the surface. Understanding these two verses will unlock the meaning of many of the things in our Bibles that made little of no sense to us before or even seemed contradictory.  I assure you, the Bible does not contradict itself, nor does the Bible contradict  good objective scientific fact.  For first came the Bible then science.

     God placed a veil between this earth age and the first so that we cannot know what side we were on in that revolt, nor do we posses any memory of it.  Once again, I must stress that this is not saying there is any reincarnations; the very concept of re-incarnation is blasphemy to God and Jesus Christ!  Each soul can only pass through each earth age one time; just like we live in this earth age but we can also live in the next earth age, referred to as Heaven.  Well why would it be so difficult to accept that there was one before this one, that made this one necessary? We are flesh now, but in Heaven we will be spirit, and in the first earth age we were also in spiritual bodies.

     God also gave this earth age the benefit of a Savior; Jesus Christ.  But at the same time He allowed satan an equal chance to deceive us again, or else, what would be the use of this earth age, which itself is nothing more than a proving ground, a place and a time for us to decide whom we will Love and follow?

     You have free will to follow God or follow satan, you must ASK God to show you the True way.  Many people wonder why God lets people become evil and to do harm in this world.  As with everything God does there is a very good reason for this; God seeks only your true love for Him, everything else is incidental.  The sole reason for our time here on earth is to determine if we will Love God or follow satan.  You remember that in the first earth age one third of God's children turned against Him and chose satan?  God remembers.

     And, to have true love for God generate within us, God 'had to' give us free will to make a choice.  God also 'had to' allow satan another opportunity to deceive us, otherwise, if God programmed us to love Him and not allow us to be tempted by satan once again then our love really wouldn't mean anything.  You can't make someone love you and have it to be true love.  And God abiding by His own rules accepts that some will forsake Him and instead turn to satan again; though God desires that none lose themselves "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." (Matt 18:14).  He will not interfere with your free will, or it would not be your own free will!

Log unto and read all of the WATCHMEN BIBLE STUDY GROUP  study titled  "WHEN WAS THE BEGINNING?"