Genesis 101
Lesson Four

"Heaven and the Earth"

So far, in just the first book of the Bible, we have seen when (in the beginning), who... (God), What (Created), and now we are going to see exactly what was created. In this case it was the Heaven and the Earth.

The word "heaven", comes from the Hebrew word "shaw-meh" and literally means "lofty" and refers to everything above the ground from the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as the higher area where the celestial bodies revolve. However, since there were not clouds at this time or celestial bodies, “heaven” would refer to everything from the surface of the ground upward.

The word "earth" comes from the Hebrew word "eh'-rets" and means "firm" and refers to land, field, ground, and specifically the earth at large.  “Earth” then would refer to the physical, solid mass we call planet earth today.

From these two words we can see that "In the beginning" God created the land mass which we call "earth" and He created the "heaven" which is everything above the ground of earth, reaching out as far as the cosmos goes.

Here, God does not create the stars and moons and other celestial bodies. It is simply two things, the land mass, and everything above it in every direction called "heaven".  Notice that there is only ONE Earth, and only ONE heaven.  This is why in the KJV, Scripture reads, “in the beginning God created the heaven (singular), and the earth (singular).  In most modern versions of Scripture, they state that God created “heavens” (plural).  This is an incorrect interpretation.  It is wrong.  God only created One heaven, and one earth in the beginning.

In our last lesson we looked at the word "created" and discovered that it meant that God himself created everything. Here we see what He created, the Earth, and the great expanse above the earth. There was no "big bang", there was not billions of years, and He did not simply "form" it or "shape" it...He Created it all by Himself out of absolutely nothing.

In John Chapter one we learn a couple of other important points regarding creation.

First we learn that "ALL" things were made by God, and without Him, nothing was made.....

John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

And then, in Hebrews 11:3 we learn how God made everything.....He spoke it into being…

Hebrew 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

This same truth is also found in Psalm 33:6.....

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

But, what is the "word" of God? That answer can also be found in John chapter one.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.       
God is His Word, and His Word is God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

"The "Word" was made flesh and dwelt among us". Who was made flesh and dwelt among us? Jesus Christ was.

Who was the "only begotten of the Father"? Jesus Christ was.

Who is the "Word" of God?  Jesus Christ is.

So, Jesus Christ IS God.  Jesus Christ was in the beginning, and Jesus Christ was the one who created all things.

This is a Biblical truth that the Bible Student must come to understand from the very beginning. Jesus IS God. He is not a “part” of God.  He is not the third person in a three part God system. He IS the God of the Old Testament...and He is the God of all Creation. It was Jesus Christ who created the "heaven and the Earth".