The Remodeling
11. The Remodeling
We have previously discussed the difference between "created" ( Hebrew "bara") and "made" (Hebrew "asah"). To briefly refresh your memory; "created" means that God created something that at no time in the past had ever existed. "Made," on the other hand means "to form, assemble, and arrange from its previous state of usefulness to that form of beautification, so as to be used by God for His purpose."
It is interesting to notice that from Genesis 1:1 where God created the heavens and the earth; the word "created" (Hebrew "bara") does not appear again until the Fifth Day in Genesis 1:20. Everything from Genesis 1:2 to Genesis 1:19 has to do with remodeling the earth in four days. These elements had previously been associated with the Original Creation, where Lucifer and the angels resided. Lucifer's sin brought about God's judgment on the earth, rendering it "without form and void." The angels are now disembodied spirit beings, leaving the earth uninhabitable and in a chaotic ruin. Now let us see what elements, which were previously created and were with the Original Creation, that God is now going to reactivate and position in His remodeling process.
Water. - Nowhere does it say from Genesis 1:2-19 that water was created to be used as part of the renovation of the earth. Why would that be? Very simply, because water had already been created and in existence at the Original Creation. Notice in Genesis 1:2, it was water that God used to cover the earth as part of His judgment on the Original Creation (Genesis 1:2). God had all the water He had previously created, He didn't need any more. If you will notice, on the Second Day of His renovation, that there was so much water that He had to divide it, as recorded in Verses 6,7.
"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the WATERS, and let it divide the WATERS from the WATERS." (6) "And God made (not created) the firmament, and divided the WATERS which were under the firmament: and it was so." (7) The fact is, water had already been created, possibly millions of years ago, when God originally created the earth. The proof is, that the earth in its ruined condition was covered with water as found in Verse 2, before He ever started to renovate the earth in the first four days. Therefore, in Genesis 1:6-7, God very simply and precisely stated, He is separating the waters, repositioning them, leaving some on the earth, putting some in the clouds, etc. This is God's renovation in action on the Second Day. The same water He used in judgment of the Original Creation, He is now repositioning to support the human life, aquatic creatures, and animal life that will appear in the Fifth and Sixth Days.
Light. The existence of light has caused a big problem to the skeptic and infidel. Their basic reasoning is, on the First Day God said, "Let there be light: and there was light;" but, light was not created until the fourth day when God created the sun, moon, and stars. These atheists pride themselves in their so-called wisdom; thus advancing their claim that the Bible is just a "story book" made up by man, who contradicted himself concerning light that existed on the First Day, before it was created on the Fourth Day. In other words, How can there be light before God created light? The first thing I would like to point out is that God never said he CREATED light on the First Day, or the Fourth Day. Nowhere can you find the word "created" concerning this in the English Text, nor can you find it in the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The Hebrew for "created" is "bara" and is not found used in reference to the First or Fourth Day of remodeling the earth. Maybe these intellectuals should brush up on their reading of English and Hebrew, before they share all their wisdom with us! Enough of that!