Hayah/Existence
Perhaps the most important and least
understood prophetic passage in Scripture is Genesis one. Yahweh not only
introduces Himself, explains the creation process, and presents His plan of
redemption; He chronicles the seminal events of our history—past, present,
and future—giving us the framework with which to understand His prophetic
timeline. In addition to the three essential stories imbedded in Elohim’s
initial testimony—creation, redemption, and prophetic history—Yahweh also
answers mankind’s most important question: why do we exist?
As we have seen, it is not uncommon
for Elohim to paint several pictures with the same brush. For example,
Hosea’s marriage to the temple prostitute was a historical event. It served
to acquaint his prophet and Israel, circa 700 BCE, with a more tangible
means of appreciating their infidelity with Elohim. Hosea’s marriage to
Gomer served as a metaphor for Yahweh’s troubled covenant with His chosen
people. But that was not all. The story provided Yahweh with the framework
with which to explain why He legally had to divorce Himself from the Jewish
people. Moreover, the account provided relevant lessons for the church
today—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—as their satanic cultures are
similar to Hosea’s Israel. And finally, Hosea’s troubled marriage provided
the framework on which to hang Messianic prophecies depicting Yahshua’s
arrival in Jerusalem in 33 CE and again in 2033: His plan of salvation and
reconciliation.
The same thing is true with Genesis
one, but the brush strokes are broader, bolder, and more complex. As is His
custom, Yahweh chooses His colors for a reason and shades each word with
great precision. So we will honor the universal artist by examining His
selections under the microscope of Hebrew dictionaries and amplification. As
is our custom, I will share the insights His Scripture and Spirit have
revealed to me, connecting this painting to others the Master has drawn. If
nothing else, this commentary will slow you down, causing you to reflect on
the majesty of our Maker’s Words.
While this has been our standard
operating procedure, in this chapter I am required to add an additional
layer of complexity in the midst of what is already an extremely challenging
interwoven tapestry. To comprehend the creative side of Yahweh’s testimony
you will have to understand the theory of relativity, physics, astronomy,
biology, evolution, the fossil record, statistical analysis, space-time, and
the nature of light. I will do my best to provide the necessary insights for
the uninitiated while not boring scientists or overwhelming those who have a
limited interest in these discoveries. But no matter where you reside on the
spectrum of contemporary scientific awareness, I will need to beg your
indulgence. What lies before you is challenging.
Before we begin, there is some good
news. Yahweh is correct. From His perspective it took precisely six
twenty-four hour earth days to create the universe, earth, and man. And
scientists are right. Looking back from our perspective, the universe is
somewhere around 16 billion years old. Yahweh is correct in that plants and
animals reproduced after their kind and Darwin is accurate is saying that
species have evolved. Yahweh not only agrees with the concept of the Big
Bang, He was the first to use the term. Elohim even uses scientific jargon
in his presentation of dinosaurs, in harmony with the fossil record. So the
scientific review of Genesis isn’t going to pit Creationism against
Evolution, but instead demonstrate that they agree, right down to the
details.
Yahweh begins His open letter to man:
“Beth re’shith ‘elohiym bara’ ‘et samayim ‘et ‘erets…” Let’s
examine each of these words.
Beth is the second letter of
the Hebrew alphabet. Used as a word, beth means “in.” However, it is
not found in this form in Genesis 1, but rather as a contraction of the
preposition “in,” represented by the addition of a beth or “B” to the
Hebrew noun re’shith, designating “first, beginning, initiation of a
process, state of being, firstfruits, that which is set aside, best, and
head of family” amongst other things. This contraction makes the opening
word Bere’sith or Bare’shith depending upon how the vowel
points are added—a process that began two thousand years after the
consonants were initially written. While the opening word is normally
transliterated “beresheeth,” this form is nonsensical, rendering the
translation directly “in first,” or indirectly “in beginning,” both without
the definite article. Moreover, it disguises the rich and prophetic
significance of re’shith, something we’ll examine in a moment.
‘Elohiym, the second complete
word found in Scripture, is the plural of ‘el. ‘El means
“mighty one, deity, or god,” and thus ‘elohiym designates “gods or
mighty ones” By using it Yahweh implied that His paternal nature, His
maternal Ruach/Spirit, and their physical representation, Yahshua,
were all present at creation—something the Messiah confirms throughout His
witness. While there is only one Elohim, by using the plural, ‘elohiym,
Yahweh confirmed that His salvation and relationship manifestations—Son and
Spirit—co-exist eternally.
Since re’shith can mean many
things, let’s examine the word more closely. Re’sith can designate
“first” in addition to “beginning.” It means “best and chief.” In
relationship to Israel and the Yahudim, the “control group” of Yahweh’s
revelation, re’shith means “to make a division and to set apart.”
I use the term “control group” because
that is the role Jews perform in Scripture. By choice and covenant, by word
and deed, by land and spirit, they were separated from all other peoples to
serve as a living, quantifiable, and documented example of the benefits of
choosing to form a relationship with Yahweh, as well as the consequences of
separating oneself from Him, or worse, bonding with the Adversary. The
mostly Gentile ekklesia were “called out” of the word rather than
separated from it like the Jews, confirming that our roles and places are
different.
The most significant aspect of
re’shith, and the word’s second most frequent translational rendering,
is “firstfruits—reaping the harvest of grain and waving the sheaf before
Yahweh so that it will be accepted.” (Leviticus 23:9-11) As Yahweh’s third
of seven Mow’ed Miqra, or Appointed Meetings, the Festival of
Firstfruits follows Passover/Salvation and Unleavened Bread/Remission of
Sin. It signifies our acceptance before Elohim and our reunification with
Him. The blood of the Perfect Passover Lamb was smeared on an upright pole
forming the doorway to eternal life. The next day during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, yeast was removed from the grain, synonymous with the
removal of sin from our bodies. This conferred an anointed and sinless state
upon us, enabling our souls to be harvested by Elohim and brought to His
eternal storehouse—Heaven—on the third day: The Festival of Firstfruits. So
in Scripture’s first word, Elohim explained that He had a specific plan to
redeem that which He had yet to create, bringing mankind back into eternal
fellowship. The first word summarizes the entire book.
Since Yahweh created language, since
He used language to create, and since Hebrew is His chosen language, every
linguistic nuance of His Word’s first word, is worthy of our consideration.
In that light we discover that Re’shith “denotes the point when and
where space and time began,” something we humans only came to understand
quite recently. Despite what you may have been told, that scientists have
demonstrated that the Genesis account is inaccurate, the truth is just the
opposite. With each new discovery the position of scientists is changing
from being in conflict with Yahweh’s 3,000 year old testimony to being in
harmony with it. Old science has been refuted, not Yahweh. For example, as
recently as fifty years ago the vast majority of scientists believed the
universe was a constant, that it had always existed. To quote England’s most
acclaimed astronomer: “The notion the universe had a beginning is repugnant
to me.” The truth is often repulsive to those who focus on the creation
rather than the Creator. Yet if they were to change their perspective they
would come to understand both, discovering that the universe had a
beginning, a place where space and time began—three thousand years before
man stumbled upon the same realization.
While Yahweh’s creation account isn’t
merely a scientific explanation, it has proven scientific implications that
man would only come to appreciate after Einstein’s Theories of Special and
General Relativity. Before matter was created through the transformation of
energy into mass, there was no time or space. Time began when matter and
space were formed. That is precisely what re’sith is telling us—that
it is “the initiation of the process of the state of being, the first point
in space-time.”
Along the lines of Einstein’s Theory,
light, the first thing that we will discover Elohim made manifest,
like Yahweh Himself, exists outside the constraints of time. According to
Relativity, at the velocity of light, the past, present, and future exist
simultaneously relative to one’s point of reference. That is why the verb
that lies at the root of Yahweh’s name, and next to ‘elohiym, the
most repeated word in the creation account, hayah, means: “I was, I
am, I will be, We were, We are, and We will be.”
As with Ruach/Spirit and Light,
Yahweh exists outside the four dimensions of time and space. He sees
yesterday, today, and tomorrow, here and there, as if they were all here and
now. However, to relate to us and to enter our more finite realm, Yahweh can
and does convert some of His light energy into matter. I believe this
transformation, this diminishment of dimensions and energy, is what enabled
Yahweh to tread among us as the Messiah Yahshua—Elohim existing in the
confines of our dimensions and time.
Light, like Yahweh, is the purest form
of energy and the universal constant. Energy is the source and substance of
matter. At creation, when energy became matter through Einstein’s E=mc2,
the four dimensional construct we call our universe, space-time, began. This
is important because everlasting life—the nature of light, the definition of
Yahweh’s name, the substance of Firstfruits, and the essence of
revelation—is a transition from our mortal three dimensional existence to
Elohim’s four dimensional realm where time eternally exists in the past,
present, and future.
That is not to say that Yahweh and the
universe He created are limited to four dimensions. The empirical evidence
confirms that there are more. For example, scientists are completely baffled
when it comes to explaining the nature of the strongest macro influence on
the universe—gravity—the tendency of energy/matter to attract. And even if
we were to stumble on gravity’s nature or cause, we would then only
understand ten percent of our observable reality. Ninety percent of the
energy/matter influencing the universe is black, or invisible to our
observations. This completely unknown black energy/matter seems to provide a
counter-force to gravity, demonstrating a repulsive nature. String Theory
suggests this could be the result of several more dimensions, albeit within
a point and thus acting at the micro-atomic level.
While I could neither understand it
nor prove it, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were seven
dimensions—Yahweh’s favorite number. If that were so, the fifth dimension
might be gravity—the unknown source of universal attraction, the tendency of
things to draw closer together. He might call it beriyth/relationship.
Six might be repulsion manifest in reason and understanding, the actual
logic behind cause and effect and the basis of order, laws, and
relationships. He might call it choice. As a dimension it would provide the
ability for us to separate in addition to uniting. Seven could well be
communication, the language of perfect communion, the essence of thought and
creativity which binds us together and causes all things to happen. Many
things that are observable at the sub-atomic and galactic level demonstrate
cognitive awareness. An example might be the half lives of radioactive decay
whereby individual particles demonstrate coordinated behavior. Yahweh might
call this dimension His word, which may be why He had John write: “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was
Elohim…and the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us and we beheld His
radiance.”
The portal for the healing and
reconciling transformation inferred by the use of re’shith in the
Genesis account is Mount Morriah’s pole so we should not be surprised that
re’shith also means “summit,” the place where Yahweh stood up for us
so that we could stand with Him.
Re’shith can be translated
“head of family”—signifying that Elohim is our Husband and Father.
Re’shith implies “sum and total” communicating that the Scriptural
message of salvation which follows is a complete summation of Elohim’s plans
and prescriptions. Re’shith even means “company,” introducing with
the first word the subject of His revelation: beriyth/relationship.
Returning to Yahweh’s opening line,
the third word in Elohim’s revelation to man is ‘bara. It means “to
create” in the sense of “initiating something new that had not been in
existence before.” The term is used prolifically by Isaiah in the context of
his Messianic prophecies, especially as he predicts the advent of the
Renewed Covenant. We will examine many of these predictions in due course.
And consistent with this thought, ‘bara also means: “creator, choice,
transformation, dispatch, birth, perfection, produce miracles, perform a
task, be cut down, and renewal, bringing back to a prior state.” The
Creator chose to save mankind by transforming and
dispatching part of Himself to be born among men, live
perfectly, producing miracles, and performing the task
of allowing Himself to be cut down so as to renew our souls,
bringing us back into fellowship.
Samayim, Yahweh’s fourth word
to mankind can describe both “Heaven, the abode of Elohim,” and “the
physical heavens, the place of stars.” Both are relevant to each of the
three storylines. The fifth and final word of the first sentence is
‘erets: “earth, the abode of man,” and “dirt, or the physical matter of
which men and the universe are made.” ‘Erets can be a “region or
territory,” which in this context could be the Universe, our Solar System,
Earth, Eden, Israel, or even Paradise. Each of these things was created
specifically for us as Elohim existed without any of them.
As we take a moment to ponder the
massiveness of our earthly spaceship and its universal intergalactic home, I
believe that there is a reason for its enormous scale in energy, space and
time. It had to be precisely like it is for us to exist temporally as
stardust transformed into life and for us to have the option to choose
greater dimensions, to be reborn in the Spirit of Light. Should any
aspect of the universe differ by so much as one part in a million million
million million million million million million million million million
million million million million million million million million million (1
in 10120), we would not and could not exist—nor could any form of
life. While this does not prove the existence of a creator, it does
demonstrate just how marvelously creation is tuned.
In our present form, trapped in time,
we will never so much as leave our solar system because three dimensional
mass cannot be accelerated to the speed of light. In that most of the
universe is billions of light years distant, our only hope of exploring any
of it is to become eternal like our Creator. And what a voyage it will be.
There are over 100 billion galaxies averaging 100 billion stars, replete
with solar systems, planets, and moons. So when we are born anew in Spirit,
and like light can maneuver in time, we will be able to explore the vastness
and brilliance of Yahweh’s creative genius.
Also, from our perspective, the fact
that the substance of creation diminishes in scale equally rapidly and
marvelously as it expands, being comprised of substances, molecules, atoms,
nuclei, electrons, and quarks, retreating infinitely inward beyond our
vision suggests that our eternal investigations may one day be limitless in
all directions. This is why even agnostic scientists like Steven Hawkings
are anthropic—recognizing that man is actually at the center of the universe
with regard to scale, and that the cosmos was tuned precisely for human
existence. But why, and by whom?
Scripture’s second sentence provides
some clues. It is equally enlightening. “The material world (‘erets
– the earth cosmologically or the natural material of which the planet
is comprised; also territory or region) exists (hayah)
formless (tohu), as an orderless and empty void (bohu),
obscured in darkness (chosek) along with (‘al
–beside and together with) the presence (paniym) of the
inaccessible and mysterious depths (tehowm – abyss; from huwm,
meaning great movement and noise).” (Genesis 1:2) If nothing else,
Yahweh has a sense of humor. The definition of huwm is “big bang.”
The first half of the second verse of
Genesis tells us that without light, without knowing Yahweh, our world is “tohu,
bohu and chosek—lifeless, orderless, and dark.” Tohu is
“formless, confusion, lifelessness and nothingness.” It is the “ruinous and
destructive chaos and the idolatry of worthless worship that emanates from
false testimony.” Bohu is “a complete lack of order, a desolate and
empty void.” To be chosek is to be “obscured in darkness.” Yahweh
relates these things to tahowm, the “abyss—the place of separation.”
Tahowm is the “deep, dark, inaccessible, inexhaustible, and
mysterious place” created for the eternal sorrow of Satan, his fellow
demons, and those who league with them.
While the term “dark matter,” used to
describe the mysterious and quantifiably inaccessible dark energy that
controls the ninety percent of the cosmos, is only a score of years old,
Yahweh was obviously familiar with the concept and term: “The natural
material of which things are comprised (‘erets) exists (hayah)
formless (tohu), as an empty void (bohu),
obscured in darkness (chosek) along with the presence
of the inaccessible and mysterious depths.”
In addition to describing the act of
creation scientifically, using the same terms with which astronomers and
physicists describe the Big Bang and Dark Matter today, Yahweh introduces
separation as an important theme in these opening verses. We must choose
which side of the divide we want to be on—darkness, confusion, and
lifelessness or light, instruction, and life. It should be no surprise then
that light, instruction, and life occupy Yahweh’s thoughts over the first
three days of creation and that on the fourth day He presents the ultimate
guide to them.
* * *
Before we return to Yahweh’s
testimony, let’s establish a more complete foundation. How Elohim created
the universe was well beyond the vocabulary and comprehension of His initial
audience. The languages of astronomy, physics and calculus, the matrix of
space-time and its relativity, the equivalency of energy and matter, and the
language of life, DNA, wouldn’t be understood for another 3,300 years.
Without them, it was absolutely impossible to explain how the
universe and life were conceived. Even with these advances, mankind’s quest
to comprehend remains clouded and unfulfilled. So there had to be benefits
in Genesis for all generations, something everyone could understand and
apply regardless of their time or circumstance.
And so there are. Today, we are
especially blessed. In the last thirty years scientists have discovered that
Yahweh was right about most every important aspect of the beginnings of the
universe and of life. The cosmos had a genesis, contrary to what the vast
majority of astronomers believed at the middle part of the 20th
century. The universe began with an enormous, practically infinite,
concentration of energy in a singular place and time, consistent with
Yahweh’s declaration and terminology.
Light, the purest form of energy, was
the first thing to exist. This energy would eventually coalesce to form
matter. We even find that the universe is stretched out and consists of
space-time, again harmonious with Yahweh’s initial account.
Plants preceded animals, and such
simple forms of life emerged from the sea the moment liquid water existed on
the earth, consistent with Yahweh’s assertions but not with Darwin’s. Plants
and animals are both comprised of the elements of the earth and they
literally exploded unto the scene in separate eras, in accordance with
Genesis. There was no gradual mutation from simple to complex life forms nor
is there an evolutionary tree between phyla—the basic categories of life. As
we shall discover, Yahweh’s testimony is accurate: representatives of each
of the thirty-four animal phylum alive today are present among the fossils
of the Cambrian Period, reproducing after their kind and flourishing in
their complex forms in a cosmic nanosecond of less than five million years.
Insects and fish, vertebrates and invertebrates, complex bone structures and
even most sophisticated internal organs, all appeared simultaneously in one
big explosion of life—precisely as Yahweh described it, and in complete
discord with macro evolution.
So the 3,300 year old creation
account, baring three exciting and revealing exceptions, is completely
consistent with the evidence scientists have most recently discovered. And
yet our one year old high school and college textbooks, still clinging to
the notions modern scientists have disproved, are errant.
Now don’t get me wrong. This will not
be a religion versus science debate. I despise the first, as clerics are
usually wrong. And I enjoy the latter, because the evidence scientists
discover almost always points to Elohim, confirming His witness. Such is the
case with our existence. Yahweh’s testimony has not changed in 3,300 years.
He was right all along, which is not surprising since He was the only
eyewitness. It is the late 20th century scientists who have come
full circle. Based upon the evidence, they now agree with Elohim, as painful
as it is for many of them to admit it. Moreover, their predecessors, the
fathers of modern science—Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, even Darwin
and Einstein, all either relied upon, or at least knew, the Elohim of
Scripture.
Let’s quickly review some creative
highlights. First, without the existence and active engagement of Elohim,
the universe could not be expanding at an accelerating pace. Its expansion
would slow due to the effect of gravity if there were not an active and
enormous source of energy at work.
Second, DNA, the double helix computer
code of life, is a language, and languages require a creator and
beneficiary. Further, the odds of elements accidentally engaging in a manner
capable of forming life, and doing so with nutrients available, a means to
acquire and process that food source, and a means to reproduce itself, all
within the five million years available to do so, is astronomical beyond
belief—less than one chance in ten to the billionth, billionth power—a
number which exceeds the quantity of fundamental molecular particles in the
entire universe by a million-billion fold. Moreover, since life existed on
earth immediately after liquid water was available, there isn’t time for
random chance. Mathematically, biologically, and physically speaking, macro
evolution from inorganic matter to life through random chance rather than by
design, did not happen because it is impossible.
Third, the universe is clearly built
around man in scale, substance, and tuning. It retreats inwardly just as
significantly as it expands outwardly. And life requires the specific
elements, parameters, and behaviors we find. If they were different by one
part in ten to the 120th power, life could not exist. Therefore
our reality is consistent with Elohim having created the universe for man.
The three exceptions to the still
touted, yet completely disproved, universal theory of non-causal big bang
and random chance macro evolution are, first, the Scriptures speak of
micro-evolution, of all phylum of things replicating after their kind, and
not of systemic macro-evolution, that is of chemicals to amoebas to humans.
Fortunately, there is but one transitional body form in the fossil record,
one that the Scriptures anticipated us finding, and there would have to be
millions of them for macro-evolution to be accurate. Further, the second law
of thermodynamics, of things losing energy and going from order to disorder,
or from ordered complexity to confused disarray, without outside influence,
has always been macro evolutions death certificate. And to pound a nail in
the coffin, species disintegrate and die as a result of gene mutations—99.9%
if which are lethal. Animals evolve downward, losing genetic information;
new information is never added.
The second exception between creation
and science is the early timing of water on the first day and its emphasis
on second day of Genesis. But when we recognize that the first day of
creation from our perspective covers eight billion years and the second day,
four billion years, water becomes essential. It is the second most abundant
molecule in the universe, ranking only behind molecular hydrogen, H2.
Interstellar molecular clouds are especially loaded with it. These clouds
are the maternity wards of the universe where new stars, planets, and comets
are born. And water is the central ingredient of life, which is why
scientists look for it first when searching for extraterrestrial existence.
So water takes its rightful and scientifically accurate position related to
the beginnings of stars on the first day, our solar system on the second
day, and plant life on the third day.
Moreover, water’s emphasis during the
first, second, and third days makes perfect sense if the creation account
were also about the why of creation, replete with Yahweh’s plan of
redemption, than just the how of things. Water is the sign of
redemption.
The third exception is the most
glaring. If the fourth day were about the creation of the sun and the moon,
it is out of place. Vegetation could not exist without the sun. But if, as I
shall demonstrate, the fourth day is the fourth millennium in the story of
man’s redemption after the fall, then its “signs, signals, and remembrances”
are precisely where they must be. Fortunately, Elohim does not say that He “created
the sun, moon and stars” during the fourth day, but only that they came to
exist as “signs,” and thus became visible at this time.
Scientifically speaking, this is an accurate chronological depiction of what
actually happened.
Moreover, there is a huge passage of
time in the fossil record between the “earth bringing forth simple plant
life” and the complex “sea animals which exploded unto the scene,” that is
accommodated by having a gap between the third and fifth days. It also
enables Yahweh to focus the fourth day on a different form of life—eternal
and spiritual life.
And speaking of timing, let’s examine
why the universe can be both six days and six billion years old—depending
upon the perspective of the witness. The best current estimation of
cosmological age is between 10 and 20 billion years. There are two basic
methods of measure, pulsars and redshift, but they each employ a substantial
array of unproven and un-provable assumptions. Our best guess is currently
14 to 16 billion years for universal creation, 8 billion for our solar
system, and just shy of 4 billion years for the first signs of life on
earth. Homo sapiens have existed a hundred thousand years or more. All of
which is completely harmonious with Elohim’s “six day” testimony.
The word for “day” used in Scripture
is yowm. It is from an unused root meaning “to be hot.” Yowm
can mean “day, time, chronicle, year, or hot period.” A yowm can be
the time from sunrise to sunset or from sunrise to sunrise. Yowm is a
lifetime, an indefinite period in time, a generic temporal reference, today,
yesterday, or tomorrow. It is only a twenty-four hour period of time when
modified by a definite or cardinal number. Yowm is translated:
“afternoon, age, always, chronicles, continually, daily, day, days, first,
forever, life, long, period, time, today, when, year, and years,” on
multiple occasions.
Not long ago I viewed the creation
account through this lens—equating yowm to time—an unspecified epoch.
But live and learn: time is not a constant, and like matter, it did not
always exist. Time is relative, differing considerably in relation to the
velocity, energy, and/or mass of an observer relative to another. At the
velocity of light, for example, time stands still. As we progress in this
study, with the help of physicists, I shall prove scientifically that from
Yahweh’s vantage point, not only is the universe six twenty-four hour days
old, but that each day uses the universal spiral to lay out a precise
timeline from light to life over the course of 16 billion years.
But there is more. As I have shared,
the Genesis account is three stories in one. In addition to creation, Yahweh
is providing us with an accounting of our salvation and of our history.
To appreciate Yahweh’s timeline we
have to search His Scriptures for definitions. And for that, there is no
better place than the 90th Psalm. David begins: “Master (‘adonay),
You are, have been, and will be (hayah – exist as) our
dwelling place and provision (ma’own – abode and refuge, help and
support) in all times, generations, and life (dowr – periods
and ages; times and places; birth and lineage). Before the mountains were
brought forth in distress (yalad), or You formed, giving birth
to (chuwl) the earth and the people who live in the world
(tebel), even from everlasting to everlasting (‘owlam
‘owlam – perpetually, continuously existing, eternal and unending),
You are Elohim (‘El – the Mighty One, the Power). You return
(shuwb) mortal humankind (‘enowsh) to dust and
destruction (dakka’ – diminishment, reduction by grinding,
pressing, or crushing into something smaller; a state of despondency
pertaining to emotional grieving as the result of sin), and say (‘amar
– think, instruct, declare, and promise), ‘Return (shuwb –
turn around, change, and establish spiritual relations, be restored,
repaired, and refreshed) O children of the man Adam (‘adam).’
For a thousand (‘eleph) years (shanah –
division of time indicative of an age or life) in Your sight (‘ayin
– perspective, knowledge, and thinking) are like yesterday (tamowl
yowm) when (kiy – indeed because of, by reason or
account of) it passes by (‘abar – passes over, crosses) a
perceptive observer (shamar – one who takes heed, observes,
guards, so as to be saved, protected and preserved) in the night (layil
– time of darkness and gloom).” (Psalm 90:1-4)
This Psalm provides three of the keys
needed to unwrap the Genesis revelation which is why it references creation.
It tells us that hayah, the basis of Yahweh’s name (I was, I am, I
will be), is also indicative of our past, present and future dwelling place,
our ultimate provision, our birth, and everlasting life when we make Him our
‘Adonay/Master. It tells us that our salvation is encapsulated in the
story of our creation because our redemption is summarized in this review.
You’ll notice that there are two words
for men, ‘enowsh/mortal humankind and children of ‘adam/Adam.
The ‘enowsh are returned to the dust. They are all diminished with
some being destroyed and others rendered to a state of despondency over sin.
The sons of Adam, however, are called to return so as to establish spiritual
relations with Elohim and be restored to life. If you are a perceptive
observer you will be protected, saved and preserved, even in the time of
darkness.
The second key derived from the Psalm
is that our “perspective” on time and Yahweh’s are not the same—especially
in the context of creation. The third, related to the second, is that when
speaking about the prophetic history of our salvation, a day with Yahweh is
like a thousand years.
As we have just discovered, the root
or definition of Yahweh’s name, hayah, plays a significant role in
the account of our existence—past, present, and future. The Hebrew verb
hayah, is all about time. It is another way of Yahweh telling us that He
and His accounting of time combine past, present, and future together as if
they were one and eternal. Because He is one and eternal, we can be one with
Him eternally.
Indeed, Genesis is the story of
existence, time, and salvation. In this Psalm Elohim has put us on notice
that His creation account is a spiritual guide to salvation, a scientific
explanation of our existence, and a prophetic history of time all melded
together. It is the most brilliant and inspired treatise ever committed to
paper.
As it relates to cosmological time,
you have several choices. You can be superficial, believing that the
universe, our solar system, life and man were created in six solar days, one
of which occurred before our sun was created, two before the earth existed,
and three before the sunrises and sunsets were visible, in disregard for the
scientific evidence to the contrary. If you are partial to that view, visit
the Creation Institute. You will find many like-minded folks. You can render
the word yowm as an imprecise “period of time” and not fret over the
details; but if you were of that inclination, you probably wouldn’t be
reading this book. Or you can view yowm as a precise quantitative
measurement, as an accurate accounting, but relative to the witness. That is
the course we shall chart because it provides the best fit between Yahweh’s
testimony, evidence and reason.
But you do not have a choice when it
comes to chronicling the “days” of creation prophetically. They reveal the
key aspects of our salvation history—past, present, and future—from the fall
of Adam to the end of the end of the final Millennial Sabbath using the
scale of one day representing one thousand years in accordance with the
Psalm. We are about to discover, that using the scale of a day being like a
thousand years, nearly six millennia of human history have passed since man
as we know him came to exist. Elohim’s word, science, and recorded history
all agree.
* * *
Now that we have our bearings, let’s
move on to the second half of Genesis’ second verse. We are told that the
Creator is Spirit, and that Elohim’s Spirit has a mission. The first act of
the Ruach is to purify by way of cleansing, and to protect, by way of
hovering over. This is followed by four extraordinary words, linking Elohim,
instruction, light, and eternal existence together.
To begin, Yahweh said: “And the
Spirit/Ruach of Elohim/Elohiym washed, purified, and hovered
over (rachaph) in accordance with (‘al – upon,
concerning, beside, on behalf of, on account of, and together with) the
presence (paniym) of water (mayim).”
(Genesis 1:2)
The introduction of the “Ruach/Spirit
of Elohiym/Elohim” is essential because Yahweh’s Ruach is the
source of eternal life—washing us, purifying us, and hovering over us in a
protective way. Additionally, Ruach highlights by contrast the mortal
nature of the nepes/soul which man and all animals were about to
receive. The Ruach of Elohiym is even distinguished from the
nesamah chay or “breath of life” napah or “breathed” exclusively
into the adam/man later in the chapter. We will examine the special
nature of the nesamah before we conclude our prophetic review of
Genesis, but for now let’s remain focused on the second half of the second
verse.
The Creator’s “washing and hovering
over, even protecting” at this phase of the “big bang,” to use His term, is
consistent with the initial momentary absolution of physical laws during the
inflationary period of the cosmos’ formation. This was a time physicists say
physical laws were suspended and a great, instantaneous expansion took
place.
It is also consistent with the primary
purpose of Yahweh’s testimony, to convey why He created the universe
and us, illuminating His plan of redemption therein. Yahweh’s Spirit must be
shown using water to baptize and purify. Ruach/spirit, mayim/water,
and rachaph/purification must follow tohu/lifelessness,
bohu/confusion and chosek/darkness because they form the essence
of His solution.
Spirit and purification are well
developed aspects of salvation and eternal life, but so is water. For
example, in Revelation we find two of many such confirmations: “I will
bestow a gift to the one who thirsts, longing for what refreshes the
soul, from the spring of the water of life as a gift, freely, without
cost.” (Revelation 21:6-7) “And he showed me a river of the water of
life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 22:1) Hosea equates living waters with Elohim, too: “The
Spirit (Ruach) of Yahweh will ascend out the wilderness. His
source of life, basis for purification and fountain of joy” are the same
as “His cistern of grace, source of blessings, well of sustenance, and
fountain of life….” (Hosea 13:15)
If I am right about what seems so
utterly obvious, rachaph, the word for “cleansing, purification, and
protecting” used in the second verse of Genesis in relation to Yahweh’s
Spirit, will have as much to do with redemption as it does formation. And
fortunately, that is not hard to determine because in this form, rachaph
is only used three times in the entirety of the Hebrew Tanach. With a
little digging we should be able to determine its meaning and thereby
ascertain whether Yahweh is speaking of creation, salvation, history, or all
three.
The second occurrence of rachaph
is found in the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy. The context begins
similarly to opening lines of Genesis. “Heaven and earth,” “Yahweh’s spoken
words,” and water in the forms of “droplets, dew, and rain” are all
mentioned in the initial poetic couplet. Then the subject turns to salvation
as it does in Genesis. We are told that “Yahweh is Elohim’s name,” that “He
is the Rock of our salvation,” and that “His work is perfect, just,
faithful, and upright.” By contrast, we are also told that Yisra’el
would “act corruptly toward Him,” they “would not be His children,” but
instead be “a perverse and crooked generation” of “foolish and unwise
people.” Yahweh provided this context to make His solution and the rationale
for His sacrifice, more apparent. In addition to introducing Himself as our
“Savior,” Yahweh says that He is “our Father,” the “Rock who begot us,” and
“the Elohim who gave us birth”—in this case Spiritual rebirth from above.
In the midst of this treatise on
salvation, Yahweh introduces rachaph in a metaphor: “As an eagle
arouses and stirs (‘ur – awakens and raises) her nest,
cleansing, purifying, hovering over and protecting it (rachaph)
on behalf of (‘al – above and together with) her young,
spreading out her wings like a garment covering them (paras kanap),
receiving and keeping them (laqah – grasping and acquiring them,
instructing and carrying them), lifting them up and carrying them away
(nasa’) upon her wings (‘ebrah – the root of
‘abraham), so Yahweh alone, separated from others (badad)
led the Way (nahah – provided the spiritually correct path
for). And there was no foreign or false (nekar) god (el)
working or associating with (‘im) Him.” (Deuteronomy
32:11-12)
The eagle is depicted as a mother bird
with her children because Yahweh’s Ruach/Spirit is our Mother and we
are Her offspring. She is not only the source of our purification, removing
our guilt, She hovers over us forever, keeping us pure in Yahweh’s eyes and
protecting us so that our life might be eternal. Yahweh’s Maternal Spirit
washes us, feeds us, nurtures us, clothes us, comforts us, protects us,
instructs us, and in the end, carries us away on Her wings. So this
application of rachaph is consistent with the purification and
protection aspects salvation we suspected.
The third and final occurrence of
rachaph also follows an overt Messianic salvation prophecy. This one is
found in Jeremiah 23. Therefore, it appears that our investigation of its
use in Genesis is on the right track. Elohim is telling us about salvation
in addition to creation. The Jeremiah paragraph begins: “Behold (hineh
– pay close attention) the days (yowm – period of time, years
or season) are coming (bow’ – shall arrive leading to a
return, association, and harvest), Yahweh declares (na’um –
reveals by spoken word), when I shall raise and stand up (quwm
– establish and confirm, fulfill and ratify, endure and accomplish) from
David an upright (tsaddiyq – just in conduct and character,
righteous and lawful, innocent, sinless, and guiltless) branch (tsemach).”
(Jeremiah 23:5) Tsemach/branch is used prophetically of Messiah
in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8, and Zechariah 6:12. While we
will review each passage in the chapters dedicated to Messianic prophecies,
please don’t miss the inclusions of bow’ – “shall arrive, prompting a
return, association, and harvest” and quwm – “standing
up, being established and confirmed, fulfilling and ratifying,
enduring and accomplishing” as they are used in the context of Yahweh acting
as our Savior.
“He will reign wisely (sakal
– prudently with insight and understanding, teaching and instructing so that
those led will prosper), accomplishing, preparing, producing, and
executing (‘asah) judgment (mishpat – the act of
rendering a verdict in a legal dispute)—justice (tsadaqah –
righteousness, justification, vindication, and salvation) in the land. In
His days Judah (Yahuwdah – from Yah and yadah,
meaning, those who praise Yah in offering, confession, and thanksgiving)
will be saved (yasha’ – delivered and preserved, rescued and
defended). Israel (Yisra’el – from sarah and el,
meaning, those who stand with and are empowered by Elohim) will dwell
(shakan – settle down and abide, continue to live, and tabernacle)
securely (betach – safely, confidently, and assuredly by trust).
This is His name (shem) by which (‘asher – by whom)
He will be called (qara’ – commissioned, appointed, endowed,
proclaimed, summoned, and invited; read out loud, met and encountered),
Yahweh our Savior (tsedeq – justification and vindication;
deliverance, redemption, and salvation; the righteous judge who offers
acquittal; the ruler who reconsecrates, justifies, makes pure, and declares
innocent).” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
The Messiah’s name will be “Yahweh our
Savior.” That is synonymous with Yahshua, meaning “Yahweh is
Salvation.” Fulfilling the prophetic proclamation He tabernacled with us so
that we could dwell eternally with Him. He stood up for us so that we could
stand with Him. He arose so that we might be associated with Him in the
harvest. He instructed us and vindicated us so that we would be able to live
safely and assuredly by trusting Him.
The passage goes on to explain that a
day will come in which Yahweh will “lead the descendants of the household
of Yisra’el back from the north land and from all the countries where He had
driven them and they will live on their own soil.” That day began in
1948. Then the 9th verse, prefaced by this wondrous tale of
salvation, includes rachaph, the word which led us to the passage.
“As for the prophets, my heart bursts (sabar – a metaphor for
deliverance based upon the breaking of the yoke of bondage) within me.
All of my substance and identity (‘esem – bones, an idiom for
close relationship) are washed, purified, and protected (rachaph).”
This is the result of Yahshua having
tabernacled with us and having stood upright for us, saving us. For those
who trust Him, our substance and identity are purified by the Messiah’s
blood, allowing the Set-Apart Spirit to wash and protect us. This
relationship is beautifully explained in the 14th chapter of
John, a passage we will ultimately dissect and ponder.
Again, consistent with the salvation
narrative, the root of rachaph, rachats, means “to cleanse and make
pure by washing.” It is the equivalent of the Torah instructions related to
the immersion in water so as to become pure. It is symbolic of the renewal
properties of spiritual baptism in the Renewed Covenant. Rachats also
means “to trust and to rely upon,” in this case the source of washing,
purification, and protection.”
A second word formed from the same
Hebrew base is racham, meaning “tender love, mercy, grace, and
compassion.” It explains the reason for the gift. A third variant is
rachamah, telling us that the source of divine grace would be: “the womb
of a virgin.” A fourth derivative, rachal, also helps identify our
Savior, because it signifies “a young lamb.”
Further, the only nuance resident in
rachaph that is not found in rachats, racham, and rachal,
is that of “hovering over and protecting” a concept designed to visually
communicate our emersion in the Spirit, and Her indwelling of us so as to be
completely saturated with Elohim’s presence. By so doing She provides an
eternal protective presence—always keeping us pure before and in contact
with Yahweh. Therefore, based upon the root of rachaph and its use
within the context of Yahweh’s plan of salvation, it is safe to say that
this portion of Genesis is the story of our redemption, as much as it is
about our creation.
In that light, and in the context of
Yahweh’s Spirit and of Her ability to wash, purify, and protect, the Creator
revealed the root of His name and His nature in the first act of creation.
For that we turn to the third verse of Genesis one: “Elohim (elohiym)
said (‘amar), ‘Let there be (hayah – exist)
light (‘owr) and light (‘owr) existed (hayah).’”
(Genesis 1:3) According to the most reputable Hebrew-English
interlinear, the verse reads: “Elohim said let Him be light and He was
light.” Zondervan renders the first hayah as YHY and the second
as WYHY, collectively representing the basis of Yahweh’s name.
But there is more: since hayah
vocalized in first person, ehayah, means “I Was, I Am, and I Will
Be,” the passage could also be translated: “Elohim said, I was Light, I
Am Light, and I will be Light; I exist as light.” Or even: “Elohim
said, Yahweh was, is, and will be Light; Yahweh exists as light.”
‘Owr, the word rendered “light”
can be “the light of instruction and guidance, the light of judgment, the
light which removes one from darkness, trouble and danger, the light of
life, the light of a lamp, or the light of Yahweh.” ‘Owr can also be
the sun and stars which is significant because, while manifest in day one,
they were not visible until the fourth yowm/day.
In a related verse in Isaiah, Yahweh
introduces Himself as both Savior and Light. But first He sets the scene.
The passage begins “Instead of allegiance (tachath) you
were, are, and will be (hayah) forsaken (‘azab –
separated, abandoned, refused, destitute) and hated (sane’ –
disliked, loathed, and shunned) without (‘ayin) passover
(‘abar). Yet I shall appoint and establish (suwm)
you as an everlasting (‘owlam) exaltation (ga’own)
rejoicing (masows – delighting, and celebrating merrily)
for generations, dwelling in tabernacles (dowr dowr).”
(Isaiah 60:15) This is the ultimate contrast: azab/separation and
shunning without Passover versus eternal splendor, rejoicing and joy
dwelling in Yahweh’s tabernacle with it.
“Then you will know (yada’
– to know in the sense of relationship) that (kiy – in fact,
surely, and indeed, by oath and demonstratively) I (‘aniy),
Yahweh, am Savior (yasha’ – one who saves, rescues, delivers,
liberates), kinsman and Redeemer (ga’al –male relative who
ransoms individuals from bondage and death), the Mighty One (‘abiyr)
of Ya’aqob.” (Isaiah 60:16) Once again we are told that Yahweh is our
Redeemer and that the Savior’s name is Yahweh Saves—Yahshua. Elohim has told
us that He will become a man, kin to the Jews, to rescue us from death and
bondage.
Then, in this continuing context of
salvation, Yahweh tells us that He is the eternal Light and that His Spirit
is a radiant Garment of Light. “The sun (semes) shall no
longer exist as (lo’ ‘owd hayah) your light (‘owr)
by day (yowmam) neither for brightness (ngah –
radiance and enlightenment) shall the moon (yareha) give
light (‘owr). Yahweh exists as (hayah)
everlasting and eternal (‘owlam) light (‘owr),
your Elohim and your Adornment (tiph’eret – a garment of shining
appearance which brings honor, glory, and splendor to the wearer).”
(Isaiah 60:189)
Within the context of Yahweh being
Light and saving us by purifying and protecting us with His Garment of
Light, the next verse could be literal in the sense of illumination or
symbolic in the sense of Satan. “The sun rise (shemesh – the
object of illicit worship) shall no longer come and go (bow’ –
arrive, pursue, and harvest), neither shall the moon (yareha –
as an object denoting false gods, especially Islam) remove, gather and
receive (‘acaph – take away in a harvest, assemble together in
the rear, and cause to perish), for Yahweh shall exist as (hayah)
your eternal and everlasting (‘owlam) Light (‘owr –
instruction, guidance, and that which removes one from darkness,
trouble, and danger). The days of mourning over death (‘ebel)
shall be finished and fulfilled by way of restitution (shalam).”
(Isaiah 60:20) In this case, Yahweh’s eternal Light is personal—it
becomes ours. Its purpose is to end the sorrow of death and fulfill His
promised salvation.
So as to understand more fully the
correlation between Yahweh and light, let’s turn from Elohim’s first
prophecy to His last. In the apostle John’s Revelation, Yahweh and Yahshua
are Light—a light that shall always remain within us. “I saw no temple in
the New Jerusalem for Yahweh Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. And the
city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the
radiance of Elohim has illumined it. Its Lamp is the Lamb. The congregation
shall walk remaining within its light…. And there shall no longer be any
night. They shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the
sun, because Yahweh shall illuminate time, and they shall reign forever and
ever.” (Revelation 21:22-24 & 22:5) Our union with Yahweh’s Spirit, the
Garment of Light, by way of the Lamb’s sacrifice, is eternal, illuminating
time itself.
And that is precisely what light does.
Einstein discovered, and science has confirmed, that light defines time,
illuminating what it means to be eternal—existing in the past, present, and
future simultaneously. Light is the purest form of energy, the most
universal constant, the source and measure of time, the means to
enlightenment and life.
So whether “Elohim (elohiym)
said (‘amar), ‘Let there be (hayah) light
(‘owr) and light (‘owr) existed (hayah),’”
or “let Him be light and He was light,” or “I was, am, and
will be Light, always existing as light,” or even “Yahweh is Light
and Yahshua shall become light,” He was speaking about the source of our
salvation—the Anointed/Messiah and the Set-Apart Spirit. He would not only
enlighten us, shedding light upon the path to Him, He would make us like
Him, clothing us in a garment of light.
That is why Yahweh completed His
opening Genesis declaration with: “Elohim/Elohiym saw (ra’ah
– perceived and regarded, appeared and presented Himself as, became
visible as, found delight in and distinguished that) the light/’owr
was good (tabab – pleasant, cheerful, and agreeable; of a
higher nature; beautiful, valuable, beneficial and prosperous). And
Elohim/Elohiym separated (badal – divided and set apart)
light/’owr from darkness (hosek – obscurity, that which
shrouds in blackness, veils by withholding knowledge, imperfects and clouds
revelation with ominous and sinister suggestions, concealing and mystifying
by way of ignorance and confusion).” (Genesis 1:4) All who avail
themselves of the Savior are called out of the darkness and separated unto
Yahweh’s eternal light. This is one of a dozen times that separation and
division are discussed in Yahweh’s opening statement.
There are two additional aspects of
this verse I’d like you to consider. First, Darkness isn’t the opposite of
light; it is the absence of light. Satan isn’t the opposite of Elohim; the
Devil is the absence of Elohim. Second, the dark spirit’s deceptive arsenal
is itemized in hosek. He wants to conceal rather than reveal himself.
He lurks in the shadows, behind the scenes, concealing his true nature and
purpose. His religious and political schemes seldom identify themselves as
satanic for if they did they wouldn’t be seductive. Satan is clandestine,
wrapping himself and his beguiling institutions in mystery and secrecy. The
Devil preys on ignorance. A confused and distracted society is his sandbox.
Returning to Yahweh’s creative
testimony, Elohim was accurate in saying that cosmologically time began the
moment energy became matter. Before the conversion of energy to matter, time
did not exist. Also noteworthy in context, the Genesis account indicates
that before Elohim created the light energy that became the cosmos, there
was a lifeless, purposeless, void. Scientists are in lock step, confirming
that before the big bang, there was no life, physical laws, or matter—only a
powerful source of energy. Furthermore, we now know that the inception of
the universe was incredibly chaotic. Light was literally separated from
darkness at the inception of the universe. It broke free as electrons were
initially bound into atomic nuclei.
Cosmologically this epoch began just
shy of 16 billion years ago from our perspective on earth and 6.0 days ago
from the perspective of Elohim at the time and place of creation. The first
universal epoch lasted 8.0 billion years from our vantage point looking back
and one 24 hour day from the Creator’s relative position, looking forward.
So how is that possible, you ask?
Light is the eternal timekeeper. Its
wave aspect allows man to measure time anywhere, even at the place where
time began. But first we must understand what time is. For that I am going
to refer to and paraphrase a work called The Science of Elohim by
Gerald Schroeder, a man with doctoral degrees in physics and biology from
M.I.T. It puts relativity, quantum mechanics, biology and probability into
fairly simple terms.
Albert Einstein discovered that the
rate at which time passes is not the same at all places. Differences in mass
and velocity affect the rate at which time flows. This aspect of the theory
of relativity has been so thoroughly verified that it is now an established
law. The only aspects of relativity in dispute are related to the lack of
cause and effect at the atomic level and whether gravity is a force or an
effect. But when it comes to the realization that time is a dimension, not a
constant, and that its rate of flow is relative, there is no dispute.
The pace of time at a location with
greater mass, energy, or velocity is slower than at a place with diminished
mass, energy, or velocity. We can confirm this shift by measuring the two
parts per million a light wave is stretched emanating in the presence of the
greater mass of the sun relative to a light wave generated on earth. The
sun’s clock runs 2.12/1,000,000 slower than earth’s, losing 67 seconds a
year relative to a terrestrial timepiece. But the sun is only marginally
more massive than the earth when compared to the concentration of energy and
mass required to create 100 billion galaxies, each averaging 100 billion
suns.
Fortunately, we don’t have to guess
the rate time flowed in these conditions. The measurement is screaming out
to us in the form of cosmic background radiation (CBR). It is a measure of
the residual heat left over from creation. Discovered by Robert Wilson in
1965, the CBR is the residue of the big bang, and thus provides us with a
cosmic clock calibrated to the first day of Genesis.
Radiation, like visible light, is part
of the nearly infinite range of electromagnetic waves whose lengths and
frequencies vary, but not their speeds, at least in a vacuum. The wavelength
of the electromagnetic radiation determines whether it falls within our
range of vision. We see wavelengths of 0.0001 centimeters as red and 0.00001
cm as violet at the other extreme of the visible spectrum. By contrast, a
microwave produces waves that are 10.0 cm long, while gamma rays from
radioactive materials can be as short as 0.000000001 cm. The shorter the
wavelength the higher the wave frequency and energy.
As an interesting aside, I believe
that our senses will be more receptive in our eternal state. We will be able
to “see” things that currently lay well beyond the spectrum of visible
light. To quote Scripture, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we
shall see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just
as I have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Scientists have demonstrated that
radical increases in velocity, mass, and the stretching of space relative to
our position on earth are evident in the CBR—stretching their wavelengths.
We see this phenomenon as the red shift in the most distant stars,
indicating that they moving away from us. To provide a frame of reference on
the magnitude of things, light travels ten million million kilometers in an
earth year, and the most distant stars are nearly 16 billion light years
removed from our position—160,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometers. Even
if we could travel at the speed of light, a physical impossibility, we could
never get there because the most distant stars are moving away from us, due
to the stretching of space, much faster than the speed we could travel, and
worse, they are accelerating.
This stretching of space has
significant implications on the cosmic clock. The big bang theory requires,
and our observations confirm, that this widening was inflationary during
cosmos’ first day. It is why Genesis 1:2 says the Ruach/Spirit of
Elohiym/the Mighty and Powerful One was peninnah/present
rachaph /hovering over the tohu, bohu, and chosek—the
lifeless, formless, void of darkness prior to the existence of visible
‘owr/light. Especially notable is one of rachaph’s more
interesting connotations is “agitation and movement,” consistent with the
evidence.
The CBR was stretched during this
inflationary moment, at the outset of time, in the first seconds of the
first day. At creation, energy transitioned into matter consistent with
Einstein’s E = mc2, with c being the speed of light multiplied by
itself. In other words, it takes an enormous amount of energy to form a tiny
bit of matter. This initial transition from energy to matter occurred
0.00001 second after the big bang at a time that the universe was
approximately a million-million times smaller and hotter than it is today.
This is when time began because time only takes hold when matter forms.
Light energy, like all forms of electromagnetic radiation, is timeless due
to its velocity.
According to the measurements taken in
the most advanced physics laboratories, the temperature, and thus frequency,
of the radiation at the instant of creation was a million million times
hotter than the 3o K we observe today in the black of space. The
red shift, or stretching, of the CBR is thus almost a million-million fold,
a factor of approximately 9.612, or 960,000,000,000 to
one—slowing the cosmic clock at creation relative to earth by that amount.
From the best of our ability to
measure, looking back in time from the vantage point of earth, the universe
is just shy of 16 billion years old. But biblically, the earth-based clock
is only used to measure time back to end of the sixth day, and the creation
of man. From that time on the biblical timeline is chronology synced with
recorded history—both of which began just shy of 6,000 years ago. The
creative days of Genesis, however, look forward, not back. Yahweh’s
testimony was composed as an eyewitness, from the perspective of the Creator
at creation, not from the created on earth. The simple truth is that no
matter how arrogant and self reliant mankind chooses to be, we did not exist
when the universe was created, so we could not have had a perspective or a
clock.
With that in mind, let’s compare our
clock to His. To do that we must multiply the approximately 15,750,000,000
year age of the cosmos by 365.25 days per year so that both clocks conform
to the same unit of measure. (15,750,000,000 years x 365.25 = 5,753,000,000
days) Then we must divide the result (earth time since in days since
creation) by the amount the CBR tells us that time was stretched at
creation: 9.612. (5,753,000,000,000 days / 960,000,000,000 = 5.99
days) That means that from the vantage point of a witness to creation,
existing at the point of inception, the whole process from start to finish
took a length of time equivalent to six earth days. From Yahweh’s
perspective at the source relative to our clocks looking back on earth 6
days is 6 billion years.
Said another way, if we were to
multiply six days described in the creation account by the 9.612
factor inherent in the stretching of the Cosmic Background Radiation left
over from the Big Bang we would conclude that the cosmos was born 15.75
billion years ago. If that doesn’t get your attention and cause you to think
that these Scriptures might be inspired, nothing will.
The energy Yahweh put into His
creation was perfectly calculated (tuned to tolerances of 10120
power) to produce a universe hospitable to man that would take six days to
manifest from His perspective because the redemptive story imbedded in the
era of man, and in the creation account itself, would play out in precisely
six thousand years. Six is the number of man; one is the number of Elohim.
Bring them together and you have perfection—also known as salvation. In six
days Elohim created the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day, the
Sabbath, He rested and reflected. So it shall be with us. We shall toil for
six thousand years before resting and reflecting in the Sabbatical
Millennium.
While this may represent one of the
most amazing verifications of the veracity of Yahweh’s Scriptural witness,
there is more. You see, the flow of time did not remain constant during the
six days—at least from our perspective looking back. That is because the
amount of matter and the rate of stretching at the center of creation
diminished over time. It sped up relative to our time at the rate of the
natural log, e, nature’s universal spiral. This infinite curve is
manifest in the graceful curves inherent in all spiral galaxies and in every
nautilus shell. Moving from outside in, each successive spiral galaxy or
shell telescopes down at a rate half the size of its predecessor. The
natural log, e, even defines the exponential rates of decay of
radioactive atoms. Jakob Bernoulli, a contemporary of Isaac Newton, first
formulated the shape of this curve in mathematical terms.
Based upon Yahweh’s testimony and the
empirical evidence, a clock at the center of creation became continuously
more similar to an earth-based timepiece at a rate of 50% per cosmic day.
The telescoping is evident in the logarithmic telescoping of space or scale
in the creation account itself from its focus on the universe in the first
day, to the solar system, the earth, all plants, animals, and eventually to
man. The natural log, e, is important because when we apply the
celestial unit of measure to the creative timeline described in Genesis we
discover that each of the six days of creation coincide perfectly with
verifiable developments in the cosmos and here on earth.
Yahweh’s instructions in this regard
are manifest in the opening of the 19th Psalm. Its words are as
riveting as they are precise. “The heavens (shamayim – the
abode of Elohim and stars) quantify the unit of measure, exactly and
accurately (caphar – count and relate, number and reckon, recount
and declare, record and proclaim) of the manifestation of power
(kabowd – glorious presence, abundance, and splendor; from kabad,
meaning weight or mass) of the Mighty One (‘El). Its
spreading out and expanse (raqiya) makes conspicuous (nagad
– makes known, reporting the information for a purpose; announces and
declares a message; informs, publishes, and proclaims; acknowledges and
confesses) His handiwork (yad – hand, indicative of power,
strength and control; indicative of portions and time; used as a unit of
measure; and ma’aseh – labor, pursuit, undertaking, enterprise,
achievement, and thing created). Day unto day (yowm yowm –
time unto time) pours out (naba’ – flows forth) answers
(‘emer – words of intent, speech and thinking) and night unto
night shows (chavah – declares and makes known, explains and
announces) knowledge (da’ath – understanding, perception and
discernment; from yada’, meaning to know in a relational sense).”
(Psalm 19:1-2)
More often than not, the process of
properly communicating the full and accurate meaning of Yahweh’s Scripture
causes me to shake my head in amazement. This is one of those moments. I
turned to this passage because I sensed that it was somehow linked to
evaluating the timeline of Genesis. But little did I expect caphar—“to
quantify the unit of measure, exactly and accurately.” Our Heavenly Father
is as skilled at creation as He is in communication. He just told us to use
the stars to compute the creative unit of measure. Galactic formations are
all based on the natural log, e.
No accounting of our existence would
be complete without a prophetic explanation of our salvation woven into the
narrative. So it is with the 19th Psalm. The very fact that we
received a precise answer to our cosmological question suggests that reading
the rest of the Psalm might be worth our time. “Nothing exists without
(‘ayin – also translated: we cease and are fatherless, incurable,
powerless, and senseless without) words (‘emer – answers,
speech, and promises). Nothing exists without (‘ayin) a
spoken or written report (dabar – words of advice spoken through
divine communication) where the voice which calls aloud (qowl
– proclaiming) fails to be (beliy – is negated and nameless,
put in last place) heard or regarded (shama – attentively
listened to and understood in the context of language and justice).”
(Psalm 19:3)
In this passage Yahweh is telling us
that words are important. Nothing exists without them. The Genesis account
repeats: “And Elohim said” before each and every day of creation, from light
to separation of matter, from earth to plant life, from signs to animal
life, all the way to “And Elohim said let us make man in our image.” Without
His words we do not exist. Without His words there are no answers to
judgment. Without the Word we die, incurable and fatherless. Without words
we are rendered senseless and powerless. When we fail to read His written
report, hear or regard His voice, putting Him in last place rather than
first, we cease to exist, returning to the dust upon which we came. Language
is Elohim’s gift to humankind. In written form it emerged 6,000 years ago,
contemporaneously with the first man created in Yahweh’s image.
Yahweh’s Torah, His instructions, are
the universal standard, whether they be the laws of nature or the covenants
that determine eternal life. They are known around the globe. “This
measuring standard (qaw) has gone forth to all the earth—words
speaking (millah – reasoned argument, proverbs characterizing
truth) to the uttermost outskirts (qatseh – to a point in time
marking the completion of a duration of time; to the foundation) of the
inhabited world (tebel).” (Psalm 19:4)
Before we examine the next verse, I
want you to know that Genesis tells us that on the fourth day, or millennia
of man, using the sun as a sign, and the mow’ed/appointments as a
guide, the Messiah will arrive. Later, in the Song of Songs, we learn that
the Messiah is the Bridegroom for both Yisra’el and the Ekklesia. Then
Yahshua tells us: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” And finally, the
apostle John begins his testimony: “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim…. All things came into being
through Him…. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men…. And the
Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld is radiance.” In
that light, consider these words: “In them [His words] He has placed
(suwm – appointed and established, constituted and fashioned,
transformed and ordained) a tabernacle (‘ohel) for the sun
(semes), who, Himself (huw’) is the Bridegroom and
Husband (chathan) going forth from His protective canopy to
lead and deliver (yatsa’ chupah) joyously in love, as a
powerful, mighty and upright one (gibbowr – who confirms and
prevails), a courier running (ruts – from rasu, meaning
to help along) the way (‘orach – the path of life, the example
of conduct).” (Psalm 19:4-5) The Psalmist is in agreement with the
Apostle. Yahweh is the Word and Yahshua is the Word become flesh,
tabernacling with us to deliver us and show us the way.
Transitioning from salvation back to
science, and then returning to salvation again, the psalmist proclaims:
“His act of going forth and speaking (mowtsa’ – His rising as the
source or spring) is cut off from the uttermost part of (qatseh
– a point in time marking completion; the foundation of) heaven,
and His coming into space-time (taquwphah – completes the
course or circuit), unto the distant end of space and time (qatsah),
no (‘ayin) radiant energy from the sun (chammah –
heat or light) will be concealed, vanish, perish, or cease to
exist (cathar). The instructions (torah – laws,
directions, and perscriptions) of Yahweh are sound and complete (tamiym
– upright and unblemished; from tamam, meaning finished and
unimpaired, perfect), restoring (shuwb – returning to
spiritual relations) the soul (nepes – life, mind, and
emotions). The testimony (‘eduwth – witness and evidence)
of Yahweh is confirmed, verifiable, supportive, nourishing (‘aman
– faithful and sure, trustworthy), teaching wisdom (chakam –
making wise and instructing) the open-minded (pathiy).”
(Psalm 19:6-7)
Beyond the superficial beauty and
power of this verse, there are several interesting implications that are
worthy of our consideration. The Messiah’s “mowtsa’/rising and
source” is “qatseh/cut off from uttermost part of heaven,” the abode
of Elohim, and from the “completeness of time.” To be “cut off from the
uttermost part of heaven” is to have been part of Elohim, “the foundation of
heaven” and “the completeness of time.” Said another way, Yahshua is a part
of, a manifestation of, Yahweh in our space and time. And to be more
accurate, since Yahweh’s and Yahshua’s names are based upon hayah,
the second most repeated word in the creation account, meaning “I Was, I Am,
and I Will Be,” Yahshua, the Son of Elohim and the Anointed/Messiah, the
Word made flesh, was, is, and will be the part of Yahweh who “taquwphah/comes
into space-time.”
This concept is also relevant when
applied to the Ruach Qodesh/Set-Apart Spirit introduced in Genesis
1:2. Qodesh means “Set-Apart.” And being “set apart” implies that the
Ruach was, is, and will be a part, a representation or manifestation,
of Yahweh set apart from Him to cleanse and purify us. The root of Qodesh
is qadash, spelled identically but vocalized differently. It means:
“to be, to make, or to pronounce clean and purified.” The first three
concepts are identical to Yahweh. “To be” is to exist, “to make” is to
create, “to pronounce” is to use words—arguably the three most important
aspects of Yahweh’s nature. The last two connotations relate to the specific
responsibility of the Ruach Qodesh Set-Apart Spirit: to “cleanse and
purify,” restoring us to acceptability in Yahweh’s presence.
This means that there is but One
Elohim. His name is Yahweh. He is our Creator and our Father. But to relate
to us His maternal nature is manifest in the Qodesh/Set-Apart
Ruach/Spirit. She becomes our Mother, set-apart from Yahweh, to give us
life, cleansing and purifying us, communicating with us, making us appear
prefect by dressing us in a Garment of Light. The Spirit, unlike the Son,
remains eternal in our realm, existing in the constant state of “to be.”
Spirit, unlike matter, exists outside the flow of time, signifying that it
is the Set-Apart Spirit who gives us eternal life based upon the sacrifice
Yahshua made in space-time.
The Son became flesh, entering our
material world, as Yahweh’s set apart representative, coming in His Father’s
name, and doing His Father’s business. Elohim thus placed part of Himself
within our flow of time—just as this Psalm reveals. Yahweh manifest Himself
in this way to let us know that He exists, to make Himself more evident to
us, to pronounce the way to Him, to the truth, and to life everlasting,
making our redemption justifiable. However, the Son, unlike our mortal
souls, is not stuck in the flow of time. At His resurrection, Yahshua
reclaimed His eternal nature, “qatsah/unto the distant end of space
and time.” It is the model we shall follow.
The second aspect of this passage
which is noteworthy relates to the physical laws of nature, the most
important of which is the conservation of energy-matter revealed in the
Second Law of Thermodynamics. Scientifically, Yahweh’s declaration is
accurate: “no radiant energy, heat and light from the sun will be concealed,
vanish, perish, or cease to exist. The instructions, laws, and
directions of Yahweh are sound and complete” when applied to the physical
world. But they are equally important and accurate when applied to the
spiritual realm. “The instructions, laws, and directions of Yahweh
are upright and unblemished, finished and unimpaired, perfect, restoring the
soul.” The natural and spiritual laws are the same because the author is the
same.
The third worthy reflection is: “The
testimony, witness and evidence of Yahweh is confirmed, verifiable,
supportive, nourishing, faithful, sure, and trustworthy, instructing,
teaching wisdom, making the open-minded wise.” This is a summation of Romans
1:18-25, one of the most revealing and timely passages in the whole of
Yahweh’s testimony. Elohim said that “ungodly men suppress the truth…. That
which is known about Elohim is evident within them, for Elohim made it
evident to them. For since the creation of the cosmos His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen,
being understood through what has been made, so that they are without
excuse. For even though they knew Elohim, they did not revere Him as Elohim,
giving thanks. They became futile in their speculations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, exchanging the
radiance of the incorruptible Elohim for an image in the form of corruptible
man, of nature and animals…. They exchanged the truth of Elohim for a lie
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”
My next book, Elohim Damn
Religion—The History of Evil from Babylon to Bush, will focus on the
wisdom inherent in those words. Satan is a one trick pony. Every one of his
religious and political deceptions is built upon the same faulty
foundation—one revealed in Paul’s words.
The 19th Psalm ends
powerfully and thoughtfully: “Let the words (‘emer) of my
mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable (ratown – be
pleasing and find favor) in Your presence (paniym) Yahweh,
my Rock and Creator (tsuwr – Mighty One), my Redeemer (ga’al
– relative who is my Savior, the One whose blood releases, sets free, and
restores).” (Psalm 19:14) Yahweh is our Foundation, our Creator, and
our Savior.
We turned to the 19th Psalm
to verify that Yahweh’s unit of measure was evident in His creation and
received marvelous lessons in science and salvation in the process. As a
result we can be reasonably assured that Yahweh made His creative timeline
manifest in the stars so that we could use them as a guide today—and so we
shall.
The creative act of the first day
winds down with these words: “Elohim/Elohiym called (qara’)
the light (’owr) day (yowm – a division
of time). And the darkness (hosek – obscurity, that which
shrouds in blackness, veils by withholding knowledge, imperfects and clouds
revelation with ominous and sinister suggestions, concealing and mystifying
by way of ignorance and confusion) He called night (layil –
time of darkness and gloom, the absence of light).” (Genesis 1:5)
Light is the associated with time because Yahweh’s light is the source of
eternal life. The absence of light renders us ignorant, confused, and
imperfect—separated from Elohim.
The final phrase of this verse is
helpful in that it changes the way we normally consider time, telling us
that we need to look at the creation account in reverse, from the Creator’s
perspective rather than our own. Elohim says that the end of the day
precedes the beginning of the day.
But there is more to it than that.
“Evening, or end of the day,” is represented by ‘ereb. However,
that’s where the fun begins. The three Hebrew letters that comprise ‘ereb
can be rendered five ways, several of which seem appropriate. Boqer,
the Hebrew word rendered “morning or end of the day,” has several potential
meanings as well—all of which seem to fit.
“The end of the day (‘ereb
– evening, night, darkness, and sunset; mixed together and interwoven fabric
or material; the mingling and joining together of things; pleasing,
agreeable, and pleasant; pledge, exchange, undertaking, and fellowship)
and the beginning of the day (boqer – morning or sunrise; from
baqar, meaning to seek, search, enquire, and consider; to reflect)
existing as (hayah) one (‘echad – the cardinal
number one, the first in a series involving space and time) day (yowm).”
(Genesis 1:5)
During this time of universal genesis
there would have been no shortage of darkness or light, as energy was being
transformed into matter, space and time, mixing together and joining to form
the interwoven fabric we call the cosmos. But what I find stimulating is
that Yahweh distinguished this day, and only this day, with a cardinal
number—in this case one. It represents a quantitative measure of a
singular solitary day—the day when space and time began.
Spiritually, day one is focused on
introductions. Yahweh, who is One, tells us that He is the reason we exist.
Elohim declares that He is creative, that words are causal and important,
and that He exists as Light. We discovered that the absence of Light is the
abyss, darkness, confusion, and death. We learned that Yahweh’s Spirit
removes these evil things from us, washing and purifying us, protecting us.
Collectively, these concepts comprise the foundation of Elohim’s plan of
redemption.
Historically, this day is represented
by Adam, the first man created in Elohim’s image, and his personal
relationship with Yahweh in the Garden. It should not be surprising
therefore that including Adam’s time in Eden, the first man lived a thousand
years—the length of the first millennia of human history.
* * *
During the second day Yahweh remained
focused on separation, this time forming and establishing the expanse that
became the firmament of the heavens, giving it substance and shape. Using
earth-time and the natural logarithmic spiral e standard found in the
galaxies, this epoch began 7.75 billion years ago and concluded 3.75 billion
years in our past. Toward the end of this period the star we call our sun
was created as a second generation star within the spiral galaxy we refer to
as the Milky Way. This would make the earth some 4.6 billion years old.
In the passage describing the second
day, Yahweh reveals what we have recently come to learn, that H2O
is the second most abundant molecule in the interstellar molecular clouds
that serve as wombs for new stars and planets. “Elohiym said (‘amar
– spoke with a focus on the content to follow; thought, intended, commanded,
and promised) matter and space (raqiya’ – firmament and
expanse; from riqqua’ meaning a broad expanse and expansion) shall
exist (hayah) in the midst of (tavek – among and
between) the waters (mayim), existing (hayah)
dividing and separating (badal bayin – to make a
distinction between, to differentiate and set apart, withdrawing from over
an interval of time) the waters from the waters.” (Genesis 1:6)
Day two was not a creative act.
According to the Creator, and three millennia later confirmed by His
creation, matter, space, and time were the result of the Big Bang. The
“firmament and expanse,” better known as “matter and space,” were
derivatives of the light energy Elohim called into existence on the first
day, creating with it the first “interval of time.” In this way energy was
made firm, drawing its substance from light in the midst of the molecular
clouds composed of hydrogen and water vapor.
The passage goes on to emphasize the
process of dividing and separating. The words Elohim selects have far
ranging implications. Due to the complexity of the subject material, I
suggest reading only the words in bold first, then going back to ponder the
full potential of Elohim’s revelation. What follows is a lecture on
relativity, the relationship between energy and matter and how one is
exchanged for the other, as well as the nature of space-time as they existed
in the initial crucible of galactic formation. The only way to make it
simple is to mistranslate it.
“Elohiym prepared and produced
(‘asah – caused to happen, assigned, and dealt with; ordained and
brought about) matter and space (raqiya’ – firmament and
expanse) dividing and separating (badal bayin – making
a distinction between, differentiating and setting apart over an interval of
time) the waters relative to (‘aher – a relative reference to
an entity, event, or condition in another point in time; a means of
demonstrating linkage or association; the source or cause responsible for
the result) and out of the orderly arrangement of time (min
– from, by way of separation, designating the source or origin, by means
of; and tahat-mitchah – cause of spreading out and extending,
exchanging one thing for another in a non-chaotic or non-random fashion
implying a rational and logical sequence of time) matter and space (raqiya’)
in the midst of (bayin – between space or an interval of time)
the waters relative to (‘aher) and out of
(min – from, by way of separation, designating the source or origin;
and ‘al – upon, according to, on account of, concerning, on the basis
of) matter and space (raqiya’). And it existed (hayah)
therefore correct and verifiable (ken).” (Genesis 1:7)
Elohim is mentioned once. Relativity
is mentioned twice, providing the correct frame of reference. The
preparation, production, and composition, the orderly arrangement of,
sequence, source, and basis of matter and space is presented three times.
Yahweh has therefore told us which scientific tools we will need to develop
and understand before we will be able to appreciate the creative process and
His genius. As for me, I’m just happy to be here, humbled in His presence,
energized by His Spirit, and enlightened by His Word. I am not going to
pretend that I understand how all of this occurred. I’m just glad it did.
“Elohiym called (qara’ –
proclaimed, summoned and invited, appointed and endowed) matter and space
(raqiya’ – firmament and expanse) heaven (shamayim –
the abode of the stars). The end of the day (‘ereb – evening,
night, darkness; mixed together and interwoven fabric or material; the
mingling and joining together of things) and the beginning of the day
(boqer – morning or sunrise; from baqar, meaning to seek,
search, enquire, and consider; to reflect) existing as (hayah)
the second (sheniy – second in a series) day (yowm).”
(Genesis 1:8)
Spiritually, from a redemptive
perspective, two is the number of choice. The second day is focused on
separation. We need to decide whose side we want to be on—light or darkness.
Are we going to remain mired in the realm of matter and space or are we
going to relate to our Creator in such a way as to exist eternally in time
with Him?
Historically, the second millennium of
human history, consistent with Yahweh’s creative witness, is punctuated with
the ultimate story of water and separation. Noah was called out and
separated from the midst of evil men, living in an ark of protection
designed by Elohim while the waters rose and consumed all of those who chose
the wrong side of the divide. If you want to live with Yahweh you will have
to trust Him, too.
We know for certain that a flood of
biblical proportions occurred five thousand years ago in the region where
the men created in Elohim’s image were said to have lived. Yahweh told us
that Eden was at the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and that
Adam’s and Chavah’s children ultimately formed the civilizations east and
south of the Garden including: Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer. Archeologists
have found cities 200 feet below the current shores of the Black Sea and a
twelve foot thick layer of silt and mud was laid down all at once in
Mesopotamia, precisely when Scripture said the flood occurred.
* * *
Now that our solar system has been
formed, and our planet has had time to cool, the earth was ready for the
gathering of liquid water into oceans, the cradle of life. As the third day
dawned: “Elohiym said (‘amar), Let the waters (mayim)
by way of separation in the orderly sequence of exchanging one thing for
another under (min – from, designating the source or
origin; and tahat-mitchah – cause of spreading out and extending in a
logical arrangement of time) heaven (samayim – the abode of
stars) lay in wait, collected and bound together (qavah –
gathering collectively to look forward with hope and confidence for
something that is beneficial, expecting to collect and bind together)
into (‘el – in motion toward) one (‘echad) place
(maqowm – standing place, abode or region). And let the dry ground
(yabbashah) appear (ra’ah – be seen, perceived and
considered, discerned and distinguished). And it existed, correct and
verifiable. And Elohim called the dry ground (yabbashah) earth
(‘erets) and the gathering and binding together (qavah
– collectively looking forward with hope and confidence for something that
is beneficial, expecting to collect and bind together) of the waters He
called seas (yawm). And Elohim saw and considered (ra’ah
– inspected and perceived) that it was good (towb – pleasant and
agreeable, excellent and valuable, prosperous and beneficial).”
(Genesis 1:9-10)
On the surface, this is an adroit
declaration of what occurred on our planet at this time. The earth cooled as
volcanic activity began to wane. A more translucent atmosphere started to
form as a result. The constant bombardment of water laden comets and mineral
laden meteorites diminished. Water began to flow into the seas, waiting
expectantly to give birth to life. And what’s interesting is, once again,
nothing was created. One thing flowed from another. The sequence was orderly
and rational, continuing to sound more like a scientific textbook than the
“religious” musings of primitive humans.
Spiritually, the first half of the
third yowm was devoted to “gathering the beneficial and uniting
nature of the mayim separating the yabeshah. While mayim is
clearly water, yabeshah is a bit of a mystery. It is translated “dry
land” even though there is no reference to “land, dirt, soil, ground,
or earth” in the word. The term is feminine and is used in Isaiah 44:3, to
depict the Maternal Set-Apart Spirit being poured out upon the spiritually
parched descendents of Ya’aqob at some still future date. Let’s turn to that
passage to see if Isaiah can unravel this mystery for us.
The prophetic chapter opens with a
creative flashback. “Now listen, Ya’aqob My servant and Yisra’el, whom I
have chosen. Thus says Yahweh who made you and created you from the womb,
and will help you. Do not fear…for I will pour out (yatsaq –
anoint, wash, and grant favors with) water upon the thirsty, flowing
forth on the parched (yabbashah). I will pour out (yatsaq
– anoint, wash, and grant favors with) My Spirit upon your offspring; My
blessing (barakah – present, gift, prosperity, and peace) upon
your descendants.” (Isaiah 44:1-3) In this case, yabbashah is
clearly speaking about people in need of Yahweh’s anointing Spirit, His gift
of living waters. The passage has nothing to do with the ground.
If we search the root of yabbashah we
discover that yabesh means “withered and dried up.” In Numbers 11:6
yabesh is used in connection with nepesh to indicate “the soul
has gone.” So Spiritually we are being told at the onset of creation’s third
day that without Yahweh’s Spiritual anointing, without His cleansing,
without His gift of living waters, our soul is parched, and destined to
shrivel up and die.
This is further evidenced by the word
for “gathering,” qawah, which means “to provide hope, to look forward
with confidence to that which is good and beneficial, anticipating the
future event in eager expectation of salvation and deliverance.” Even the
word for “place” is synonymous with our Savior. Maqowm is a “standing
place where one lives;” it is the location of Morriah’s upright pole. And
the word for “appear” has redemption written all over it. Ra’ah means
“to show oneself and become visible by way of illumination, to find delight
through revelation, to be considered and provided for, aided and supported,
and to be selected so as to be present with, meet and experience” Elohim.
Before we return to the second half of
the first day, I would be remiss if I didn’t share what Yahweh had to say
following the prophetic announcement of His Spirit providing the anointing
gift of cleansing waters. Speaking of the reconciled Yahudim: “This one
will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s’…and another will write on his hand the surname
Yahweh, calling Me by name. Thus says Yahweh, the King of Yisra’el, and his
Redeemer. Yahweh of hosts. I am the first and I am the last. There is no
Elohim besides Me.” He punctuates the assuredness of this glorious
eventuality by reminding us that He alone can “declare the things that are
coming, the events that are going to take place.”
Returning now to the third yowm,
we find plant life flourishing on earth. “And Elohim said, ‘Let the earth
(erets) sprout vegetation (dasha dashe’ –
shoot forth greenery, become verdant, green with growing plant life; be
productive, live and grow), plants (‘eseb) reproducing
(zara’ zera’ – producing and yielding an extended family;
being born anew, conceiving offspring), successive generations
(pariy – firstfruits, offspring by way of a harvest) trees (‘ets
– wood or timber, most often translated gallows, an upright pole or
stake with a crossbeam from which criminals are hanged) producing
offspring after their kind (miyn – class or species),
whose (‘aser) offspring (zera’ – seed, children,
and descendants) are upon (‘al) the earth (‘erets),
eternally existing, upright, and established (hayah ken).”
(Genesis 1:11)
Interestingly, dashen means “to
anoint,” symbolic of the Messiah and of what happens to us when we are
immersed in His Set-Apart Spirit. The language of salvation permeates every
word of this revelation: from living and anointing to being born anew, from
the Firstfruits harvest and being part of an extended family to the upright
pole upon which our Elohim and Savior hung, and from being His children to
eternally existing, upright and established. If we are restricted into
thinking that the Genesis account is only an explanation of how Elohim
created, we are destined to miss the timber upon which He hung. Day three is
the Spiritual story of Firstfruits and life everlasting. Once created, it
shall never be extinguished. But it’s also the story of parentage. If we
want to live forever we have to be born anew in Yahweh’s Spirit. That is why
day two is presented in two parts—life flows from the living waters of His
Spirit.
The word “create” was not used on this
day. With a little direction, the system Yahweh had composed previously
facilitated what happened naturally. Based upon what we have learned from
relativity and the natural spiral e measurement standards ascribed in
Scripture, cosmologically the third day begins exactly when the fossil
evidence dictates: starting precisely 3.75 billion years ago and ending 1.75
billion years before our era. Consistent with Yahweh’s testimony, the
instant the earth cooled 3.8 billion years ago, allowing liquid water to
appear, the simplest organic life forms sprouted forth in great abundance.
And they “reproduced after its kind” making the earth green.
Elso Barghoorn, a paleontologist,
discovered bacteria and algae fossils in rocks close to 3.5 billion years
old. Organic carbon representations appear in sedimentary rock formations
dating back nearly 3.8 billion years—right at the time liquid water first
appeared and gathered in seas and lakes, in complete harmony with Yahweh’s
witness.
As a result, biological scientists now
recognize that the first life forms on earth did not emerge following 2
billion years of random chance as previously thought, but immediately after
the appearance of liquid water, many still remain in denial, unable or
willing to take the next logical step. Harvard University biology professor,
and Nobel laureate, George Wald, is one of those still living in the past
and desperately clinging to creation rather than the Creator. He wrote these
words which were published in, and later refuted by, Scientific American:
“However improbable we regard the start of all life, or any of the steps
which it involves, given enough time it will almost certainly happen at
least once. And for life as we know it…once may be enough. Time is in fact
the hero of the plot. The time with which we have to deal is of the order of
two billion years. What we regard as impossible on the basis of human
experience is meaningless here. Given so much time the “impossible” becomes
the possible, the possible probable, and the probable virtually certain. One
has only to wait: time itself performs the miracles.”
This position, promulgated for decades
by leading biologists, is untrue. Scientific American admitted as
much in a special publication called Life: Origin and Evolution. It
was their first and only retraction of a Nobel laureate’s writings.
“Although stimulating, this article probably represents one of the very few
times in his professional life when Wald has been wrong. Examine his main
thesis and see. Can time form a biological cell by waiting for chance
combinations of organic compounds? Harold Morowitz, in his book Energy
Flow and Biology, computed that merely to create a bacterium would
require more time than the Universe might ever see if chance combinations of
its molecules were the only driving force.”
Not only was the random chance
formation of life physically, biologically, and mathematically improbable to
the point of being impossible within the scope and time of the entire
universe, constrained to the earth’s relative size and bereft of the 2
billion years, the improbable was diminished to impossible. And that is just
for the first life form to emerge. For it to succeed, the inaugural plant
would have to locate a source of food, process that fortuitous source of
energy in a way that it is productive rather than destructive, and find a
way to reproduce itself. If the first generation of life failed to
accomplish any of these enormously complex tasks, it’s back to the drawing
board. Random chance must start all over again. That is why Fred Hoyle, the
famed British astronomer, has said that the spontaneous emergence of a
single-cell organism from random couplings of chemicals was about as likely
as the assemblage of a 747 by a tornado whirling through a junkyard.
Elohim’s concluding thought on having
established the conditions necessary for life to emerge was rather
understated: “And Elohim saw that it was good.” The emergence of life is
only the second time the Creator has expressed satisfaction with His
creation. He was also pleased by the onset of light. And that is because His
Light leads to life.
Scripturally, three is the number of
family. Therefore, it should not be surprising that Yahweh established His
family at the beginning of the third millennia of human history. Abraham
becomes patriarch of the chosen people, a family that would serve as
Elohim’s witnesses, an example in relationship and in infidelity to all
others.
* * *
Having completed the third yowm,
Yahweh’s greatest miracle was about to occur. We have reached the dawn of
the fourth millennium. “Elohim/Elohiym said, ‘There shall exist
(hayah) lights (ma’owr – luminaries) in the expanse
of (raqiya’ – based upon raqa’, to spread out and stretch)
the heavens (samayim) to divide (badal –
separate and set apart) day (yowm - time) from night (layil
– from luwl, meaning to fold back; an enclosed space or shaft).
And let them exist as (hayah) symbols and signs (‘owth
– signals, distinguishing makers, and remembrances; non-verbal
representations which have meaning; omens and warnings; miraculous proof and
wondrous indications; illustrations, examples, and metaphors which make
something more clearly known; an accounting or recording used in evaluating
recompense and reward; communicative marks, ensigns, standards, and banners;
a ensign at the end of an upright pole conveying the leader’s message to his
followers) for the appointed symbolic meeting places and times (mow’ed
– designated periods which are related to others for a specific purpose
designated by an authority; set-apart feast and festival celebrations for
communion; from ya’ad, meaning to fix, set, appoint, assign, and
designate an agreed upon congregational meeting; to cause to gather in
assembly and to meet by appointment at an established place and time),
for days (yowm – times), and for years (sanah – a
measure of age and life).” (Genesis 1:14)
From ‘owth to mow’ed,
when the words are simplisticly translated “signs and seasons” the entire
symbolic meaning of the passage is lost. Accurately and completely
communicated, these two sentences convey the profound truth that the
Miqra and Mow’ed of Yahweh are “wondrous signs that convey an
important message” from our Creator. Understand the Mow’ed/Miqra and
you will understand Elohim, yourself, our relationship and purpose, the
means to salvation and the very framework of time itself.
When we lose track of Yahweh’s
Mow’ed/Miqra signs of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks,
Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, we become lost and blind, stumbling in
the dark without a map. When we replace Yahweh’s signs with Easter, Lent,
Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Black Saturday, St. Valentine’s Day, Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas, we become misled and hell bent.
Speaking of His Mow’ed/Miqra,
Yahweh said…“They exist (hayah) as lights (ma’owr
– luminaries) in the expanse (raqiya) of the heavens (samayim)
to give light (‘owr) to and for (‘al – upon)
the earth (‘erets), existing and established (hayah ken).
Elohim fashioned (‘asah – prepared and produced; appointed and
instituted) the two large luminaries (ma’owr),
the greater (gadowl – enormous in magnitude and intensity, a
mighty, important and distinguished man; from gadal, meaning “to be
magnified, great and powerful; to make and do great things) luminary to
rule (memshalah – have dominion and authority over, to govern)
the day (yowm) and the lesser (qatan – smaller,
insignificant, and unimportant, the younger chronologically, the lowly of
status; from quwt, meaning loathed, opposed, abhorred, and detested)
luminary to govern the night (layil – the absence of light;
gloom and shadow), and the stars.” (Genesis 1:15-16)
In this passage, the greater and
lesser luminaries “govern;” they have “dominion over” their respective
conditions—light and the absence of light. The greater source of
illumination and rule is “important and distinguished, magnified and
powerful, able to do great things.” The “enormity of his magnitude and
intensity” suggest only one individual—the Messiah Yahshua, Elohim in the
flesh.
The Adversary, as a fallen angel, is
still luminous, albeit in “abhorrent and detestable opposition” to Light.
Acquiescing to His authority leads mankind “backwards,” away from Elohim and
to the “gloomy and lightless enclosure” known as the abyss.
The testimony continues…“Elohim
established (nathan – bestowed, permitted, and granted; entrusted
and assigned) the expanse of the heavens for light (‘owr)
upon the earth, to rule over (mashal – to reign and exercise
dominion over) the day and night to divide and separate (badal
– to sever and set apart; to make a distinction between; to separate oneself
onto one group and to exclude and abandon another; to select
and expel; to evaluate and judge) light (‘owr – enlightenment,
instruction, life, and safety) from darkness (choshek –
obscurity, blackness, concealment and confusion; the absence of light;
ignorance, distress, and sorrow). Elohim saw (ra’ah –
perceived and considered, regarded and distinguished) that it was good
(tabab – agreeable, excellent, valuable, appropriate, productive
and beneficial).” (Genesis 1:17-18)
The purpose of Scriptural revelation
and grace-based salvation is to segregate souls. It’s azab/separation
or beriyth/relationship. It is why when asked about peace, Yahshua
said that He came to bring division. We can choose light or darkness,
enlightenment or ignorance, instruction or confusion, safety or distress,
life or death. We can choose to love Yahweh and to be set-apart and
separated unto Him, allowing Elohim’s Spirit to exercise dominion over us.
Or we can elect to be ruled by men under the influence of the Adversary, and
thus be expelled, spending eternity in darkness and sorrow. Our very
existence is purposed by this choice, making these words worthy of our
consideration.
Historically, in accordance with the
‘owth/symbolism of the mow’ed/appointed assembly meetings, the
gadowl/enormous in magnitude and intensity, the mighty, important and
distinguished individual, the magnified, great and powerful luminary able to
make and do great things, appeared right on schedule at the dawn of the
fourth millennium of man. The Messiah Yahshua tabernacled with us and we
beheld His glory.
As we have discovered, each creative
day ends with a benediction. Time is reversed. Dusk precedes dawn. Yahweh
wants us to look at the creation account from His perspective, looking
forward in time, not ours, looking back. “There exists (hayah)
the end of the day (‘ereb – evening, night, darkness; mixed
together and interwoven fabric or material; the mingling and joining
together of things) and the beginning of the day (boqer –
morning or sunrise; from baqar, meaning to seek, search, enquire, and
consider; to reflect) existing as (hayah) the fourth period
of time (yowm).” (Genesis 1:19)
Calibrated to the Creator’s clock, the
fourth day dawned 1.75 billion years ago and closed just 750 million years
in our past. During this time Yahweh said that the sun, moon, and stars
became signs, which is to say that they became visible. He did not say that
He created the sun, moon, or stars on the fourth day, because that occurred
on the second. Atheists have ignorantly rebuked the biblical creation
account based upon the false assumption that it claims the emergence of
plant life preceded the creation of the sun, but that is a straw man.
Scientists have recently discovered
that during the epoch referenced by the fourth day of creation, the earth’s
atmosphere, formally translucent, became transparent. Photosynthesis
occurring in the “green vegetation” which “shot forth” on the “third day”
produced an oxygen-rich atmosphere, setting the stage for animals. But it
took a long time, 3 billion years to be precise, for the plants to produce
sufficient oxygen to fuel more complex animal life forms. That is why there
is no mention of animal life on the fourth day. Animals wouldn’t explode
unto the scene until the fifth day, cosmologically speaking.
More than any day, the fourth epoch of
creation serves as a lesson to me. Two years ago I invested a month trying
to reconcile its accounting with the observable evidence. In researching
Islam I read a number of scholarly tomes written by atheists. In one of them
the author tried to be evenhanded, attacking the biblical creation account
with the same tenacity he did Allah’s laughable tale. The atheist’s point of
attack was two fold. He said that astronomy and the fossil record prove that
the universe and the earth were billions of years old, not six days or even
six thousand years. Since I saw yowm as being a period of time, I
wasn’t troubled by this. But then they claimed that the fourth day was out
of order because the plants created on the third day could not survive
without the sun.
While the atheist position was based
upon a misrepresentation of the Genesis presentation, I didn’t recognize it
at the time. Not comfortable with the thought Elohim could be wrong I
immersed myself in scholarly commentaries on Genesis. Over the course of
that study I came to see the stories of creation and the flood as
prehistory. They became symbolic revelations, focused on salvation than
creation—on why Elohim created and flooded rather than how He
did these things. The fourth day, I reckoned, was purposely set out of
place, specifically designed to tell us when the Messiah would arrive. I saw
the plan of six plus one revealed in the creation account as being conceived
to provide a framework with which we could evaluate history—the six plus one
millennia of mankind following the fall of Adam.
But then my sons decided to take
college physics and biology in High School, going on to Cambridge one summer
to study relativity under one of Stephen Hawking’s protégé’s. Both decided
to become engineers, showing a proclivity for relativity over quantum
mechanics. Their favorite topic of conversation became the unification of
Yahweh’s teachings with observed reality. Their insights were brilliant. But
try as they would, dad was too dense to appreciate Einstein.
My youngest son’s proclivity is
biology. Equally cognizant of the majesty of Yahweh’s Word, he did his best
to enlighten dad, albeit chuckling under his breath. About this time I
stumbled upon a Scientific American issue dedicated entirely to the
ongoing debate between quantum mechanics and relativity. My eldest son gave
me a book on relativity edited by Hawkings, and a friend loaned his copy of
The Science of Elohim. Little by little I started to understand. Yet
that was not enough. It was only when I decided to translate every prophetic
passage of Scripture directly from the Hebrew and Greek and reflect on what
it revealed, that I came to appreciate just how right and wrong I had been.
I was wrong because I had sold Elohim
short. The six days of creation are perfectly accurate in time, sequence,
and substance. Moreover, while the creation account provides a human
historical framework, it’s much more than just six millennia plus one. Every
day is correlated to man’s existence as it is recorded both independently
and scripturally. Genesis one is the framework upon which all prophecy
hangs. And while I recognized that the message imbedded in the fourth and
seventh days provided significant insights into Yahweh’s plan of salvation,
I have come to see that every day contains a profound redemptive lesson—as
do all other Scriptural references to creation.
So the moral of the story is: Yahweh
is really smart, and Craig is not. Yahweh is perfect and I make mistakes.
Please keep that in mind as you consider my commentary. It is designed only
so that you pause and reflect on what Elohim revealed, and so that you have
at your fingertips related passages to help connect the dots, thereby
forming a more complete picture. But never lose track of the fact that I am
learning and discovering right along with you. I do not know what a passage
is going to reveal until I jump into the middle of it and allow the Spirit
to guide me. I don’t even know the next passage I’m going to amplify before
He directs me to it.
* * *
Let’s check our bearings for a moment.
Since the timeline inherent in the seven days represents the seven millennia
of man’s existence, we should reflect on what occurred during each era that
is both representative of that time and important to Elohim. By way of
review, day one focuses on Elohim’s Spirit and Light, something Adam
experienced directly and intimately with Yahweh in the Garden. And yet all
around him, just outside Eden’s walls was “tohu, bohu and chosek—destructiveness,
death and separation.” The first day of man’s history, where a day is a
thousand years, dawns with Elohim who is one initiating a one on one
relationship with the first man.
Two is the number of choice so it
stands to reason that the second millennia of man like the creation account,
was punctuated with separation and water. The flood separated the lone
family who chose Elohim from those who did not. Much of the earth was washed
and cleansed when the waters hovered over the land during the flood, the
seminal event in man’s second millennium. The deluge occurred in the midst
of this era—2967 to 1967 BCE—right when Yahweh told us it would.
Three is the number of family—father,
mother, and child. And so it was that throughout mankind’s third era we
humans multiplied prodigiously as did our civilizations, crops and
productivity. And it was during the third millennium after the expulsion
from the garden and deliverance from the ark that Elohim established His
covenant with Abraham, creating an extended family, while at the same time,
sowing the seeds of salvation—the birth of His Son.
Acting out a dress rehearsal for the
Son of Elohim, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Morriah
in 1967 BCE, the very year the third millennia of human history began. A
thousand years later, at the close of the third era and the dawn of the
fourth, on that same mountain, in 967 BCE, Solomon laid the cornerstone of
the first Temple. Exactly 1,000 years later, 33 CE, on that same holy
mountain, the Messiah was hung on a pole to redeem all mankind.
The seminal events in human history
from a redemptive perspective occur every forty Jubilee—40 “seven times
seven years plus one.” Scripturally, forty is the number of completion and a
Jubilee signifies freedom and a return to Elohim. After forty days of
testing in the wilderness, Yahshua’s first sermon announced the fulfillment
of the second multi-millennial Jubilee. The first two thousand year memorial
had occurred in 1967 BCE with Abraham’s faithfulness. The second similarly
closed in 33 CE with the Messiah’s faithfulness. The last set of forty
“fifties” will conclude on the Miqra of Tabernacles in 2033 when Yahweh
remaining faithful to His prophetic promise will remove all evil from the
world, returning the earth to Eden where it all began.
From Elohim’s perspective, and from
the viewpoint of salvation, the most monumental event in human history is
the arrival of the Messiah. It occurred as promised during the fourth
millennia in complete and precise adherence to the mow’ed/appointed
times. Yahweh manifest Himself in the flesh, born in human form as Yahshua
at Tabernacles. Thirty three years later He fulfilled his mission when He
agreed to be crucified at Passover, sacrificially removing our sin during
Unleavened Bread, so that He could make a Firstfruits offering of souls
right on schedule during His resurrection. The fourth annual mow’ed,
the Feast of Weeks, was fulfilled on the appointed day when the Set-Apart
Spirit anointed the called-out/ekklesia.
Before we seek to understand the fifth
day’s historical significance, let’s examine what Yahweh had to say about
it. On the fifth day, Elohim’s testimony reveals that animal life followed
plant life. It also began in the sea. “And Elohim said, let the waters
teem (saras—conceive, swarm, and multiply) creatures (seres—insects
and animals), living (chay) souls (nepes)…”
(Genesis 1:20) Elohim created the proper environment and recipe for life
and then gave His creation a free hand to develop and flourish.
The miracle of creation is in the calculation,
the composition and tuning of the energy-matter formulated on day one and
then in the development of DNA—the language of life. Once these things were
accomplished, nature, like man, was free to run its course.
In this
verse we learn for the first time that the nepes/soul is not unique
or distinctive to man—although man will also receive a neshama from
Yahweh, something we’ll investigate in great detail later. According to
Yahweh, every swarming animal and insect is born of water, including animals
and men. We are all composed of the elements of the earth. And we all have a
nepes/soul.
While it is
seldom mentioned, Yahweh who is Ruach/Spirit, also has a nepes/soul—something
we will confront as we unravel two very important Messianic prophecies in
upcoming chapters. But for now, appreciate the fact that unlike the Ruach/Spirit,
the nepes/soul is not, by itself, immortal. Ultimately, understanding
the differences between being born of water and being born of Spirit from
above will lead us to the realization that our nepes/soul needs His
Ruach/Spirit to survive this temporal life.
With the 21st
verse of Genesis one, Elohim uses bara’, the Hebrew term for
“create,” again. It is only the second time. Scientifically, it’s
significant that the first word following bara’ is “large reptiles,
or dinosaurs.” Spiritually, it is an admonition to be leery of serpents.
“Elohim created, shaped, and fashioned (bara’ – caused something
new to happen through transformation) great, mighty, and numerous (gabowl)
reptiles (tanniyn – reptilian lizards or serpents) and
every soul (nepes) which moves about (ramas)
which the waters conceived and produced (sharats – brought forth,
teemed, swarmed, multiplied and made innumerable and abundant) after
their kind or species (miyn – groups of living organisms
descended from similar ancestral gene pools), every winged flying
creature after its species. Elohim perceived that it was appropriate and
productive (tabab – good, agreeable, excellent, valuable,
and beneficial). Elohim blessed (barak – spoke favorably of)
them, saying (‘amar – instructing, thinking, commanding, or
intending), ‘Be fruitful (parah – be productive, flourish,
conceive offspring in abundance) and multiply (rabah – become
many and numerous; increase). Fill (male’ – fulfill and
accomplish; consecrate) the waters (mayim) in the seas
(yam) and let flying creatures become numerous upon the earth.’
The end and the beginning existed of the fifth day (yowm).”
(Genesis 1:21-23)
The reason
we know that “gabowl tanniyn” means “giant reptiles/lizards”
is because the common Hebrew word for snake is nahas. In his first
miracle before Pharaoh, Moses’ staff turned into a nahas. But later,
when that same staff was laid down beside the Nile, it became a tanniyn,
or crocodile—a larger amphibious reptile. The Greek derived “dinosaur” and
the Hebrew “gabowl tanniyn” are synonymous.
The
reference to miyn on this day is consistent with current biological
science. What we perceive as new species actually represent a partitioning
of the original gene pool, not a mutation. And that is because mutations
always represent a loss of information rather than a gain. Yahweh was right
and so was Darwin. Species evolve. Further, all evidence suggests that
animal life emerged from water consistent with Yahweh’s 3,000 year old
testimony.
The Genesis
account of this era fits beautifully with the fossil record. Each of the 34
phyla, or basic body plans that comprise the full spectrum of animal life,
bust onto the scene in their entirety during the Cambrian period. Not a
single new phyla has emerged since. These findings are completely
incompatible with Darwin, of gradual evolution over eons of time from
inorganic minerals to humans. Once again, Yahweh was right.
Thermodynamics, the most basic of the natural laws which govern physics,
dictates that without an outside influence, an engaged, intelligent and
purposeful Creator, our planet’s environment would have regressed, not
progressed—going from order to disorder. Genetically, random mutations do
not add complexity; they diminish it. Information is lost, not gained. And
then there is the matter of sex. To reproduce, animals must mate. In many
species male and female perform complementary roles in gestation, nurturing,
and protection. To think that this happened by chance, at the onset of each
new animal form, is akin to believing in fairy tales.
Calibrated to the Creator’s clock, the
fifth day dawned 750 million years ago and closed 500 million years
latter—250 million BCE. Scientifically, Yahweh’s accounting remains
precisely accurate in substance, sequence, and duration.
Spiritually, we learn that the first living nepesh/souls were born of
water, not Spirit. Elohim may have used water-conceived life to alert us to
the fact that our souls must be anointed in His Spirit, His breath of life,
to live life free as a bird in heaven.
The souls
created on this day were surrounded by mighty serpents, satanic deceptions
of the worst possible kind. Death and dying became the counterpart to birth
and living. Remember, on the fourth day we were introduced to the Savior and
to Satan, the greater and lesser lights who ruled the day and the night,
respectively. So this day is about which of these masters we elect to yoke
our nepesh/soul. That is why Elohim reminds us twice in the fifth day
that living souls reproduce after their kind. A society immersed in satanic
religious poison will breed dysfunctional and demonic souls. Look at the
barbaric and terrorist rise of Islam and at the Dark Ages, plagued as they
were by the stifling sun god religion conceived by Constantine.
The fifth
millennia also gave rise to rabbinic Judaism with the Babylonian Talmud,
steeped as it was in the inverted and erroneous Qabbalahic mysticism of
universal religion. It would not take long for these satanic inventions to
consume their creators. In the next millennia they would give birth to the
Illuminati, Freemasonry, Communism, and Nazism—the very doctrines that
hunted down and murdered Jews by the millions.
Five is
the number of confusion and repulsion. Satan is known best by his inverted
pentagram, a five pointed star. It is why the spiritual and historic stories
associated with this day are intertwined. The Roman Catholic Church was
founded by Constantine on the basis of Mithraism in the fourth century.
Islam was founded by a demon possessed, sexual pervert and terrorist named
Muhammad in the seventh century. Both corrupted the truth and made Elohim’s
chosen people their enemy. Both gave those they conquered a simple choice:
convert or die. Submission was the order of the day.
And sadly
it was during this time that Yahudim, long in violation of the Covenant,
went from unfaithful to having an adulterous affair with Satan. Men who
claimed to be Master/Rabbis elevated themselves to the status of Elohim.
Historically, the fifth millennium of man after the fall of Adam was one of
our worst. Religions multiplied: Constantine’s Christianity, Rabbinical
Judaism, and Satan’s Islam—plaguing the world and damning souls. Rather than
following Yahweh’s instructions in His Torah and flourishing, most every
soul listened to the serpent instead. Evil begat evil from 33 to 1033 CE.
While it opened in glory and with promise it closed in darkness and despair.
* * *
Six is the
number of man, so we should not be surprised that on the sixth day of
creation, we are the last thing formed. But before He got to us, He offered
this spiritual and scientific lesson. “And Elohim/Elohiym said,
‘Earth, proceed to bring forth (yatsa’ – deliver) living (chay)
souls (nepes) after their kind and species (miyn),
wild animals and livestock (bahemah), gliding, creeping, and
swimming creatures (remes – moving organisms); life forms
(chayah – which live, conceiving, nurturing, restoring, and
sustaining life) on earth after its kind or species,
eternally existing, upright, and established (hayah ken).”
(Genesis 1:24) Yes, all animals have souls.
Throughout this process, Yahweh used
language. It is the medium of thought and creativity. Language is the means
to enlightenment and to relationship. It is how Elohim communes with us.
“And Elohim said (‘amar – spoke, thought, commanded, and
promised), Let us… We have already been introduced to the
manifestations of Yahweh’s nature that require “us” rather than “me.” Yahweh
is our Father, the Re’shith/Head of Family. The Ruach/Spirit
who gives us birth and eternal life by washing and purifying us, is our
Mother. The gadowl/enormous in magnitude and intensity, the mighty,
important and distinguished Memshalah/Luminary who has dominion, the
one to be magnified who is great and powerful, and able to make and do great
things, is the Son.
…produce (‘asah – make,
effect, bring about, fashion, ordain, observe, and celebrate)… All
other life forms were either “dasha – sprouting, shooting forth
greenery, being productive, living and growing,” “bara’
– created and shaped, causing something new to happen through
transformation,” or “yatsa’chay nepes – proceeding to bring forth and
delivering living souls,” but not this time. Yahweh used ‘asah, which
while similar to bara’, adds the important connotations of
“ordination, observation, and celebration.” Ordain means “to officially
invest in and to establish with authority. And that is consistent with the
extended meaning of ‘asah, “to assign a particular function or
task and with it an assumption of responsibility so as to profit from.” In a
word, we were designed to be special. Our life was designed to be a
celebration—to please Elohim and to return His love.
…mankind (‘adam – man,
human beings)… ‘Adam is also the Hebrew word for “ground, as
in the surface of the earth” and for the color “red.” It can even be “a
precious red stone”—a humbling thought when you consider the blood shed by
the Rock of our Salvation.
…in our image (tselem –
resemblance, pattern, and model; from an unused root meaning shade),
after our likeness (damuwth – similitude and manner; from
damah, meaning comparable, resembling, and with imagination and
thinking)….” (Genesis 1:26)
A tselem is most often used “to
represent a two or three dimensional painted or sculptured representation of
something.” “Shade” is a two dimensional representation of the three
dimensional object between it and the source of light. Damuwth is “a
comparison or likeness in the form of an image.” It is “a builder’s draft or
sketch, a graphic representation for future building or construct.” The
evidence is pervasive. Just as a mirror reflects our image and a shadow
represents our shape in one less dimension, we were fashioned to be fewer
dimensions than Elohim. He is eternal in time, the fourth dimension. We are
not. But we can be. And that is the purpose of this message. We are born
like a builder’s sketch, as a representation of the temple of Elohim that we
were designed to become.
But there is so much more to it than
that. For Yahweh to profit from us, for Him to celebrate and commune with
us, we have to be similar and comparable. Let me share an example. We cannot
have a relationship with an ant—as worthy, productive, strong, and
industrious as ants seem to be. Their nature and intellect are too far
beneath us. We have no means to communicate, much less love, ants. And since
these are Elohim’s primary objectives, we must resemble Him more closely
than humans do ants. Most every aspect of our nature must be a diminished
version of Yahweh’s nature. Elohim is like us because we are like Elohim.
Yahweh does not want us to put Him on
a pedestal. He wants us to sit down beside Him, to walk with Him, to be at
ease and converse with Him, to love Him; not fear Him. While He is our
Elohim, He wants to be our Father. But we can only be His sons and daughters
when we are born of the Ruach/Spirit, our Mother, purified and
clothed in Her Garment of Light.
We are reminded twice more that we
were “created in Elohim’s image, resemblance, likeness, pattern, and
model—His shadow if you will.” Either Yahweh is forgetful and verbose,
unlikely in the context of His creative testimony, salvation story, and
prophetic human history, or this point is so important He wanted to make
certain we would understand. We are like Elohim. Elohim is like us. If it
weren’t true, He wouldn’t have said it once, much less thrice. “So Elohim
created (bara’) man (‘adam) in His
image (tselem – resemblance, pattern, and model; from an unused
root meaning shade), in the image (tselem) of Elohim
He created (bara’) him. Male and female He
created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
I have never met anyone who made the
connection. “Elohim created man in His image…male and female He created
them.” Elohim therefore has male and female characteristics. He tells us
that He is our Father. We know that He manifest Himself as the Son when He
entered our world. So that would make the Ruach Qodesh our Mother—the source
of spiritual birth.
But there is far more to it than that.
We humans were made like Elohim, male and female so that we would come to
understand the concepts of family and marriage: of affection, birth, growth,
nurturing, protecting, relationship, communion, trust, and especially
sacrificial love. We have the capacity to understand the kind of
relationship Yahweh wants to develop with us and the means to it because He
created within us that very nature. We replenish life and live within the
loving, protecting, and nurturing covenant of marriage and family because we
were created to form a covenant with Elohim, to be born of His Spirit, wed
to the Messiah, becoming Yahweh’s family—His sons and daughters.
“And Elohim knelt down next to
(barak – adored and blessed) them, saying to them, Be fruitful
(parah – flourish, be productive, increase) and multiply (rabah
– become exceedingly great and numerous, become enlarged, reaching a very
high point on a scale of extent)...” (Genesis 1:28)
There are some real surprises in this
verse—the first following Elohim’s creation of man. The primary meaning of
barak is “to kneel down in adoration.” It is the first thing Elohim
did and it speaks volumes about His nature and character, and even more
about the reason He created us. Yahweh is willing to come down to our level
to relate to us just like a father might get down on his knees to look his
children in the eyes. Elohim did not create man to worship Him. He created
man to love Him. He knelt down next to us to show that He adored us. He
proved it when He returned to stand up for us on Morriah’s pole, blessing us
with the gift of eternal life. No greater love has a man than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends.
Parah and rabah
demonstrate Yahweh’s intent for humankind. He wants us to reciprocate His
love, because when we do, we increase, becoming more than we are. We become
enlarged, growing from three dimensions to at least four and more probably
seven. By being reborn from above in His Spirit we become like Elohim in yet
another way—eternal.
Spiritually, the lesson of the sixth
day is reflected in Yahweh’s selection of words. Man was made like Elohim.
The model for His love is marriage and family. When we are joined in this
way we increase, living forever with our Creator in an elevated state. And
in this eternal realm Elohim remains our friend, albeit no longer having to
get down on one knee to look us in the eye.
Historically, man’s sixth millennia
dawned as horridly as it will conclude. It started with the Crusades and
Inquisition. While the Reformation was good, it didn’t go near far enough
and as a result we have squandered its lessons. Today the religions of man
permeate the globe. More people have been murdered under the names of
Communism and Fascism during the last century than during all of human
history combined. Thinking ourselves wise we have worshiped the creation and
become fools.
Within 30 years it will be all over.
We will have poisoned and scorched our planet, killing as many as six
billion people in two horrible wars.
Scientifically, Yahweh’s testimony
regarding this day is consistent with the evidence. Man is an animal. Apart
from Elohim he can be conniving, self-serving, vicious, and cruel. Born of
water and dust, man returns to whence he came. Heedless of the salvation
story, the man of science is the sum of his existence. There is nothing
more.
On the seventh day Elohim rested and
so shall we. Those who survive the Tribulation will enter the Millennial
Kingdom—a thousand years of peace.
* * *
Prophetically, we haven’t time to
cover every passage in Genesis. But there are three issues that cry out to
be known. First, there was death and dying on earth during Adam’s stay in
Eden. Noah’s ark was covered in pitch and Jerusalem is dressed in
limestone—both of which are conceived in death. The word for food,
‘akalah, used in the 29th verse, is often translated “meat,
the flesh of animals.” And when Adam and Chavah sinned, Yahweh wrapped them
in “coats of skins,” indicative of blood atonement and its victory over
death. So nepesh/soul is thus not eternal.
Second, according to Yahweh in Genesis
2:6, the earth was enveloped in mist at this time, creating a productive
greenhouse effect in which every portion of the planet was lush and
productive. Shielded as animals were from the sun’s most harmful radiation,
things lived longer and were healthier.
Third, Adam and Chavah were not the
first homo sapiens. They were the first humans created in Elohim’s image.
The daughters of men roamed the earth outside the Garden—hunting and
gathering. It was only with the gift of language that man settled down and
became “civilized.”
Yahweh gave Adam something He did not
give other animals—a nesamah. In Genesis 2:7 we read: “And Yahweh
Elohiym formed (yasar – fashioned and created, conceived)
‘adam of the dust (‘aphar – ground, earth, small mortar like
particle of loose matter) and breathed (naphach – blew)
into his nostrils (‘aph) the neshamah of
living/existence (chayah/hayah); and ‘adam existed as
(hayah) a living (hay) soul (nepesh).”
Before we tackle neshamah,
let’s deal with whether the word following it is hayah or chayah.
There is some dispute because the only difference between them is whether
the left upright leg of the first letter touches the horizontal line or
stops just short of it. Hayah, the root of Yahweh’s name, meaning “to
exist, I was, I am, and I will be” is rendered with the Hebrew consonants:
He, or h, Yodh, or y, and He, or h. Chayah
begins with a Cheth, or h, but makes the “ch” sound when annunciated.
Chayah means “to live, to have life, to remain alive, to sustain
life, to life prosperously, to be restored to life and live forever.” With
one exception, chayah is synonymous with hayah, “to exist
past, present, and future.” And that exception is that Elohim does not need
to be restored to life; we do.
Clearly, chayah is based upon
hayah, just as restoration and eternal life are based upon Yahweh.
Looking even more closely at chayah we discover that the verb means:
“to revive from sickness, discouragement, and death, to preserve and restore
to life.” Chayah “implies nurturing and affection.” It causes us to
“be healed, flourish, and rise.” These are all things Yahweh does for us.
They comprise His gifts of salvation and eternal life. So we had breathed
into us the potential to receive His grace. We were given the breath of
chayah so that we might choose hayah—to exist eternally with
Yahweh.
That inherent ability to make that
choice, the potential to receive His gifts of salvation and eternal life,
the very awareness of them and Him, is the essence of nesamah.
Definitions don’t help us much with reference to nesamah, but
fortunately context does. It is translated “breath” although napah is
the Hebrew word for breath, breathed and blow. It is even translated
“spirit,” odd in that nesamah is wholly unrelated to ruach. We
are told that nesamah is derived from nasham, meaning “to
pant, the travails of a woman in labor.” That’s interesting in that a
woman’s labor precedes life just as chayah/restored life is the
result of hayah/Yahweh’s existence.
If I were to define nesamah I
would say it is “the part of a person that can respond to Yahweh.” While it
does not make us immortal, it provides us with the ability to know, love,
and trust the source of immortality. The nesamah is that special
consciousness within mankind that seeks to yada Yahweh. The
nesamah is the breath of Elohim within us that makes us like Him
in every sense of the word. - Craig Winn
Walk in the Light.ca