Amazing insights can be found in the study of God’s six days of creation.
We are told in Scripture that God made His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature evident to man, being understood through His creation (Romans 1:18-21); inversely, God made His creation evident to man, being understood through God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divine nature.
What we want you to consider is completely different from the teachings of modern science concerning the creation of our heavens and the earth. Science simply “refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. This system uses observation and experimentation [and speculative theories] to describe and explain natural phenomena [from the things we observe]” (sciencemadesimple.com). [Brackets contain the author’s emphasis].
Thus, the inherent weakness of science in its attempt to explain the creation of our Universe is twofold. First of all, man was not there and has no direct observation of creation. This has resulted in much conjecture as to how creation took place (theories upon theories) in addition to an enormous wasting of time and human resources. Secondly, science has rejected the supernatural! Yet insight into the supernatural is the very observation that science would need to even begin to understand God’s creation.
The supernatural can only be observed through Scripture! Therefore, if we truly want to understand our physical reality we must include the teachings of our supernatural God!
This rejection of the supernatural by science in its pursuit of truth is a blatant rejection of both God and God’s Word and is directly responsible for the world’s present-day dangerous decision to elevate man’s knowledge above God’s knowledge. Listen to God’s response to the wise and intelligent of this age, and to all of mankind: “Every man is stupid, devoid of [true] knowledge… Thus you shall say to them, `The gods [idols of men, created through the fantasies of their minds] that did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens [as a result of their attempt to replace God as the creator of the heavens and the earth]’” (Jeremiah 10:14, 11 NAS). [Brackets within Scripture contain the author’s emphasis.]
The focus of this article is to show the processes God used in creating the heavens and the earth according to Scripture.
“I, wisdom [Christ Jesus, the wisdom and power of God – 1 Corinthians 1:24], dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth [which twists the meaning of God’s Word], I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine. I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me. Riches [knowledge, understanding, discernment] and honor are with me, enduring wealth [wisdom and knowledge of God] and righteousness. My fruit [of righteousness] is better than gold, even pure gold, and my yield [of understanding] than choicest silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice [equal treatment of all according to the Law], to endow those who love me with wealth [wisdom and knowledge of God], that I may fill their treasuries [with understanding].
The Lord [Father God] possessed me [Jesus] at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning [Christ Jesus was in the beginning with God – John 1:2], from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I [wisdom] was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills I was brought forth; while He had not yet made the earth and the fields, nor the first dust of the world. When He established the heavens, I was there, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep [creating the earth as a sphere], when He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, when He set for the sea its boundary, So that the water should not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth [which was done before God created any additional celestial bodies and stars in the heavens];
30 Then I [wisdom] was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of men.
Now therefore, O sons, listen to me [gain understanding], for blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it” (Proverbs 8:12-14, 17-33.)
The First Day of God’s Creation
Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Verse one contains a twofold message.
First, we are being given the subject matter of Chapter One of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
However, at this point, God had not yet made heaven nor formed the earth. God made the heavens on day two of creation; God formed the earth on day three of creation.
More importantly, we are being told that the first thing God created was virtually all of the physical matter that would make up the heavens and the earth (including all of the elements heavier than iron).
Where was all of this matter stored by God until it was used?
Scripture answers this question for us; it was all stored in the waters!
When God created the expanse (heaven) on day two, He separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse (Genesis 1:6-7). Genesis 1:9-10 tells us that the waters which were below the expanse contained all of the materials that make up our earth; “Then God said, `Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good.”
This knowledge makes it obvious that the remaining waters, the waters which were above the expanse, would then contain all of the materials (matter) in the heavens. Thus, the waters actually contained all of the building materials of the heavens and the earth that make up our Universe today.
But before these materials contained in the waters could be used there had to be a space in which to put the earth and all else God was about to form. So, on the second day God created this expanse (heaven).
When the third day of creation began there was now a place for God to put the earth. Now that things were ready, God shaped the earth into a sphere from the waters which were below the expanse; God called the dry land to come forth from the waters, and it was so.
“… you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers [of God] will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts [this includes lofty thoughts that reject God as the creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in it],
5 For when they [mockers of God] maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water [Noah’s flood waters which destroyed the earth were the same waters out of which the earth was formed].
7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2Peter 3:2-3, 5-7).
When God created all of the materials that make up the heavens and the earth and everything in it, all was done instantly and at a cool temperature range.
If scientists today would accept God’s version as to how He created our Universe they would quickly gain many insights that would be beneficial to all mankind.
Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
The earth was formless and void because its unformed substance still existed within the waters; the earth had not yet been formed from the waters.
Darkness was over the surface of the deep.
The darkness spoken of in verse two had just been created by God, and this darkness had a substance of sorts for God says, “The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity, I am the Lord who does all these” (Isaiah 45:7).
In describing darkness, Psalms 139:12 tells us that “Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.” It is as if darkness has a spectrum of its own, just as does light; it is as if light and darkness have a common composition; it is as if the darkness were a form of electromagnetic energy, as is the light, since darkness and light are alike.
It is interesting to note that a source of energy, called Dark energy, was discovered in 1998. “Dark energy is the mysterious energy that appears to permeate the universe and is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. We have observed this acceleration, but there is no scientific consensus as to what is causing it” (Physics: What is the difference between dark matter and dark energy?).
Scripture explains the source of this mysterious dark energy: “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself [God’s stretching out the heavens is creating the effect called dark energy by men and women of science; God’s stretching out the heavens is adding energy to our universe], And spreading out the earth all alone,
25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back, And turning their knowledge into foolishness [this happens because of man’s rejection of God’s explanation of His creation, causing their discernment to be flawed],
26 Confirming the word of His servant [spoken by the prophets], And performing the purpose of His messengers [everything shall be done according to God’s Word] …” (Isaiah 44:22-24).
Scripture, speaking of God, says that “thick darkness was under His feet. He made darkness His secret hiding place; as His pavilion [His canopy] round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies” (Psalms 18:9, 11 Amplified Bible).
The darkness was very good!
“God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31.)
The darkness was created by God during the first day of creation.
The Spirit of God was over the surface of the waters.
The waters that were there, had both surface and depth.
The water spoken of here is the same water we have on earth today, for “the earth was formed out of the water and by water through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water” (2 Peter 3:5-6.)
Thus, the waters from which the earth was formed have exactly the same composition as the water by which the earth was destroyed in Noah’s day.
These waters existed separate from the darkness.
The waters were created by God during the first day of creation.
Hundreds of years ago a different explanation of Genesis 1:1-2 began to be taught, commonly called the Gap Theory.
“The gap theory has become the standard interpretation throughout hyper-orthodoxy, appearing in an endless stream of books, booklets, Bible studies, and periodical articles. In fact, it has become so sacrosanct with some that to question it is equivalent to tampering with Sacred Scripture or to manifest modernistic leanings” (Gap creationism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
The Gap Theory is explained by Henry M. Morris:
“Many people assume there is a great gap in time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Most of these do this to accommodate the geological age system of billions of years of supposed earth history in the Genesis record of creation. The idea is something like this: billions of years ago God created the spacemass-time universe. Then the geological ages took place over billions of years of earth history. The different forms of life developed that are now preserved in the fossil record. These life-forms represent those ages – the invertebrates of the Cambrian period, the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period… finally the mammals, birds and `ape-men’ of the Tertiary Period – just before the recent epoch.
Then the idea is that, at the end of these geological ages, a great cataclysm took place on earth, with Satan having rebelled in heaven and many of the angels following him in that rebellion. God, therefore, cast him to the earth, and the earth underwent a great cataclysm, leaving it finally without form and void, and with darkness on the face of the deep, as described in Genesis 1:2.
Subsequently, according to this idea-usually known as the `gap’ theory-God then re-created or reconstituted the earth in the six literal days of creation recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. The argument for this theory makes verse two read, `The earth became without form and void’ (some would render it `The earth became waste and
desolate’), as though it had previously been a beautiful world. But now, because of the cataclysm, it was a devastating remnant of a world, so that there was a change of condition. It became without form and void” (Henry M. Morris on December 1, 1987).
The Gap Theory is simply untrue because until Genesis 1:6-8, God’s second day of creation, God had not created a physical realm in which the earth could even exist. It was not until God first created an expanse (heaven) that the existence of the physical reality of our Universe became possible!
Furthermore, if the Gap Theory was correct, then God, after viewing all that He had made, the heavens and the earth and all their hosts (which includes the angelic host) would never have been able to make the following statement, “And God saw all that He had made [including all the angels], and behold, it was very good,” because Satan and his angels, according to the Gap Theory, had proven themselves through their rebellion to be “very bad”. This clearly tells us that Satan and his angels did not rebel at any time during God’s six days of creation and reveals the fatal error of the Gap Theory!
Also, there are two more proofs exposing error in the Gap theory that should be mentioned.
If the Gap theory were correct then sin and death would have appeared before the days of Adam, but Romans 5:12 tells us that death and sin began with Adam: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin.”
Also, only two heavens and two earths are mentioned in Scripture. The first earth was created in Genesis 1:9-11; the second earth is not found until after the first heaven and the first earth have passed away. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea” (Revelation 21:1.)
The Gap Theory and all its suppositions are in error.
Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.”
God created light.
What is light?
Light is defined as electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, whether visible or not.
“In physics, a photon [light] is an elementary particle, the quantum of light and all other forms of electromagnetic radiation, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force” (Wikipedia.)
“Light, also called photons, carries the electromagnetic force and is responsible for atomic structure, chemical reactions, the attractive and repulsive forces associated with electrical charge and magnetism, and all other electromagnetic phenomena” (The Free Dictionary.)
Therefore, this being true, it was only when God created the light that He made possible the existence of the physical reality we now call our Universe, for before light was created there was no possibility for our heavens and earth to exist according to what we call existence.
When God created light He simultaneously created magnetism.
How do we know that God created magnetism, rather than believing that magnetic forces predated even creation? God’s Word said that He created magnetism: “The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine; The world and all it contains, Thou hast founded them. The north and the south [magnetic fields], Thou hast created them [when God created Light]…” (Psalms 89:11-12.)
Scripture again speaks of magnetism and reveals the supernatural origin of God’s Word: “He stretches out the north over empty space, And hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7). At the time this verse was written, how would it have been possible to know that the earth’s magnetic lines of force actually stretched out from earth over empty space, or that the earth was hung upon nothing?
Genesis 1:4 “And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”
God likens light to darkness (Psalms 139:12), and when light was created it was created within the darkness. Afterward, God separated the light from the darkness so that they do not mix. God considered both the darkness and the light very good (Genesis 1:31).
As we read the account of creation we find no Big Bang, but only a series of well thought out steps taken by God to create all of the basic building blocks of our physical Universe. There was no fiery explosion. No, God’s creation was just the opposite. God’s creation was gentle, cool, instantaneous and ready for habitation by mankind!
Additionally, we can deduce that when God created the light (electromagnetic energy) He would have also created all of the ordinances of the heavens as well (Job 38:33), for these would be the final building blocks required in the formation of our physical Universe, which was to begin on day two.
Genesis 1:5 “And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”
Day one of creation was both remarkable and sensible. The very first thing God did was to create virtually all of the building materials to be required in His creation of the heavens and the earth. He began by simultaneously creating the waters, the darkness and all of the matter found in our Universe.
God created the darkness which is like light to God. Light is a form of electromagnetic energy.
God created the waters which held all the unformed matter comprising the heavens and the earth.
God created the light which is actually a form of electromagnetic energy (magnetism.)
We deduce that God created the ordinances of the heavens at the same time He created the light; for the ordinances of the heavens are the laws that give order to our physical Universe.
The orderliness and peacefulness of God’s Day One of creation is impressive; the events of Day One contain much to consider in understanding God’s creation.
The Second Day of God’s Creation Begins
Genesis 1:6-7 “Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
7 “And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
Why did God separate the waters which were below the expanse (heaven) from the waters which were above the expanse?
The waters below the expanse contained all of the matter that makes up the earth.
The waters above the expanse contained all of the matter that makes up the heavens.
Genesis 1:8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.”
Until there was the second day of God’s creation there existed no expanse (heaven) in which to put the earth.
When God created heaven He began to stretch it, and the Scriptures below tell us that He is still stretching the heavens to this very day.
It wasn’t until 1927 that the idea of an expanding Universe was proposed by Georges Lemaitre. Until that time it was Einstein’s finite-size static universe model that ruled man’s thinking. We want you to consider the many implications of what God’s Word is saying when it tells us that our universe is still expanding to this day. Additionally, it is another proof that God wrote the Scriptures, and has given detailed knowledge of His creation to anyone who will seriously study His Scripture and apply what is discerned.
“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, `I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out the earth all alone’” (Isaiah 44:24.)
“It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, when He overturns them in His anger;
6 Who shakes the earth out of its place and its pillars tremble, [An example of this happened recently as a result of the Japan earthquake, which shifted the earth’s axis some 6.5 inches. We should be listening to God’s warning!];
7 Who commands the sun not to shine, and sets a seal upon the stars;
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens, and tramples down the waves of the sea; …” (Job 9:5-8).
“The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1).
“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain [the shape of our universe is basically flat].
3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind;
4 He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.
5 He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever.” (Psalms 104:1-5).
Psalms 104:2 indicates that the shape of our universe is basically flat. “Some of the biggest questions in the universe depend on its shape”…” (What is the Shape of the Universe?-astronomycast.com). God offers men this knowledge to enable them to answer their questions about our Universe: “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it should come to light. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:22-23).
“It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22.)
“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained all their host” (Isaiah 45:12.)
“That you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; …” (Isaiah 51:13.)
“It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain [God is telling us that the lightning is a trigger to release the clouds of their rain], and brings out the wind from His storehouses [It is God who controls the weather].
14 Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge” (Jeremiah 10:12.)
“It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens” (Jeremiah 51:15).
The Third Day of God’s Creation Begins
Genesis 1:9-11 “Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [the earth is being formed into a sphere], and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.”
10 “And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth”; and it was so.”
We see the earth being created by God before He created any of the stars, which is exactly the opposite of the teachings of modern-day science and to what seems sensible to a man. There is much to learn from this fact!
When we read “let the dry land appear” it became obvious that the dry land that appeared had been in the waters from the beginning (also see 2Peter 3:5). So, from the waters came all of the constituent parts of the earth: all the minerals, all the elements, everything we find upon the earth today.
This answers the question of when and how the elements heavier than iron were created, for the fusion process that powers the stars will not produce elements heavier than iron. They were contained in the waters, over whose surface God was moving in Genesis 1:2.
Earth’s creation was cool and gentle, not the chaotic event taught in Earth Science classes. Mistaken views of earth’s history have twisted every conclusion of every observation.
We see in verse nine that as the waters were gathered into one place and the dry land appeared the earth was being created into a sphere, taking form, unlike the formless and void earth of Genesis 1:2.
God’s creation of the earth was a cool creation. The earth did not begin as a molten mass as Earth Science teaches. The dry land and the waters were formed instantly!
Until Genesis 1:9 the earth had not been formed!
On the day earth was created it was able to bring forth vegetation, which tells us that from the moment of its creation the earth was geologically stable, had a life-sustaining atmosphere and temperature, and was ready to be inhabited by mankind.
“For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place [which is the exact opposite of Earth Science teachings], But formed it to be inhabited) [this too is the exact opposite of Earth Science teachings], `I am the Lord, and there is none else [this too is the exact opposite of what is taught by most of the world’s religions]’” (Isaiah 45:18.)
Genesis 1:12 And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
All of this happened on the third day of creation. Since the basic premises about the earth’s age and creation are in error, what does this say about man’s knowledge that has been built on this false foundation? Obviously it has created impediments to man’s quest for true knowledge, understanding and technological progress.
Genesis 1:13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
The Fourth Day of God’s Creation Begins
Genesis 1:14-17 Then God said, `Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so.
16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
17 And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
When God created the sun and the moon, it was after the earth had already been created.
The stars and all of the other celestial bodies were made from the matter (all the building blocks of our universe) contained in the waters that remained; these were the waters above the expanse.
Everything was created instantly. And the light from the sun and the stars all began to instantly give light upon the earth.
Therefore, the light we receive from the stars does not give us a window into the past as science assumes.
There was no big bang!
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).
This is important! Before Genesis 1:14-17 there were no stars in the heavens to give light on the earth, nor did the sun and the moon exist. The Scriptures tell us that the moment God placed the stars and the sun in the heavens to give light on the earth, their light instantly lit the earth. This would mean that the light that we perceive from the most distant of stars was visible instantly upon the earth at the moment the stars were created-“and it was so”.
It has been reported that the most distant object seen in our universe is about 13 billion light-years from Earth, which means, according to man’s conventional wisdom, that we are looking 13 billion years into the past. However, this is just the opposite of what God said in Genesis 1:15 – “and it was so”.
Scriptures states that all the stars in the heavens were created at the very same time, some 6,000 years ago, during God’s six days of the creation of the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:18-19 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
The Fifth Day of God’s Creation Begins
Genesis 1:20-23 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”
21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
The Sixth Day of God’s Creation Begins
Genesis 1:24-31 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.
25 And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 And God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food “; and it was so.
31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.”
“Now therefore, O sons, listen to me [gain understanding], for blessed are they who keep my ways. Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it” (Proverbs 8:32-33).
Conclusion
When God decided to create our physical realm, He began by making everything He would need to build the heavens and the earth and everything in it, storing everything in the waters. Once this was done He formed the physical realm in which we live. And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good!
What God saw and considered to be “very good” continued to be “very good” until sin entered the world through Adam, and then death through sin (Romans 5:12). Sin has also doomed our heavens and earth as well. For when Christ Jesus sits on His throne to judge the dead, it is written that our present heaven and earth will be destroyed along with anyone whose name is not found written in the Lamb’s book of life.
But we who are “diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” have His promise of “a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:14, 13.)
2Peter 3:7-18 “But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Just as there were six days of creation for God to make the heavens and the earth, verse eight is speaking prophetically of a second creation taking place right before our eyes in which “one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day”. For six thousand years God has been preparing a people for His own possession, a new creation (Galatians 6:15-16; John 3:1-21); a people who belong to Christ Jesus, whom Scripture defines as being Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:26-29).
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise [to make us heirs of a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells], as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance [God’s patience endures some 6,000 years (the age of grace), until all of Abraham’s offspring are sanctified, just as was Abraham].
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless [during your stay upon the earth – 1Peter 1:14-17],
15 and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation [ for every saint sanctified during God’s 6,000 years of grace; a span of time which is rapidly coming to a close]; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness,
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen”;
just as Scripture says also in another passage,
Revelation 20:11-15; 21:1 “And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.”
God made the present heavens and earth for the sole purpose of preparing a holy people for His own possession. However, after the present heavens and earth are destroyed, then according to God’s promise, He will bring forth the new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness is to dwell (2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Those who have prepared themselves during their stay upon our present earth will inherit this new earth!
This has been God’s purpose from the beginning of His creation: Just as the Spirit of God did in the beginning, He is still moving over the waters. These waters are the Living Word of God. “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14.) Within this water is all necessary wisdom and power needed to create a righteous people for His own possession; a people conformed to the image of His Son; a people to inhabit a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells.