What Happened on the Cross. Nick Peros

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СКАЧАТЬ Genesis 9:11: “. . . Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (NIV). In Genesis 9:11, God specifically tells us the flood destroyed the earth, but obviously Planet Earth is still here. Is this not a contradiction or an error? No, since the term “the earth” refers only to the surface of the planet, not to the planet itself. The flood completely destroyed the surface of the planet, but the planet itself, the foundations of the earth, remains eternal, as is clearly affirmed in Micah 6:2 when he writes of the “everlasting foundations of the earth.” There is no contradiction between Genesis 9:11 and Micah 6:2—Planet Earth itself is eternal, but the surface of the planet can be, has been, and will be destroyed, and when we are told in Genesis 9:11 that the flood destroyed the earth, that is an accurate description, for the flood did destroy the surface of the earth.

      God Created the Earth

      When Genesis 1:1 tells us God created “the earth,” it is referring specifically to the creation of the surface of the earth, but in this case, since it is also at the time of “the beginning,” it is implicit that the foundation of the earth­—that is, the planet itself—is also created at that same time. This is further confirmed in Psalm 102:25, which tells us the foundations of the earth were laid, or created, “in the beginning”: “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth” (NIV). This “in the beginning” referred to in Psalm 102:25 is the same “in the beginning” as Genesis 1:1. As a result, when Genesis 1:1 tells us God created the earth in the beginning, it includes the creation of the foundations of the earth, the planet itself, upon which the surface of the earth was created. In Genesis 1:1, God created Planet Earth.

      The World

      The term “the world” refers to all that exists and takes place upon the surface of the earth. This refers to all life, people, and civilization. When we are told in John 3:16 that God “so loved the world,” the term “the world” is referring to the people who inhabit the surface of the earth.

      Angels

      It is in this context that we approach Job 38:4–7, where we encounter the term the “sons of God.” In the Old Testament, the term “sons of God” is always and only used in reference to angelic or heavenly beings, as is made clear in Job 1:6: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them” (NKJV).

      There is no question the “sons of God” of Job 1:6 are angelic beings. These are the same angelic beings referred to in Job 38:4–7, which specifically tells us the sons of God watched God as he laid the foundation of the earth, that is, the angels watched God as he created Planet Earth itself.

      This creation of Planet Earth occurred in Genesis 1:1, occurring after the creation of the third heaven (heaven) and the second heaven (outer space). Since the angels watched God as he created the earth in Genesis 1:1, we know the angels were created in Genesis 1:1 before God created the earth.

      Heaven, the Home of Angels

      We also know the angels were created after God created (the third) heaven, since the Bible tells us specifically that Heaven is the home of angels. Since Heaven is the home of angels, Heaven was certainly created before the angels were created.

      For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. (Matt 18:10 NIV)

      But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matt 24:36 NIV)

      We know from Matthew 18:10 and 24:36 that angels live in Heaven, which is to say Heaven is the home of angels. As a result, we know when God created the angels, he created them in Heaven, their home. When Job 38:4–7 tells us the angels, the sons of God, watched God as he created the earth, we know the angels were in Heaven with God as they watched God create the earth. This of course means after God created Heaven, but before God created the earth, God created the angels.

      In the sequence of creation, we therefore know that after God created time and space first, he then created Heaven, where he established his throne, and next he created the angels, the sons of God, who watched God as he created the earth, singing and shouting for joy as they witnessed that event. The creation of time and space, of Heaven and of angels, is all included in Genesis 1:1.

      Creation of the Earth

      After God created time and space, Heaven, and the sons of God (angels), he created the earth, creating first the foundations of the earth, which is the planet itself, and then the surface of the earth upon it.

      The Earth was created full and complete in Genesis 1:1, in the beginning, and we are told the creation of the earth was witnessed by all the angels. Genesis 1:1 specifically gives the order of creation as “the heavens” first, and then “the earth”. This same account of the order of creation, the order of “heavens” first and then “the earth,” continues throughout the Bible:

      That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. (Isa 51:13 NASB)

      Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. (Gen 2:1 NIV)

      For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth. (Exod 20:11 NIV)

      In these verses, and throughout the Bible, the order of creation is always given as “heavens” first and then “the earth,” which is exactly consistent with the order of creation as given in Genesis 1:1.

      The Physicality of Angels

      God’s entire creation is a physical creation, which means everything God created was made within and upon the fabric of time and space, and as a result is subject to time and space. This includes both Heaven, where God established his throne, and the angels. Heaven and angels, as created things, are subject to time and space, and are therefore physical.

      Often we use words like “spiritual” or “spiritual realm” or “spiritual beings” when talking about angels. Such terms carry with them an implication that angels are somehow not subject to the physical creation, as are we, and are not subject to time and space; this is false. Angels, as created beings, were created within the fabric of time and space and, like us, or the earth, the moon, or Mars, are fully subject to time and space.

      What does it mean for an angel to be subject to time and space? Put very simply it means this: if an angel wanted to get from point A to point B, then that angel must physically move through both space and time to get from point A to point B, just as would we.

      For example, if an angel was in London and wanted to get to New York City, he would have to travel from London to New York by physically moving across the earth, moving through physical space, in order to get to New York. Furthermore, this travelling through space, across the earth, to go from London to New York, would also involve time—as the angel moves from London to New York, there will be the passage of time. All of which is to say that, as creatures of time and space, angels are subject to the restrictions of time and space. Just like you and I, an angel can only ever be in any one place at any one time, and to get from one place to another place, an angel must physically move through space and time to get there. The Bible gives us a specific account of exactly such a situation in Daniel 10:12–14:

      Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what СКАЧАТЬ