Creation Of The Heavens And The Earth by J. Louis Gthrie, PH.D.

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CREATION OF THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
J. LOUIS GUTHRIE

CHAPTER V
CREATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

We need now to go to the New Testament and study carefully the revelation concerning the Creation found there. Since the New Testament was written in Greek, that language will now entertain our study for awhile. The New Testament declares itself to be the Word of God. It also declares the Old Testament to be the Word of God. There are about four or five words in the Greek that carry with them the meaning of creation as the three in the Old Testament do. These words are "KTIZO," meaning literally create; "POIEO," literally meaning make, do; "GINETAI" meaning to become, come about. These three words practically comprise all the words which are used much with the doctrine of the creation in the New Testament.

The word "GINETAI" is the one most used with the Christ principle of the activity of creation and [a] fine illustration is found in John 1:3, 10. "All things became through Him and apart from him became not one thing, which has become," "In the created universe He was, and the created universe became through him and the created universe did not know him." This is then a true corresponding word to the Hebrew Word "Yatsar" of the Old Testament. The places in the New Testament where this word is used with the idea of Creation will also entertain our attention. This word used with the Christ or Word of God has the specific meaning of becoming into from through the second element in the Creative agency, that which gives pattern to everything that is in the Material Universe. Our common version of the Bible states that Jesus or the Christ Element in the Godhead is the agent in the creation, but when they translate expressions like John 1:3 and Col. 2:16 with the preposition "by" instead of "through," they must surely have been bolstering some of their ideas of the creation calling The Son of God the Agent of the Creation instead of the "former of the patterns" of the creation. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of the Creation, or really the force or power of the Creation.

This makes us come to the other word used in the New Testament in connection with the Creation. That Greek word is "POIEO," a word commonly translated "MAKE" in English, that is, the English of the Authorized Version. However there are several words so translated in that version of the Bible, and one is never sure exactly what is meant by the translations, when such a translation is made. Our Authorized Version of the Bible seems to be so varied in its phaseology, and the same words in Greek are translated so many different ways, that many teachings are obscured by the English. This is no charge against the Bible, but a charge against the folks who want to hold the Bible in obscure phaseology and at the same time the English language is growing and changing its meanings.

This word "POIEO" in Greek is used to translate all these words from the Hebrew "BARA," "YATSAR," "GHASAH" in the Septuagent or Greek of the Old Testament. The word is used in some copies of the Septuagent to translate Genesis 1:1. as in John 1:1 "En Arche O Theos epoiei tous Ouranous kai ten Gen." In beginning the God "MADE" the Heavens and Earth. However the Old and New Testament generally, when in the original uses the three words as put here in this exegesis. Some may try to say sarcastically that we are continually going back to the "originals," and like they have done before use this as a bit of irony and sarcasm, let me here quote from Ignatius, who had this same group of ignorant preachers to deal with. In Ignatius letter to the Philadelphians, chapter 2:20, he states. "Because I have heard of some who say; Unless I find it written in the Originals, I will not believe it to be written in the Gospel. And when I said, 'It is so written': they answered what lay before them in their corrupted copies." As early as 100 A.D. there were preachers who were trying to corrupt the purity of the writings of the Apostles by poor copies and false translations.

The three words connected with the Creation in the New Testament will now come before us. Their [uses] in the New Testament will be properly translated and their locations in the various books will be noted. There could be no possible understanding of the doctrine of the Creation, without a definite knowledge of the words that are used to describe that doctrine both in the Old and New Testament. This is a very decided knowledge of the Scholars who have the work up to date in studies of the New Testament and even the Old Testament. It is positively known that the men who studied Greek in the middle ages and a while afterwards, all read into their translations, especially of the Bible, the Rabinnical and priestly interpretations of that book. They were compelled to do so, for they were under the iron cast of a hierarchy and a traditionalism of the Rabinnical interpretations of their predecessors. This accounts [for] the seeming contradiction of many theological statements made among men today. Biblical doctrines are warped into the traditionalism of the past nineteen hundred years for the New Testament and also into the same traditionalism for even more time than that.

The cases of the word "KTIZO," literally create when turned into English. This is properly the word by which the Hebrew "BARA" should be translated. Genesis 1:1 and in the New Testament Mark 13:19, Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11; 10:16. Twice in the New Testament is the word used as CREATOR. 1Peter 4:19; Romans 1:25. Mark 13:19 translated literally with the proper meaning in "KTIZO" reads thus; "For those days will be as to trouble which has not happened, such as from beginning of creation, which God created, until the present, and even shall not become ever." This specifies every thing which God created from the very beginning of Angelic life when the Godhead first set about any kind of creation, either life or material. Creation nearly always means such unless it is specifically used with some particular creation.

Ephesians 3:9 "What the houselaw of the mystery, hidden along the ages in God, the one creating everything---." This mystery of the creation was hidden in God and it has been revealed in his word. We shall show further that most of the ideas of the creation have been theories of man and that the Book of God only is the true statement of the Divine Glorious act of bringing everything into existence. The statement of a creation direct from God without anything between God and his creation but the Christ and the formative principle in Him, is the true statement of the Word of God and any other notion is unbiblical and pagan. Even in man this direct act is the only Divine act and in man there is no "Mud Doll" no "Monkey," but a direct Divine action of plan in God the Father, Forming in Christ Jesus, and Execution in the Holy Spirit. Just so with the creation of other things, Heavens and earth, and whatever else God created, unless God has specifically stated some methods by which He created.

Colossians 1:16 is the great New Testament text which fully describes the Creation. There is no other that uses the words so clearly and specifies that the creation was done. (Verse 15) "Who is the likeness of the unseen God, the first born of all creation." (Verse 16) "Because in him was created all the things in the heavens and upon the earth, the seen and unseen, whether thrones of lordships or beginnings or authorities; all the things through Him and into Him are created." (Verse 17) "And He is before everything, and every thing in Him stands together." "And He is the head of the body, the Church," (verse 18) "who is the beginning, firstborn out of corpses, in order that He become the fore one to all." (Verse 19) "That in Him all the Fullness might be pleased to make its home," (Verse 20) "And through Him to reconcile everything through Him." I have purposely translated several verses here to show connection with Jesus the Christ. Verse sixteen, however, is the verse concerning the creation. Let us now take a short study of that verse. The verse declares that "IN JESUS," the Christ or [Son] relation of the Godhead, everything was created. Even seen and unseen things, both in the heavens and upon the earth. This verse here is speaking of the Material Universe in its creation. This is in a measure commentary on Genesis chapters one and two and John 1:1-3.

The statement is again made that all creation came through Jesus the Son and the Christ of the God of Genesis 1:1, which is there surely called trinity. The last of the verse declares also that everything came into Him in Creation. Let us again give the definition of the first statement of the creation. Every thing was planned in creation by the Father God, and everything was patterned in Creation through the God Son, and into the God Son, and everything was crystallized out into time and space by the power of the Holy Spirit out of what He held in solution before there was any creation. I Cor. 8:6, declares this fully. "But to us one God, the Father, out of whom the everything and we into Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom the everything and we through Him." When our Christian people get this conception of the creation, and refuse all those old stories of tradition, that God took seven ages in which to create and get ready the present order of things as they stand in creation, we will be free from that old Hamitic-Japhetic superstition which men are now calling Evolution and Atheism. When we can get the idea of God as an infinite all powerful being, we will be free from a lot of modernism. Too many people who call themselves Christians believe that God had to go through a routine of evolution and through the route of Chaos, then mud doll and a lot of other traditional statements about the way God created Heavens and Earth and everything on it, instead of taking the word and getting the direct statement of God on the matter. There has been going the rounds for a long time the statements of so called scientists as to how this was done, and this has become a part of human thinking.

Pseudo-scientists come along and they make statements like this, "It took God Millions of years to arrange the creation." Where did they get the information, when the Book of God declares that it was done instantly? Isaiah 48:3. "The first things from that time I made known, and from my mouth they went forth, I caused them to be heard, I suddenly caused to do, and they came out." Why, when men have these words, and they have had them for at least twentyseven hundred years since Isaiah, yet they have not been put into the versions this plainly, because men were afraid of offending the pseudo-scientists and many that translated the Bible did not wish to offend them and he thought to be ignorant. Many men whose business it is to know the truth about creation never study the Word of God at all, but take the scientific view of the subject and blindly put their faith in the scientists of all ages as being the inspired people instead of the writers of the Bible. Science has never been agreed for any ten year period in the whole history of science. Fifty years ago science was outlandishly at variance with modern scientists. Fifty years from now science of this very hour will be considered wrong and out of date on every principle of creation. Yet when we have the Divine Word of God stating the very method of Creation, we are called ignorant and even our own brethren do their best to discredit the Bible with modern educational science and theory, and rave about the man who believes the Bible as being visionary and wild and theoretical. This very thing shows that most human beings get their notions first from traditional paternity and not from the word of God. There are men of our own ranks who will malign me for writing this and call it "Thinksees" and Wild Theoies" and "Visionary," when they can not read the English language, not even considering the languages in which the Old and New Testaments are written. Then there are men who have interlinear and other kinds of translations from the modernists of our Atheistic Educational system right today, that will be angry and try to discredit the Word of God I am trying here to faithfully interpret. The scientific statements of the men are changing every day until men can put no credence in their statements whatever. Read five books on Geology and five distinct theories on the origin of the Earth will be given and every man almost a venomous opponent of every other theory but his own. Read the same number of books on Astronomy and there will be as many theories about the origin of the Heavens, and every theorist will heap ridicule on his opponents. Scientific theorists are like Theological theorists. They make, or try to do so, every other statement ridiculous, in their own minds, and ridicule every man who does not believe with them. They shout for tolerance and get so tolerant they are very thin, even if broad. Shallow water running over rocks is noisy, but when waters are deep, they are still unless stirred by a greater force.

Rev. 4:11 and 10:16. "Thou are worthy, the Lord and the God of us, to take the glory and the honor and the power, because thou created everything, and through the desire of thee they were, and they were created." "And He swore in the one living into the ages of ages, the one, who created the heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in her, and the sea and the things in her." The almighty power of God, and His creative abilities is here stated by angels and celestial beings, who know more about that than do men. They are not theorists, but they were there when this Heavens and Earth were set out into existence in the beginning. Job 38:4-7 declares their presence at that event of marvels. "Where thou in my founding the earth didst become? Make known if thou knew the foundation of her. Who there measured her, if you know, or who laid upon her a line? Upon what foundation didst they cause to press a seal, or who laid her corner stone? When the starts of the morning made singing praise as one, and all the heirs of powerful ones shouted in joy?" This poetry of the highest type in the Hebrew language gives us a view of Angelic hosts at the Creation of the Material Universe. They were there before the Material Creation came to pass.

Now let us come to the word, "Creation" in the New Testament. The Greek word is "KTISIS." It is used in four consecutive places in Romans 8:19-22. "For the presenting forth of the heart of the creation is awaiting for the unveiling of the heirs of God; for the creation was arranged under emptiness, not of her outside will, but through the one subjecting her, upon a hope, because the creation herself will be freed from the bond slavery of decay into the freedom of the glory of the born sons of God, for we know that the whole creation groans within herself and has travail pains until now." This word "Ktisis" is properly creation, and there is also a word which should be rendered into "creature." It is very much like the word "Ktisis," and means a thing created. It is used for practically all the things within the creation, which God created. Such is the word found in 2 Cor. 5:17, "So that, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new Creation," "KTISIS" here and not "KTISMA." In 1 Timothy 4:4 the proper meaning of creature is given, i.e. a created thing. "Because every creature of God is beautiful--." Rev. 5:13 also, "And every created thing, which is in heaven and upon the earth---." This makes the real distinction between created things and the Creation, which is made up of all created things. Even man as he is now is one of the created things of the Creation. The New Testament has a word commonly translated as "WORLD," which is this whole created universe. The word in the Greek is "KOSMOS," and it is distinct from the word which is also translated "world," but means the inhabitable earth. There is also a third word translated "world," which literally means ages with their conditions and the created things in them. These three words translated "world," are a bit confusing in our English Version of the Bible.

Twice the word is a noun and is translated "Creator," which is the proper translation. The word is rendered from the Greek "KTISTES." In Romans 1:25 this word is used. "Such as desert the truth of the God in their lie (falseness) and worship and serve the creation instead of the one creating," and in this verse we have the word for creation and then the word for the one creating the creation. This word here is participle and has the action of the verb in it. Further in 1 Peter 4:19 the word is again used and is translated "Creator" properly. "So that those suffering according to the will of the God might lay aside their souls in doing good to a faithful Creator."

Four times the word "GINETAI" is used in the sense of creation and is used in the sense with the [Christ] that generally the Hebrew "Yatsar" is used with the second person of the trinity. In John 1:3, 10, and 14. "All things became through Him and apart from Him came not one thing which has become." "In the world (created universe) he was and the world became through him and the world did not know him." "And the word became flesh (human nature) and tented in us." The Christ part of the creation here is to give pattern to all things as these scriptures declare. Through Christ things came, and as the expression is so stated in Colossians 1:16, were practically the whole creation act of God is shown, in which the substance of the trinity acting is declared.

There is a peculiar case in Hebrews 11:3. This declares that there is a basis of all creation in things as they are unseen. I have wondered many times, when I had not given very much study and thought to the subject of the Creation, where the idea of the Creation out of Nothing came from. When I had carefully investigated this subject, I was brought face to face with this verse of scripture and it positively says that things that are seen, i.e. things that are in time and space originally came from what is unseen. The scientific principle of invisibility of this material elementary substance when in a state of dissolution is clearly shown here. Then we are to come to the last analysis as men can go only that far in their thinking, that everything, every element of the present creation must have been at one time in an unseen state. Then God created, that is planned in the Father God, shaped in the Son God, executed in the Spirit God this whole material Universal solvent held in solution before creation. At the creation all this was instantaneously crystallized out like crystals of unseen things come out of solvents into sight and into time and space.

This takes away every vestige of evolution and every vestige of God being responsible for Chaos or anything else that appears like Atheism, Chemism, Theistic Evolution, or any other of those modernistic things we have been hearing and teaching in our religious books even. Some time back I was reading from the book of the most prominent Southern Baptist Preacher and a man of influence in the ranks of Southern Baptist. In that book he writes: "In the first chapter of Genesis we have (1) a general account that God created all things, "the heavens and the earth," Gen. 1:1. Then further down in the chapter he relates, "In wonderful agreement with Modern Science:" -- "Certainly it was no thought of Moses to write for scientific purposes a treatise on the origin and structure of the world. Nothing could have been farther from his thinking than the giving of instruction to the rustic shepherd people, as regards the mystery and marvels of scientific problems. It is unscientific to forget the ends for which Moses wrote and the state of the people for whom he wrote. In simple language, adapted to the plain people of his day and of all successive ages, Moses set forth God's Creative activity. So far from stumbling over any slight apparent discrepancies between this account and the verdict of modern science, we may wonder that this ancient narrative follows so closely the order of development as we now read it in the [strata] of the earth's surface." If this is not a direct resignation to the modern Evolutionary theory, I do not know what it can be called. Back in the introduction to the chapter, he says, "We will have frequent occasion in these studies to note this fact. Thousands of years are covered by the first eleven chapters of Genesis.---" Genesis chapter five, declared how long it was from Adam to the flood, and Genesis chapter 11 declares how long it was from the Flood to Terah's sons' birth the second of which was Abraham. Acts chapter seven amends this statement of Genesis chapter eleven, and we can know that Abraham was much less than four hundred years after the flood. The book by the Southern Baptist Preacher was a series of studies written on the Old Testament and the purpose was a study by young people in the Old Testament. Now if the writer had written into this account that there was and is no mention of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:3, he could have gotten by with it, but a bad break of saying "Thousands of years" is indeed bad just here where the record is so accurate. Too many preachers like to salaam to this modern idea of the earth being brought into the present state by "SEVEN LONG GEOLOGIC AGES." Then as that is a little too bold, they like to say that those days are "TWENTY FOUR HOURS LONG and it TOOK SEVEN STAGES OF CREATION FOR GOD TO DO THIS." "THESE SEVEN STAGES ARE: 1. CHAOS, 2. LIGHT, 3. FIRMAMENT, 4. VEGETATION, 5. STARS. SUNS, PLANETS, 6. ANIMALS, 7. And that other animal, MAN." This is about as much foolishness as the other of seven Geologic ages. They fear their people, and to many are guilty of such.

In the doctrine of the creation, many are unwilling to give to God the glory of being able to create DIRECTLY. They want to hold with modernism and state that Modern Science is partly right in this and then they get on halfway grounds so as not to appear unscientific. They like the applaudits of the Devil and his crowd and try to make folks think they are EDUCATED. When the truth is they have a very little of either Bible Education or Modernistic Scientific education. They are made sport of by the Modernists and scientists and only the unlearned are deceived by them. Modern Evolutionists are pleased with their effusions and laugh when they tell their polyglot notions of this subject. Many years ago the Southern Baptist Convention fought over this very thing. One man tried to insert in the articles of faith, "AND NOT BY EVOLUTION," and he was fought to the bitter end by the Convention about the phrase. They feared they would be called "IGNORANT AND UNSCHOLARLY" if they put that phrase in. They knew that, that phrase would cost them accredits in the modern educational system.

There are a few uses of the word "POIEO" commonly translated make or do in the New Testament, and it is with this word now that we shall entertain our thinking. In Revelation 14:7 there is a use of it in connection with Creation. "(another Angel) Saying in a great voice, 'Fear God and give glory to him, because his judgment is come (lit. came) and worship the one MAKING the Heaven and the Earth and the sea and the springs of waters." The word here equivalent to creation, unless we see in this word the making power of the Holy Spirit in crystallizing everything out from the unseen dissolved substance which the spirit holds in solution, before, and even yet in His UNIVERSAL SOLVENT POWER. In Revelation 21:5 another use of this word in this sense is given. "And said the one sitting on the throne, Behold, I make everything new, And He said, write for these words are faithful and true." However, this word relates to the final or last creation of God in the eternal or third creation in the realm of Spirit for Eternity. The Bible has these three words relating definitely to creation as it is expressed in the New Testament. The same idea is in the New Testament with its three words. They are exactly equivalent in the Old and in the New Testaments. The word "BARA," create is exactly equal to the word "KTOZO" in the New Testament and means the same. The word "YATSAR" in the Old Testament is exactly equivalent to the word "GINETAI" in the New and means to thrust out into form in time and space. The word "GHASAH" in the Old is exactly equal the word "POIEO" in the New Testament and means to force out into existence, to produce, to bring forth, to make, do.

The word "POIEO" is used more than seven hundred and fifty times in the New Testament, but the three cases I have shown are characteristic of the creation. There is also a participial use of the word in the seventeenth chapter of Acts, verse twentyfour which is also a like use as has been given here. "The God, the one making the Universe and the things in it---." Since we have given the words of the Creation both [in] the Old Testament and in the New, we are now ready to discuss the various elements in the creation to show just how God did make them, and show at the same time that all the scientific guesses of the whole world have been merely guesses, for God has revealed it to us how all these wonders came about.