Genesis 1:31
“And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Genesis 2:1 to 3
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them, And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made: and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”

“And He RESTED on the SEVENTH day.” “And God blessed the SEVENTH day and sanctified it.”

God rested. The Hebrew word translated “rested” is “shabath.” From this word comes the other Hebrew word “shabbath” translated “sabbath.” There are several Hebrew words translated “rest”; but the word in Genesis 2:2 is “shabbath”. God “sabbathed” on the seventh day. God blessed and sanctified the seventh day. In the Bible the words “seven” and “seventh” occur 549 times.

When God had finished His six days of work He saw everything He had created was very good. He finished His creative work. It was perfect. So He rested in a finished, perfect work.

But God’s rest was soon broken. Something happened to His perfect work. We read in Romans 5:12 that sin entered into the world. Sin and rest do not go together.

We might speak of man as the climax of God’s perfect creation.

THE FIRST DAY—Light—Day and Night. (Genesis 1:4 and 5)

THE SECOND DAY—The Firmament—Dividing the Waters—Heaven. (Genesis 1:7 and 8)

THE THIRD DAY—The Land—Earth—Grass—Herbs—Plants—and Trees. (Genesis 1:9 to 13)

THE FOURTH DAY—Lights in the Firmament for signs—Seasons—Days—Years— Two Great Lights and The Stars. (Genesis 1:14 to 18)

THE FIFTH DAY—The Fish and Creatures of the Sea and the Winged Fowls of the Air. (Genesis 1:20 to 23)

THE SIXTH DAY—The Cattle—Creeping things Beasts of the Earth—Adam. (Genesis 1:24 and 25 and 27)

THE SEVENTH DAY—God Rested on the Seventh Day. (Genesis 2:3)

In Genesis 1:12 and 21 and 24 and 25, we learn that in the vegetable kingdom and in the animal kingdom God’s law is “after its kind.” Plants cannot be changed to fish, fowl or beast. Fish, fowl and beast each propagate and reproduce “after its kind.”

Man was originally created in the image and likeness of the eternal, living, personal Creator. Man did not evolve from some lower order of life. Every theory of evolution has been disproved. At the present time there is not one scientific proof of any evolutionary hypothesis that is being taught in our schools. Improvement of the species is not an evolutionary change of species.

Methods of planting corn may change, but the seed corn is the only seed that will bring forth corn.

Carefully note God’s warnings:

I Timothy 6:20
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”

Colossians 2:8
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

THE SECOND MAN BEFORE THE FIRST MAN

In our first two lessons we learned from the Bible that Adam was the first man and that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Second Man, the last Adam, the Lord from heaven. And we learned that all things were made by the One called “the Second Man from heaven.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ created the first man Adam. At the time of Adam’s creation Christ was in the form of God.

“CHRIST JESUS WHO BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD.”
Philippians 2:6

The first two men born into the world were Cain and Abel. About them we shall study in another lesson. Of course, Cain was the first man born of woman. Adam was not born of woman. He had no mother. Adam was created by “Elohim” (God). Eve was created by God; but she came out of Adam. More than 4000 years after Adam and Eve were created and placed in the Garden of Eden, the Holy Spirit wrote these words

THE WOMAN FROM THE MAN

I Corinthians 11:8 and 9
“For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman: but the woman for the man.”

I Timothy 2:12 to 14
“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

Ephesians 5:23
“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church: and He is the Saviour of the body.”

ADAM AND EVE CREATED

We turn to the very first two chapters of the Bible for the Divine record of the Creation of Adam and Eve.

Genesis 1:26 to 31
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him: male and female created He them. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Genesis 2:7 and 8
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed.”

Genesis 2:18 to 25
“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast Of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Thus we learn that the first man was created in the image and likeness of God. Adam was created on the sixth creation day. Then note what followed:

Genesis 2:2 and 3
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which He had made: and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”

HOW SIN ENTERED THE WORLD

THE CURSE PRONOUNCED—THE CURE PROMISED

The Third Chapter of Genesis

1. “Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field:

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

We have here recorded the beginning of sin and death on earth. In our, next lesson we shall study the beginning of sin in heaven.

Romans 5:12 to 14
“Whereby as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of Him That was to come.”

Romans 3:22 and 23
“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:18 to 21
“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One many shall be made righteousness. Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I Corinthians 15:21 to 23
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive . . . They that are Christ’s at His coming.”

Eve preferred Satan’s lie to God’s truth. Millions are today rejecting God’s truth and believing Satan’s lie. God has warned men in this matter:

II Thessalonians 2:8 to 11
“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”

It is strange how men believe that they can get into God’s heaven with many sins when God banished Adam and Eve from an earthly paradise because of one act of disobedience. Let us read:

Romans 8:19 to 24
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for ?”

Here we learn that “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” And we read in I John 5:19, “the whole world lieth in the evil one.” The translation is “lieth in the lap of the devil.”

But note the good news of :

Romans 16:20
“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

When God pronounced His judgment upon Adam and Eve, He promised (in Genesis 3:14 and 15) the Redeemer, the Seed of the woman. Then God sacrificed His creatures and provided a covering for the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve had tried to cover their nakedness with aprons made of fig leaves.

It is interesting to study the symbolic garments of the Bible. Isaiah 64:6. Isaiah 61:10. Exodus 28:2. Genesis 37:3. Luke 15:22. Luke 23:11. Matthew 22:12. Revelation 19:8 and 13.

Now note:

I John 2:16 and 17
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

We learn in Genesis 3:6, that Satan made the three-fold appeal to Eve: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life.

The first question of the Bible was asked by Satan and the second one by God. Satan asked, “hath God said?” Genesis 3:1. God asked, “Adam, where art thou?” Genesis 3:9. Satan is still causing men to question, doubt and reject the sayings of God, in the Bible. God is still saying to the children of Adam, “Where art thou?”

The first question of Matthew is, “Where is He That is born King of the Jews?” Where is Jesus Christ?

This question was asked of a little Christian girl by an infidel man, “Where is this Christ you love?”

1. He is in the Bible.

2. He is at God’s right hand in heaven.

3. He is in my heart, the Hope of Glory. Colossians 1:27.

BY ADAM—BY CHRIST

There are about one billion, seven hundred and fifty million (1,750,000,000) people in the world. It is estimated that more than 20 billion people have been born of woman since Adam was created. Adam was not born, but concerning all others, with the exception of Enoch and Elijah, the story of every human being, up to the present time, (excluding the living 1,750,000,000) can be briefly told “he was born”, “he lived”, “he died”, “he was buried”.

This is not all of the story, for God has an answer to the question of:

Job 14:10
“But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?”

Together with this question, let us study:

Romans 14:12
“So then every one of us shall give an amount of himself to God.”

And:

John 5:28 and 29
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

RUIN BY ADAM—REDEMPTION BY CHRIST

The twenty billion people who have been born into this world have all been descendants of Adam.

The twenty billion have followed the first man Adam into sin.

Galatians 3:22
“But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin.”

Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Note these words of the Second Man, the Lord Jesus Christ:

John 8:24
“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins.”

And then carefully note:

II Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

In Adam all die. In Adam all men are dead in trespasses and sins. From ruin to redemption means out of Adam and in Christ.

By one man judgment and condemnation came upon all men. By one man, (Adam) came sin and death. This universal law of sin and death still prevails. The hope of Adam’s children is to become God’s children by a new creation in Christ Jesus.

IN ADAM—IN THE FLESH

John 3:6
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Romans 8:8
“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Romans 7:18
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing. for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Galatians 5:19 to 21
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Mark 7:20 to 23
“And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, All these evil things come from within and defile the man.”

REDEMPTION IN CHRIST

Romans 5:20 and 21
“Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Sinners now live under God’s reign of grace.

Hebrews 2:9
“But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

I Peter 2:24
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed.”

II Timothy 1:9 and 10
“Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Titus 2:11 to 14
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world: Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

We learn then that Jesus Christ became flesh to taste death and put away sin, to abolish death. Now note:

Hebrews 2:14
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

About 4000 years after Christ (Elohim) created Adam, the first man; Christ the Second Man, was born of Mary, the Seed of the woman. Eve descended from the first man, Adam.

I Corinthians 15:21 to 23
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Note the first statement in Romans 5:20: “The law entered that the offence might abound.” When did the law enter? About 1497 B. C., or about 2500 years after Adam brought sin and death into the world.

John 1:17
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

“Death reigned from Adam to Moses.” Romans 5:14. From Adam to Moses means, from the day Adam left Eden until the day that Moses, at the age of eighty years, was on Mount Sinai, receiving the ten commandments and God’s law to govern Israel.

Note Romans 3:19 and 20 and then the good news of Acts 13:38 and 39:

Romans 3:19 and 20
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Acts 13:38 and 39
“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

By Adam the entrance of sin.

By Moses the knowledge of sin.

By Jesus Christ the forgiveness of sin.

QUESTIONS—LESSON THREE

1. Who was the first man born of woman?

2. On what day was Adam created?

3. Which were created first, plants or animals?

4. What are the first recorded words of God in His creative work?

5. How was Adam’s body formed and from what was Eve formed?

6. What did Adam say concerning Eve because of the manner in which she was created?

7. How many creative days were there and on what day did God rest?

8. In what form was the Second Man when He created the first man?

9. What lie did Satan speak to Eve?

10. According to Romans 8:22 and I John 5:19, what happened to creation because of Adam’s sin?

11. How many human creatures hath God declared to be under sin?

12. What came as the result of sin? Is the law of sin and death universal?

13. According to Genesis 3:14 and 15, who was to come as the Seed of the woman and what would He do with Satan?

14. What judgment did God pronounce upon the ground? Upon man? Upon woman? Upon the serpent?

15. What great sacrifice was typified by the coats of skins which God provided for Adam and Eve?

16. In what three-fold manner did the serpent appeal to Eve?

17. In I John 2:16 and 17, what does God say about the world and its lusts? About those that do the will of God?

18. What came by the first man and by the Second Man?

19. In John 8:24, what did Christ say would happen to the one who believed not in His Deity?

20. What happens to the man in Christ Jesus according to II Corinthians 5:17?

II Corinthians 4:5 to 7
“For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord: and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Here we learn that the true and faithful servants of God preached the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s Book states plainly and positively that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord; that sinners justified by faith have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 and Romans 5:1.

Thus we see that men receive peace and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Note some other reasons why God’s true servants preach the Lord Jesus Christ:

John 14:6
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”

Acts 4:12
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

I Peter 3:18
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”

John 8:12
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

God’s servants who preach Christ should live Christ.

Galatians 2:20
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

“GOD HATH SHINED IN OUR HEARTS.”

Philippians 2:15 and 16
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world: Holding forth the Word of life.”

When and how did God command the light to shine out of darkness?

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Genesis 1:3 to 5
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”

Isaiah 45:12
“I have made the earth and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.”

Isaiah 40:28
“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.”

CHRIST IN THE BEGINNING

“In the beginning, God.” This Hebrew word “God” is “Elohim.” “Elohim” is the plural of Eloah”. “El” is the simple form. of the Hebrew word. “El” denotes strength—God—the—Strong One. Note some of the words where “El” is used: “Elijah”, “Elisha”, “Eli”, “Elizur”, “Elizabeth”, “Joel”, “Daniel” “Ezekiel”. “Elohim” is plural. Note:

John 1:1 to 3
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

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.”

Colossians 1:17
“And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”

John 17:5
“And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”

John 17:24
“. . . That they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lowest Me before the foundation of the world.”

Now we can understand the “let us” in the statement:

Genesis 1:26
“And God (Elohim) said, Let US make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

The Lord Jesus Christ was with the Father. “He was in the form of God.” Philippians 2:5 and 6. He said, while here on earth:

John 6:36
“All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me: and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

John 10:28 to 30
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand . . . . . I and My Father are One.”

“And God called the light, Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5.

Note: “the evening and the morning were the first day.” This was the first day of God’s creative work in bringing cosmos, or order, out of chaos. But the question is: who created the chaos before God said, “let there be light?”

Let us read carefully the first two verses of the Bible:

Genesis 1:1 and 2
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” “And the earth was without form, and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Now we must note the difference between, “in the beginning,” of Genesis 1:1 and “the first day” of Genesis 1:5. How long was “the beginning” before “the first day?” We will never know until we get to heaven and God tells us that hundreds of thousands of years may have elapsed between “in the beginning” and “the first day” when God said, “let there be light.”

The statement in the second verse might read, “the earth became without form and void.”

Note:

Isaiah 45:18
“For thus saith the Lord That created the heavens: God Himself That formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain (void).”

Hebrews 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.”

God’s original creation was not void, God’s original creation was made not out of something that already existed.

Job 26:7
“He stretcheth out the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” “In the beginning, God.” God is infinite, eternal and self–existent. No person or power created God. God had no beginning. This is too much for finite human beings to reason out or comprehend. We accept this as Divine revelation and at the same time the most plausible and intelligent explanation of the origin of life.

Acts 17:24 and 25
“God That made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands: Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.”

John 14:9
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Some years after His death and resurrection the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to John (the writer of The Revelation) and said to him:

Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and Which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:18
“I am He That liveth, and was dead: and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Yes, by the Lord Jesus Christ were all things made and without Him was not anything made that was made.

Inasmuch as there may have been many, many years between the original creation of Genesis 1:1 and the re-creation of Genesis 1:3 to 31, you can see why we prefer not to attempt to date from the beginning of the world and use the words “Anno Mundi, year of the world.” We can be rather accurate in using the words “Anno Homini,” the year of man.

Let us read carefully:

Genesis 5:3 to 32
“And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. And Seth lived a hundred and five years, and begat Enos: And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and he begat Mahalaleel: And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. And Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. And Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

AGAIN AFTER THE FLOOD:

Genesis 11:10 to 32
“These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg: And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: And Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren: she had no child. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.”

Genesis 12:4
“So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him: and Lot went with him: And Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”

Genesis 17:24
“And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”

Genesis 25:7
“And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years.”

Genesis 25:20
“And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.”

Genesis 25:26
“And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel: and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”

Genesis 35:28
“And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.”

Galatians 3:17
“And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”

And from the Scriptures we have the following table:

(A. H.—the year of man)

Noah was 600 years old when the flood was on the earth. Genesis 7:6. And Noah lived 350 years after the flood. Genesis 9:29.

Noah’s father, Lamech, was 168 years old when Adam’s son, Seth, died, in the year 1042 A. H. (year of man). Genesis 5. Noah’s son, Shem, (from whom Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, descended) was 98 years old when the flood was on the earth. Shem died 502 years after the flood. Genesis 11:10 and 11. Shem died in the year of man 2158, or about 1842 B. C.

Abram was 75 years old in 2083 A. H. Genesis 12:4 (about 1917 B. C.). Abraham died when 175 years old (Genesis 25:7) therefore, about 1817 B. C. Note then, that although Abraham was the ninth generation from Shem (Genesis 11:10 to 29) Shem lived until Abraham was 150 years old. For many years they could have talked about the events before and during the flood; for Shem lived 98 years before the flood.

QUESTIONS—LESSON TWO

1. What is implied in the name “God” in Genesis 1:1 and 26?

2. Quote Scriptures to prove that Christ is in the Godhead.

3. What did Christ claim to be in John 14:6?

4. In what two-fold sense did God command light to shine out of darkness?

5. What is said about Christ in Colossians 1:17?

6. What did Christ claim in John 17:5?

7. According to Hebrews 11:3, out of what was the world framed?

8. Explain the difference between the original creation and the first day of Genesis 1:5.

9. In what form was Christ before He became Man?

10. What is said about Christ in John 1:14?

11. Mention seven men whose names have in them the Hebrew “El”.

12. In John 10:28 to 30, what did Christ give to men?

13. In John 10:28 to 30 and John 14:9, what did Christ claim for Himself?

14. Who lives in the believer according to Galatians 2:20?

15. What is the meaning of B. C.? Of A. D.?

16. What is the meaning of A. M. and A. H.?

17. In what year A. H. was the flood upon the earth? About what year B. C.?

18. What happened to Enoch according to Genesis 5:21 to 25?

19. Note that Methuselah died the year of the flood. What year?

20. How old was Methuselah when he died? Jared? Noah? Adam?

There are sixty-six Books in the Bible. The first Book is called Genesis. Genesis is the Book of beginnings. The first five Books of the Bible are called the “Pentateuch.” “Pente” means “five.” Some Jews refer to these five Books as “the Books of Moses.” The five Books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Moses was born in Egypt. Moses was a descendant of Levi, who was one of the sons of Jacob, or Israel. We shall study about Israel, Levi and Moses later on. Moses was the man whom God chose to write the first Books of the Bible.

The last Book of the Bible is called “The Revelation”, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word translated “Revelation” is “Apokalupsis.” This word means “the unveiling.” The human author, whom God used to write “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, the last Book of the Bible, was the Apostle John. While Jesus Christ was on earth He selected twelve apostles, four of whom were fishermen. These four apostles were Andrew and Simon and James and John. Andrew and Simon were brothers. Simon was later on named “Peter” by the Lord Jesus Christ. James and John were also brothers. They were called “Boanerges”

Mark 3:17
“And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and He surnamed them Boanerges, which is, the sons of thunder.”

“Boanerges” means “the sons of thunder.” Simon Peter and John were partners in the fishing business

Matthew 4:18
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”

Then He saw James and John with their father. They were in their fishing boat mending their nets. Matthew 4:21. The Lord said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” Peter and John became partners in the business of fishing for men. They labored together in the service of the Lord, witnessing concerning His life and works and ministry, His death and resurrection. Luke 22:8; Acts 3:1, 3 and 11; Acts 4:13 and 19, and Acts 8:14.

John, the brother of James, outlived all the other apostles of Jesus Christ. He is called in the Bible, “that apostle whom Jesus loved.” John 13:23; John 19:26; John 20:2; John 21:7 and 20. Like Moses, the first human author, the Apostle John wrote five Books of the Bible: “The Gospel of John” and three Epistles, “I John”, “II John”, and “III John”, and “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Concerning Moses, note this statement in the Bible

Numbers 12:3
“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”

Moses died about 1455 B. C. (Before Christ). Moses was 120 years old when he died

Deuteronomy 34:7
“And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died.”

The Apostle John was about 100 years of age when he died. He died about 100 A. D. (Anno Domini), “the year of the Lord.” The last Book of the Bible was written between 1500 and 1600 years after the first Book of the Bible was written.

Moses was God’s appointed deliverer and leader of Israel. Moses was God’s law-giver. Later on we shall study concerning him as the mediator of a covenant, or agreement, a contract, that God made with His people Israel.

God’s call of Moses is recorded in:

Exodus 3:4 to 7 and 10 and 14
“And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, ‘Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. “And He said, ‘Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’” “Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.”

“Come now therefore and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt” Exodus 3:10.

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14.

At the time of his call by God Moses was a shepherd. Exodus 3:1. That was about 1495 B. C. At that time Moses was 80 years old.

Exodus 7:7
“And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.”

Other shepherds who wrote Books in the Bible were David and Amos.

I Samuel 16:11 and 13
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down until he come hither.”

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

Amos 1:1
“The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jereboam, the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.”

Thus we see that the first Book of the Bible was written by a shepherd and the last Book by a fisherman. We learned also that Peter was a fisherman. Peter wrote two Books of the Bible: two Epistles, I Peter and II Peter. Peter was quite an old man when he died. When Peter and the Lord Jesus Christ were here on earth together the Lord Jesus told Peter when and how he would die.

John 21:18 and 19
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. Thus spake He signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me.”

Shortly before his death Peter referred to the statement of Jesus Christ:

II Peter 1:13 and 14
“Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance: Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.”

We have learned that Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, James and John, were four of the twelve apostles whom Jesus Christ, while on earth, selected from His many disciples. Of His twelve apostles, John wrote five of the Books of the Bible, Peter wrote two of the Books, Levi (Matthew) wrote one. Matthew wrote the first Book after the death of Christ; it is called “Matthew”. It is generally believed that James, who wrote the Epistle of James, was one of the twelve apostles. This James is thought to be the James called “the Lord’s brother”. Galatians 1:19. He was not the brother of John. John’s brother, James, was killed by Herod about 45 A. D.

Acts 12:1 and 2
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John, with the sword.”

So we learn that Christ had two apostles by the name of James.

Then the sixty-fifth Book of the Bible, one of the shortest Books in the Bible (one chapter of 25 verses) was written by Jude. It bears his name. It is generally believed that he was one of the twelve apostles. We have mentioned six of the twelve apostles, Simon Peter, John, James, Andrew, Jude, and James. It is thought that Jude was also called “Thaddaeus”. Matthew 10:3.

ADAM AND CHRIST

B. C. and A. D.

We have explained that B. C. means “before (Jesus) Christ”, that is, before He was born of Mary in Bethlehem. A. D. means years since that great event took place. Dating back B. C. from the birth of Christ to the creation of Adam there were about 4000 years of the history of the human race.

According to the Bible the first man was Adam:

I Corinthians 15:45 and 47
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.” “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the Second Man is the Lord from heaven.”

If we date from the birth of Adam, we call the year “A. H.”, Anno Homini. This means, “the year of man”. Some people speak of A. M., “Anno Mundi”. This means, “the year of the world.” We have no way of telling how many thousands, or millions, of years since the world was made. But we can be quite accurate in fixing the date of the making of the first man and his wife, Adam and Eve. They were in the garden of Eden about 4000 years “Before Christ”.

Therefore Christ was born about 4000 Anno Homini, “the year of man”.

Later on we shall study concerning Adam and Christ “the first man” and “the Second Man”, “the first Adam” and “the last Adam”. But for the present we will note that about 4000 years elapsed between the time the first man was in the garden of Eden and the time that the little Child Jesus was in the manger at Bethlehem.

GOD—CHRIST

Now, note the first verse of Genesis and the last verse of The Revelation

Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Revelation 22:21
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Thus the Bible begins with God and the Bible closes with the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall study later on that the Lord Jesus Christ was God before He came to earth as a human being and He is included with God, His Father, in that first verse of Genesis. Note the words of Christ in Revelation 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the Almighty.”

The Bible is peculiarly God’s Book. It is God’s revelation to the human race. Note this plain and important statement in the Bible concerning the Bible.

II Timothy 3:16 and 17
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Greek word translated “given by inspiration of God” is “theopneustos”. This means “God-breathed”. This is somewhat explained in:

II Peter 1:20 and 21
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.,”

The Holy Spirit is infallible. Men who wrote the Books of the Bible did not write their own ideas or doctrines. They were moved or “carried along” by the infallible Holy Spirit. Hence these statements concerning God’s Word.

I Peter 1:24 and 25
“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof fadeth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Psalms 119:89
“For ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.”

Psalms 138:2
“I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy loving kindness and for Thy truth; for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name.”

Hebrews 4:12
“For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Now let us note what Jesus Christ said about the Scriptures and Himself.

John 5:39
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.”

Luke 24:25 to 27
“Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

Luke 24:45 and 46
“Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”

Then note several other Scriptures, spoken or written after Christ went back to heaven.

Acts 4:27 and 28
“For of a truth against Thy holy Child Jesus, Whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done.”

Acts 26:22 to 24
“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, ‘Paul thou art beside thyself: much learning doth make thee mad.’”

I Corinthians 15:3 and 4
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; “And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned in the 27 Books, from Matthew to Revelation, by noun and pronoun, more than 6900 times.

The very heart of the Bible is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was in the Godhead in creation, came down from heaven to die for sin; that is, He appeared once in the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9:26. But note the fact also of His resurrection and ascension; for He went back to heaven where He now lives at God’s right hand: “This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:12.

This was all in fulfillment of God’s infallible Scriptures, according to God’s infallible Word. God’s free gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23.

QUESTIONS—LESSON ONE

1. Mention several things recorded in the Bible concerning the Scriptures, as to their origin, authority, purpose, and value.

2. By Whom were the human writers moved along?

3. Name six men whom the Holy Spirit used to write Bible messages.

4. Name the Books that Moses and John wrote. Mention two facts concerning each of these writers.

5. Name six of the twelve apostles. Which two were called “the sons of thunder?”

6. Which apostle remained alive the longest? How did he close the last Book of the Bible?

7. Which two apostles labored together for the Lord Jesus Christ? Which of these two were told by the Lord that he would be put to death?

8. By what name did the Lord call Himself when He appeared to Moses?

9. What did Jesus Christ call Himself in Revelation 1:8?

10. What are Adam and Christ called in I Corinthians 15:45 and 47?

11. About what year A. H. was Christ born? About what year B. C. did Moses die?

12. What shepherd was anointed by Samuel?

13. Who said, “The Scriptures testify of Me”?

14. Where is God’s Word for ever settled?

15. State two or three things the Scriptures said concerning Christ.

16. What did Christ do for sin and sinners?

17. Where is Christ at the present time?

18. Which apostle was called “the Lord’s brother”?

19. For what are the Scriptures profitable?

20. What Book did Levi write?