Excerpt from the book 'The Fall of Man' by Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart
“And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” —Genesis 1:9-14
Oceans And Seas
Water had heretofore covered the face of the earth but was now gathered into oceans and seas.
The dry land, i.e., continents, now appeared. At the word of God, there evidently were mighty convulsions on the earth, which pulled the land mass up and created a lower mass for the oceans.
The phrase, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place,” evidently means that before this, water covered the entirety of the surface of the earth. God would speak, and the earth would go into convulsions, which made the mountains and the landmass. This, of necessity, made the lower mass where the great oceans and seas were contained.
While the oceans cover a great part of this world, it is evidently only just sufficient to supply the rain necessary for vegetation. Were it less, either the laws of evaporation must be altered, with painful and injurious effects, or much of the earth’s surface would be barren.
In the new earth to come, the Scripture says, “There was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1). So, at that time, the evaporation process regarding rain, etc., will have to be changed, which it, no doubt, will, along with many other things also. In fact, concerning this very thing, the Lord said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).
Continents
The phrase, “And let the dry land appear: and it was so,” refers to the continents being formed, which, as stated, necessitated great convulsions on the earth in many and varied forms.
The psalmist said concerning God: “Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. You cover it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which You have founded for them. You have set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth” (Ps. 104:5–9).
The Holy Spirit through the psalmist is referring to this particular work of day three.
Earth And Seas
“And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas: and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:10).
The phrase, “And God called the dry land Earth,” refers to the Supreme Being naming what He had created.
The phrase, “And the gathering together of the waters called He Seas,” pertains to God naming this creation, as well, and, incidentally, names that have survived from then until now.
In the Hebrew, the word earth is “shamayim” and the word seas is “yamim.”
It Is Good
“God saw that it was good,” refers to the finished product, at least at this stage, as being sealed by the divine approval.
Grass
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so” (Gen. 1:11).
Three types of vegetation are spoken into existence:
1. Grass is brought forth as a carpet.
2. “The herb” speaks of vegetables.
3. Various different kinds of fruit trees come forth.
“After his kind” indicates that the different species of plants are already fixed.
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass,” pertains to the first sprouts of the earth—tender herbs, in which the seed is so small it’s not noticed. It serves as a carpet for the earth, and at the same time, food for certain animals (Ps. 23:2).
The first creative act of God was the calling of matter into existence, which, by the operation of mechanical and chemical laws imposed upon it by the Creator, was arranged and digested into a cosmos, that is, an orderly and harmonious whole.
These laws are now and ever in perpetual activity, but no secondary or derived agency can either add one atom to the world mass or diminish aught from it.
The second creative act is the introduction of light, then vegetable, then animal; and for this, nothing less than an almighty power would suffice.
Herbs
“The herb yielding seed,” refers to vegetables eaten by man, etc. It is a higher form of plant life than grass.
Nothing here is mentioned about the different types of trees and certain other types of plant life, with the intent seemingly emphasizing that which can be used as food, whether for animals or humans.
However, one may conclude that the other types of trees, etc., were created at this time as well.
The Fruit Tree
“And the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so,” presents yet a more advanced creation, one might say.
The Pulpit Commentary says: “This division is simple and natural. It proceeds from two concurrent marks, the structure and the seed. In the first, the green blade is prominent; in the second, the stalk; in the third, the woody texture; in the first (grass) the seed is not conspicuous; in the second it is conspicuous; in the third it is enclosed in a fruit which is conspicuous.”
By the use of the phrase, “After his kind,” it pertains to both vegetables and fruit, indicating that the different species of plants were already fixed.
Thus, the modern dogma of the origin of species by development would be declared to be unbiblical as it has not yet been proven to be scientific and, in fact, will never be proven in that capacity simply because a slow development is not actually what happened.
It is God’s word that makes the earth fruitful. Propagation of fruit, as well as the first being of it, is by God’s word; He makes the seed and enables it to multiply.
Yielding Seed After His Kind
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day” (Gen. 1:12-13).
At the word of God, the earth brought forth that which God commanded.
“After his kind,” regards the different species that God ordained.
God pronounced it “good.”
The bringing forth of this plant life, which is food for animals and humans, was the work of the third day, a 24-hour period.
After His Kind
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind,” proclaims the bringing forth of this foodstuff by the word of God because the atmosphere had been created for its development, which was brought forth on days one and two.
All of this tells us that the first creation of plant life did not come from seed, but it came into being through the power of the word.
Continuing with the power of the word, the seed now has power to grow and reproduce. It is by special divine power that a kernel, put into soil, comes up in its appointed time and bears fruit according to its kind.
This shows that the creation, according to which every plant is produced after its kind in its proper order, is not a matter of chance but a preeminent work of divine providence.
It Was Good
“And God saw that it was good,” proclaims not only the fact of creation but, as well, the order of creation.
Some have asked the question of why God would have developed plant life before He brought into being the stars of the heavens, etc.
As we shall see, the heavens, including the stars, along with the sun and the moon, had already been created. This was done in the beginning. On the fourth day, God would regulate them.
God’s attention to the earth was because the earth was now being recreated for man. He would actually prepare all things for man, even before man was created.
Incidentally, the third day presents the first creation of life, i.e., the plants, etc.
Lights
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Gen. 1:14).
As we have stated, God was not creating here the sun, moon, and stars, with that having already been done in the beginning.
He was here regulating them as to their functions.
They would be for signs, seasons, days, and years.
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night,” pertains to the expanse of the heavens of outer space. In fact, these lights, i.e., sun, moon, and stars, had already been created. This was done in the beginning, whenever that was in the dateless past. The giving forth of these lights doesn’t change. It’s the rotation of the earth that divides the day from the night, but that rotation has to do with the gravitational pull of the planetary bodies.
Some have asked, What is the difference between the “light” of verse 3 and of verse 14?” I don’t think there is any difference. I think they are one and the same.
The planetary bodies, and especially the sun, are brought back to a serviceable state in verse 3 and are regulated in verse 14.
Seasons
The phrase, “And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years,” refers, in essence, to time. By the moon’s four quarters, which last each a little more than seven days, the weeks and the months are measured for us. The sun, by its apparent path in the sky, measures our seasons and our years, while by its daily journey through the heavens, it measures the days and the hours. This it does so correctly, never varying, that the astronauts can depend on it as they make their reentry to Earth from space. Otherwise, they would invite certain death.
It has been well said that the progress of a people in civilization may be estimated by their regard for time—their care in measuring and valuing it. Our time is a loan. It is God’s gift to us. We must use it as faithful stewards, and to be sure, we shall have to give an account of its use. O Lord, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).
David said, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice” (Ps. 55:17).
Concerning this great work of creation, David also said, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man, that You are mindful of him? and the son of man, that You visit him?” (Ps. 8:3-4).
This article is an excerpt from the book 'The Fall Of Man' by Jimmy Swaggart.
|
