Grace Bible Church
Glorifying God by Making Disciples
of Jesus Christ
Introduction
Pick up audio or text of:
1.
The Reliability of the Bible;
2.
The Purpose of the Bible;
3.
The Nature & Attributes of God –
GraceBibleNY.org
or from
Pastor Harris
The Book of Genesis
•Attacked by non-Christians because
they don’t like its implications
•Attacked by Christians because they are
either ignorant or false
The Book of Genesis
•Written by Moses to show Israel its
origin in God’s sovereign establishment
of a promised & chosen seed.
The Book of Genesis – Reveals:
•Fundamental nature of God
•Origin of heavens, earth and all in them
•Reality & methodology of Satan
•Promise of Redemption
•The antediluvian world & the Flood
•Covenants with Noah, Abraham &
descendents
The Book of Genesis – Answers:
•Origin of death? Length of life?
•Extent of the Flood? Origin of Rainbow?
•Proper punishment for murder?
•Are aboriginal cultures “primitive”?
•First musician & instruments?
•Which came first? Stone, bronze or iron
tools?
•What is the oldest profession?
Which is Older?
•A Tyrannosaurus Rex or a chicken
•A whale or a Stegosaurus?
•A dragonfly or an eagle?
•A Sequoia Redwood or the Moon?
How long is a “day” in the Creation?
Day
1
2
3
4
Genesis 1 Overview
Vs. Action
1-5 Heavens & Earth; Light;
Divided light & Darkness
6-8 Expanse between waters
9-13 Seas; Dry land; Vegetation,
seed plants, fruit trees
14-19 Sun, Moon & stars, ordered
movement
Genesis 1 Overview
Day Vs. Action
5 20-23 Water creatures; Birds
6 24-31 Land creatures: cattle,
beasts, creeping things;
Man made in God’s image &
given rule over living things
&
Earth; Plants given as
food for
man & animals
7 2:1-3 God rested
Genesis 1 Overview
• Only literal interpretation through mid
1800’s
• Ideas of long geologic ages & evolution
pressured reinterpretation of Genesis to
match “science”
Ten Interpretations of Genesis 1
• Literal: A six, 24 hour day creation
• Gap / Reconstruction / Re-creation or
Pre-world: Original creation destroyed
and world re-created. Gap between
either Genesis 1:1 & 1:2 or 2:3 & 2:4
• Progressive Creation / Evolution:
Evolution is helped along by creative
acts of God
Ten Interpretations of Genesis 1
• Day-Age Theory: Each day of Genesis
is an undetermined length of time
• Theistic Evolution: “God’s method of
creation is evolution”
• Framework / Day of Revelation: Each
day gives an idea of the framework of
creation, but not an actual account
•
•
•
•
Ten Interpretations of Genesis 1
Pictorial / Allegorical:
Literary:
Poetical
Mythological
These differ in minor points, but all
view Genesis as just a story which is
not actual fact
Day One – Verses 1-5
•In the beginning:

Denies the eternity of time
•In the beginning God:

Denies atheism and polytheism
•In the beginning God created:


Denies fatalism / chance
Denies progressive / infinite becoming
Day One – Verses 1-5
•In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth:
 Denies pantheism
 Denies eternal materialism (basis
of evolution)
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
Genesis 1:2
•No time gap suggested in verse 2,

conjunction (waw) connects it to vs. 1
•No Biblical or theological reason for an
extended period of time for Satan’s fall
•“ruined & desolate” is a mistranslation
•Reconstruction / Re-creation



Contrary to the text
Have death prior to sin (cf. Rom. 5:12)
No evidence of previous world if recreated or reconstructed
God created light.
He saw the light was good.
He separated light from
darkness.
He called the light day, He
called the darkness night
Evening & Morning, one day
Genesis 1:3-5
•Yom = Day. Context determines whether
figurative or literal and length of time.
•Yom – used figuratively – 65 times
.
- used literally – 1200 + 700 times
•Genesis 1:5
 Yom / day = period of light
 Yom / day = sequence of evening &
morning. (Cf. Vs 5, 8, 13, 19, 23 &
31)
Day 2
God makes an expanse in the midst
of the waters.
He separates the waters above and
below the expanse
He calls the expanse heaven.
Genesis 1:6-8
BEGINNINGS
2200 BC
2100 BC
2000 BC
1900 BC
1800 BC
Day Two Genesis 1:6-8
•See “Starlight in Time”
by Dr. D.R. Humphreys
•Water molecules are found in space
•The water canopy, regardless of its exact
nature, would have an effect on the
earth’s climate prior to the flood
Day Three - Genesis 1:9-13
Then God said, “Let
the waters below the
heavens be gathered
into one place, and let
the dry land appear”
Day Three - Genesis 1:9-13
Then God said, “Let the earth sprout
vegetation, plants yielding seeds, and
fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind . .
Day Three - Genesis 1:9-13
•Summary: God makes the seas, dry land
& plants
Day 4
God makes the sun
for the day and
the moon for the night.
He also makes the stars
in the sky.
Genesis 1:14-19
BEGINNINGS
2200 BC
2100 BC
2000 BC
1900 BC
1800 BC
Day 5 – Genesis 1:20-23
God creates all the
living creatures of
the sea
BEGINNINGS
2200 BC
2100 BC
God creates all
the flying creatures
of the air
2000 BC
1900 BC
1800 BC
Day 6 – Genesis 1:24-31
• God creates all the land animals & man
BEGINNINGS
2200 BC
2100 BC
2000 BC
1900 BC
1800 BC
Day Six – Genesis 1:24-31
God creates man & woman in His own image
to rule over the animals & the earth. He gives
man & animals the plants for food
Day 7
God rests from all His work.
He blesses the seventh day
and makes it holy.
Genesis 2:1–3
Order of Creation vs. Evolution
Evolution
Creation
Matter is eternal
God is eternal (1)
Sun & stars before Earth Earth before Sun & stars
(1, 14)
Sun: Earth’s 1st light
Sun before plants
Light before Sun (3,16)
Plants before Sun (11,16)
Land before seas
Seas before land (3,10)
Order of Creation vs. Evolution
Evolution
Creation
Contiguous Atmosphere Atmosphere between
& hydrosphere
two hydrospheres (6,8)
First Life: Marine cells First life: Land plants (11)
Fish before trees
Trees before fish (11, 20)
Insects & Reptiles before Birds before Insects and
birds
Reptiles (20,24)
•
•
•
•
•
Conclusions
Whales before Stegosaurs
Eagles before dragonflies
Redwoods before the Moon
Chickens before dinosaurs
A “Day” in Genesis 1 is a sequence of
light & dark, one rotation of the earth, a
24 hour time period
Conclusions
• You can either accept or reject God’s
revelation in Genesis 1
• If you reject it:
 You favor the thoughts of those who
fit Romans 1:18-23
 You accept the mocking of the
ungodly – 2 Peter 3:3-7
 Your god is small and impotent
Grace Bible Church
Glorifying God by Making Disciples
of Jesus Christ