BRIAN BOWEN MINISTRIES: Chapter 11: Big Bang Theory

In this video, Brian Anthony Bowen reveals Scriptures the Church never talks about which prove that Jesus taught that LGBT people are born this way...and that prove the Apostle Paul ordained Gay Marriage...IN THE BIBLE!

This changes EVERYTHING!
More info: http://BrianBowenMinistries.com

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I included this chapter because so many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have been so spiritually abused by the Scriptures that they have decided that the only path for them to follow is one that includes scientific facts, devoid of any spiritual dimension. I was saved at the age of 9 and continued to be faithful until the age of 18 when I became disillusioned with much that Christianity had to say about me being gay. I considered myself an atheist and the Bible a myth until the age of 38 when things began to change.

Part of what helped me in this process was not just about coming to a point where I saw how Scriptures allowed me to believe in God and still be me, but also when I began to reconcile my faith in God’s creation of the universe and what science had to say about it.

I include this chapter in The Bed Keeper in an effort to speak to the hearts and minds of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender atheists, agnostics, and antitheists in an effort to provide a new approach to discovering how creation and evolution do not have to be antagonistic toward each other, but can actually be shown to go hand in hand. In short, I believe God used evolution to create.

In this chapter, I will share how I believe that Scriptures have always said exactly what science is proving, but because of the way we had understood the Scriptures, it appears that either science or the Creation account must be incorrect. But I found that isn’t necessarily the case. For example, I do not believe in a literal six day creation. We’ll see that when God separated the light from the darkness, that it was lightthat He called Day, and not time. I don’t believe Adam and Eve were the first humans to walk the earth, nor that Cain married his sister.

So for what it’s worth to anyone whom it helps reconcile Creation and evolution, or their sexuality with their spirituality, let us now examine how it is possible that not only did God use evolution to create, but that God Himself created the laws of physics and created mankind with a brain that has the ability to prove the truths shared within the pages of Scripture through scientific means.

In Hebrews 11:1-3 we read:

Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

For by [faith--trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report.

By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.

Many times, Christians get into great discussions that lead nowhere concerning the Creation account and often label those of us who ascent to the theory of evolution as being unenlightened. But as we discussed in the past few chapters of The Bed Keeper, the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. Of course, for those Christians who love a good argument, this may take some of the wind out of their sails, but let’s take a look at a prevailing theory that explains how the earth could be created in 6 days, and still align with scientific knowledge.

It’s known as the Gap Theory. It basically attempts to reconcile Creation and evolution by suggesting that there is a dividing point in time between Genesis 1:1, (where the earth was created, the dinosaurs existed, and prehistoric man lived), and Genesis 1:2. The Gap Theory proffers that the remainder of the Creation account is more accurately described as a “re-creation” of that which was originally created in Genesis 1:1, but was somehow destroyed during Satan's eviction from heaven. While this is indeed one way of reconciling science and Creation by squeezing all scientific knowledge that doesn’t align with the Creation account into some imaginary abyss of time that exists between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, it’s not the only way.

Let’s take a look at those 2 verses:

1 In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

Now, let us examine the supporting contextual understanding that Gap theorists look to in order to support it, as well as a rebuttal to various aspects of the points being made:

1. Gap theorists suggest that the word bara (used in Genesis 1:1, 21, 27) must mean“to create” (i.e.: ex nihilo creation), while the word asah cannot mean “to create,” but rather means “to make.” Therefore, the original creation was “created”; the creation of the six days was “made”(i.e., “made over”).

2. Gap theorists suggest that the Hebrew verb hayetha (translated “was” in Genesis 1:2) should be rendered “became” or “had become”—a translation required in order to suggest a change of state from the original perfect creation to the chaotic conditions implied in verse 2.

3. Gap theorists believe that the phrase “without form and void” of Genesis 1:2 (tohu wabohu) can refer only to something once in a state of repair, but now ruined. Pember accepted these words as expressing “an outpouring of the wrath of God.”

4. Gap theorists believe that Isaiah 45:18 (“God created the earth not in vain”—tohu; same word translated “without form” in Genesis 1:2) indicates that the Earth was not tohu at the initial creation. Therefore, they suggest, Genesis 1:2 can refer only to a judgment brought upon the Earth by God.

Here's why I would disagree on these four points:"Without form and void" seems more like a description of "not yet created” and not a state of disrepair. It also requires ignoring verse 2 until it becomes a convenient segue into the remainder of the Creation account. Let’s look at both verses again:

1 In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

We see here the “Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.” To suggest that God had created the heavens and earth in verse 1, and then began re-creating them in verse 2 would suggest that the “Spirit of God”was not necessary to create the earth in verse 1, but was only necessary in order to re-create it beginning in verse 2. That notion would contradict Hebrews 11:3 which reads:

NOTE: While Hebrews uses the phrase “by the word of God” and Genesis 1:2 uses the phrase “the Spirit of God,” it is clear that these are saying the exact same thing. To suggest that somehow God created the heavens and the earth in verse 1 without His Word or His Spirit truly shows a serious gap in the Gap Theory itself.

The way I understand Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 is that the earth was “created” by God and (in the beginning) “was without form and void." We see this pattern of Creation consistently throughout Scripture as it portrays God as a potter and mankind as the clay. Just as a lump of clay eventually becomes a man, so too it would seem that the earth started off in verse 1 and 2 as nothing more than the elements necessary to create it, and not the finished product we know of today.

Another way of explaining that understanding is to compare it to a builder building a house. Just as the house is without form and void when all that exists (in the beginning) is the blueprint prior to the actual construction, I believe so too was the earth “without form and void” (in the beginning). It had been "created" in verse 1 just as a house is "created" as soon as it becomes an idea or blueprint. But the "manifestation" doesn't happen until verse 2 (or more accurately) doesn’t become what we recognize as the earth today until we later see in Genesis 1:9, "and God said let the dry land appear, and He called the dry land earth” on Day 3, not Day 1.

5. Gap theorists believe that a cataclysm occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 as a direct result of Satan’s rebellion against God. The cataclysm, of course, is absolutely essential to the Gap Theory. Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-17 are used as proof-texts to bolster the theory.

Let’s take a look at what they say:

12 How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened and laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!]

13 And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north.

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.

15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead). Isaiah 14:12-15

11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You are the full measure and pattern of exactness [giving the finishing touch to all that constitutes completeness], full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the carnelian, topaz, jasper, chrysolite, beryl, onyx, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald; and your settings and your sockets and engravings were wrought in gold. On the day that you were created they were prepared.

14 You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].

15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity and guilt were found in you.

16 Through the abundance of your commerce you were filled with lawlessness and violence, and you sinned; therefore I cast you out as a profane thing from the mountain of God and the guardian cherub drove you out from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you. Ezekiel 28:11-17

If indeed Satan is cast out of heaven in Genesis 1:1 and his eviction left the entire earth in a state of disrepair, (including the destruction of the dinosaurs and any human beings that lived prior to 6,000 years ago), then would it be possible that the earth could still support life in the form of small mammals even after the cataclysm the left the dinosaurs extinct? From the time the earth began supporting life, there seems to be no point in the fossil record wherein the earth was completely devoid of life, such as must be the case in order to support the notion that at some point the earth was "without form and void."

There is also no point after beginning to support life forms at which the earth is left in a "state of disrepair" to the point that it became incapable of supporting any life. There appears to be no sign of earth’s total annihilation once it began supporting life (even through the extinction of the dinosaurs), or we would have a point in time wherein there was no life on earth, and that simply isn't the case.

Another contention I have with the notion that Satan’s eviction from heaven was responsible for the earth being destroyed is that he is portrayed in Scriptures as "roaming to and fro upon the earth," and sometimes even back into "the presence of God Himself." We see this most clearly in the Book of Job:

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God [the angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and the accuser) came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

2 And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? And Satan (the adversary and the accuser) answered the Lord, From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it. Job 2:1-2

If Satan’s eviction from heaven was the cause of the earth becoming “void and without form,” Satan could not have been “going to and fro on the earth and walking up and down on it,” without destroying it, right?

Further, we see Jesus saying: “…I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven…” Luke 10:18

This tells me that the “mode of transportation”Satan used to get from heaven to earth is lightning, which is not enough to destroy the entire earth.

Some Christian theologians reject the gap theory as presented, and posit instead that there are two separate accounts in Genesis; one in Genesis 1 (the whole chapter through Genesis 2:2), and another account that begins in Genesis 2:3.

But what if there was no gap at all, and what if there was only one Creation account being depicted throughout Genesis 1 and Genesis 2? What would that timeline look like, and how could it account for the age of our universe and the earth? Well, it’s interesting to explore it, but I share my thoughts on it here in order to demonstrate what faith and the Holy Spirit can do for a believer in terms of seeing God’s Word in a bit of a different light than what the Church has sometimes taught on it, in hopes that it will encourage our atheist, agnostic and antitheist gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Brothers and Sisters to re-examine these Scriptures in a way that makes logical sense.

If you’re like me, before I could believe in God, I absolutely had to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible was indeed true, infallible, and inerrant. Once I was able to discern for myself that it proves itself so, then I was able to begin accepting the truths it shares about God, Jesus, and everything else it covers.

This chapter of The Bed Keeper is not for the faint of heart, but it is indeed for anyone who believes that the Scriptures reflect a supernatural understanding of natural events, who hopes to understand them in a more logical way than traditional Christian teachings often portray them in their over simplified formats designed to fit within a 45 minute sermon. I apologize in advance for the wordiness that will characterize this chapter as a mere mortal attempts to incorporate a limited understanding of both Scripture and Science and attempts to reconcile them, or at least provide reasonable possibilities for accepting their harmonious co-existence. It’s another chapter of The Bed Keeper that is best read straight through and then taken a break from for a day or two, and then read again and again until the concepts discussed herein sink in.

I’m not as brilliant as this chapter may make me appear to be, but I do think it’s an excellent illustration of how God gave us a brain and expects us to use it in order to come to our own conclusions that will lead us to an informed faith. I will state up front once again that I don’t have all the answers, but I invite you now into my mind so that you can better understand my point of view, in hopes that it encourages you to become excited at the possibilities the Scriptures hold for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, whether you currently believe in God or Jesus or the Bible….or not.

To begin, let’s take another look at Genesis 1:1 and carry all the way through Genesis 2, and I think what we’ll find is one continuousCreation account that has no gaps in it at all….and even includes a science-based “time stamp,” as well as a record of the extinction of the dinosaurs:

1 In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.

2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

TIME STAMP: PRE-BIG BANG

(more than 15 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: We know that planets are the results of accretion from the creation of stars. That means that all the material elements that would become the earth (and other planets) were already present in our sun prior to it becoming a star. For those like myself who give a great deal of consideration to the Big Bang Theory as well as Scriptures, we know that all the material elements necessary for creating stars were present (or would become present) at the Big Bang Event Horizon itself. In other words, although the first elements produced by the Big Bang were hydrogen and helium, they eventually became the building blocks for all other elements in the universe, and subsequently emerged as the natural reality we were born into as human beings.

This is yet another point in the formation of the earth Genesis 1:1-2 could be referring to by saying the earth was “without form.” Just as all the known elements of the universe that would become stars (that would, in turn give birth to planets) were not all manifested at the Big Bang Event Horizon itself, the earth itself had not yet emerged as the final product we see it as today. This is also yet one more way to show how Scriptures are speaking to how the earth was indeed already “created” (even prior to the Big Bang), but was not yet "manifested." We’ll also soon see from the Creation account that the planet earth would not become manifested until the third day.

One thing is for certain and that is that Genesis 1:1-2 must be describing what happened prior to the Big Bang Event Horizon, because it isn’t until verse 3 where we read:

3 And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

TIME STAMP: BIG BANG EVENT HORIZON

(15 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: Both logic and Scripture would now work together to disprove any Gap Theory existing between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, because even if it was true that the earth was being described here as once being created, and then destroyed, and then re-created as Gap theorists posit, it all would have to transpire priorto God creating light itself. This punches yet another gaping hole in the Gap Theory, because it would also mean that not only was the earth created in Genesis 1:1 without the Spirit or Word of God, it would also have had to be created without light even being present yet. That simply does not compute, especially in light of Scripture that we have already examined stating that the Spirit of God and the Word of God are what brought the worlds into existence….and in light of another Scripture which reads:

And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way]. 1 John 1:5

I believe Science and Scripture are much more harmonious when realizing that the events of Genesis 1:1-2 describe a point in Creationpriorto the Big Bang, not afterward.

But let’s back up and take a look at something else mentioned in Genesis 1:2:

2 The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

While a surface reading of this Scripture would seem to indicate the earth was formed and God was hovering of the oceans at this point in Scripture, that isn’t necessarily the case. Much science points to the existence of crystallized water in meteors that impacted the earth, which would mean that the waters of which the Spirit of God hovered was not necessarily a reference to water present on the earth, but in space. Another point to make is that some scientists theorize that the initial composition of the universe immediately following the Big Bang was what they refer to as a quark-gluon plasma, which is a reference that could indeed imply a “liquid”substance, even if not necessarily a reference to the H2O that we consider“water.”

By using the phrase, “over the waters”--(plural)--it could very well be that Genesis 1:2 isn’t even a reference to H2O, but rather a sort of liquid plasma instead.

Even if so, again, it would be a description of events prior to the Big Bang, not afterward. If the quark-gluon plasma theory turns out to be correct, it would mean the composition of the universe immediately prior to the Big Bang would be much as they were at a fraction of a nanosecond after the Big Bang.

4 And God saw that the light was good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it; and God separated the light from the darkness.

NOTE: I’m struck by the phrase,“God separated the light from the darkness,” because at no time do we see in Scripture where God actually created darkness. What we see instead from Genesis 1:2 is the phrase, “and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep.”

Darkness seems to have already been present, or perhaps Genesis 1:1 means to share that “the heavens”includes darkness as part of the results included in the phrase: ”In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.” One thing is for certain and that is that darkness is a reality of a large portion of our universe even today. It either had to be created at some point or God Himself is “the darkness.” The latter notion would contradict Scripture declaring “God is Light and in Him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5), so I can only conclude that darkness was created as part of the heavens, and that the word “heavens” includes everything in our universe.

As scientists most recently are coming to terms with new discoveries in our universe known as “dark matter”and “dark energy,” it would seem to correlate to this Scripture. This also tells us that prior to God saying“Let there be light” that there was no light in the universe. Since Scripture does not explicitly tell us that God created darkness, the darkness must then have been created as part of“the heavens,” and was present prior to the creation of light (or the Big Bang).

Further, much as we see explosions in space as a "burst of light" that then dissipates and gradually we can see both light and darkness, I think this is in essence what happened at this point in the Creation account. God said, “Let there be light,”the Big Bang happened at that point, and all that could be "seen" was light, but then darkness eventually "appeared" as well, or God could not have “separated light from the darkness.”

To get even more complicated, we see an interesting verse of Scripture saying that lightand darkness are the same to God:

Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darknessand the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139:12

This makes sense as well when we realize that from a scientific vantage point, there's really no such thing as darkness, but rather only the "absence or a great reduction of light," with one exception: a black hole. This is important when we see the phrase from Genesis 1:2, “and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep.” Does this not sound like a black hole? We’ve already established the “great deep” could not be a location on the earth, because the planet hasn’t been established yet; only the elements necessary for its manifestation have been created at this point in the Creation account.

Another point to make note of is that the Creation account is not yet referencing light and darkness on the earth. We won’t see that distinction until Genesis 1:10, which we’ll explore a bit later. Rather at this point, the Creation account is describing conditions beyond the earth which indeed occur afterthe “creation” of the elements that would become the earth, but long before the “manifestation” of the planet we now live on. While this can seem semantic, I think it will prove beneficial to make note of that observation at this point in the Creation account, so we can recognize the distinction that the account itself makes later in 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.

NOTE: God here does not call the day a “24 hour period of time," but rather we see: “And God called the light Day” and “the darkness He called Night,” which again is not a measure of time, but another measure (or absence) of light. Something else very interesting to note is how Scripture seems to have morning and evening appearing in reverse order, as it says, “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”

A really important question to ask is if this was the first evening, what day was it the evening of? The logical answer would not be the first“day,“ but the current “day” of which the account is speaking, which clearly occurs prior to the first day. The first day would not happen until the first morning, which we see comes after the first evening. This would appear to be the line of demarcation between eternity (where God exists) and time (where we exist), but as we just examined, God did not refer to Day and Nightin this passage as references to periods of time, but measures oflight.

Further, we’ll soon see that the sun isn’t yet created, so there is not yet any instrument for humans to measure time with. Time to us is based on rotations of the earth. That does not necessarily refer to “time” in the fabric of space and timethat is present prior to the creation of our sun (whether we view time from a Scriptural or Scientific viewpoint). At this point in the Creation account, time (as we base it upon rotations of the earth) does not yet exist. And again, this is a truism whether we view this fact from a Scriptural or Scientific viewpoint. So why does Scripture call this the “first day?” In accordance with God’s definition of “Day” being a measure of light, it must mean that this is all that occurs in the first measure of light, not in the first day of earth’s existence. Again, as we’ll see at this point in the Creation account, the earth, sun, moon and stars do not yet exist.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament [the expanse of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below] from the waters [above].

7 And God made the firmament [the expanse] and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heavens. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

It’s interesting to note that just as Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” and goes on to describe the earth as being "without form and void," we see God does not actually “create” the heavens until here in verse 6. Just as we explored regarding the earth, it’s clear in the Big Bang Theory that all the elements necessary to eventually create the realities and structures of our universe were present prior to the Big Bang and immediately afterward, and even the Scriptural account here acknowledges that even the heavens were created at this point, but not yet manifested.

We also see in verse 7 yet another mention of the waters. This time it shows the heavens being separated based on the “waters which were under the expanse” and “the waters which were above the expanse.” Again, if scientists are correct that the early universe was a quark-gluon plasma, we would see Scripture’s reference to “waters” here is not talking about H2O, but the liquid plasma that was the early universe.

Recall earlier as we explored the notion that “day”means “light” and not “time,” and we’ll begin to see what appears to be an impossible chain of events; the earth is created and is bringing forth vegetation before the sun, moon and stars are even created. It is the only portion of the Creation account I have been unable to reconcile with time, except to attribute it to one or more different theories.

The first would be that since time does not yet exist, the earth indeed could manifest within the Creation account prior to the creation of the stars, sun and moon because time (as a 24 hour rotation of the earth) does not yet exist. That is to say that without the constraints and boundaries of time, the creation of the earth could be created at any point before or after the creation of the sun, moon or stars. This would give us the latitude necessary to logically reconcile the apparent reverse order of the timeline of Creation that we know from science; basically saying that if time doesn’t exist at this point, it doesn’t matter what time sequence the creation of the earth, sun, moon and stars appear in. My conscience is not at all satisfied with that explanation, because it's too much of a "Goddidit" response to what must have some logical explanation....or at least a "more logical" one.

Such a theory would also weaken former observations in this chapter of The Bed Keeper that shows what appears to be a distinguishing chain of events; some of which occur prior to the Big Bang, and some that occur afterward. Further, we’ll see that the only portions of the Creation account that appear to be “out of order” are the creation of the earth, sun, moon and stars. Everything else appears exactly in the order in which science proves it does. I don’t outright reject this theory, but it is not my favorite. That does not however, preclude the possibility of its accuracy, albeit ever so remote.

The second theory I have is that the revelation of the Creation account is itself writtenin six days. In other words, perhaps what Scripture intends to convey is that Moses received the revelation of Genesis 1:1-5 on one day, received the revelation of Genesis 1:6-8 on the next day, and so forth. This would mean that instead of the evening and morning being a reference to “one day” within the Creation account itself, the Creation account was revealed to Moses “one day at a time.” This is admittedly a stretch, and indeed leaves my conscience even less satisfied than the previous theory I shared, but again, I can’t rule it out as a possibility.

The theory I believe I cling to the most firmly is that since time doesn’t yet exist at this point in the Creation account, the manifestation of the earth, sun, moon and stars appear in reverse order of what we know from science was the actual order; our galaxy (and its stars) came first, then our sun, then the earth, then the moon. One reason I cling to this theory is because although the Creation account shows the reverse order of what we know was the actual chain of events, it does so in exactly the reverse order. In other words, it shows the creation of earth, sun, moon and stars, instead of some random order such as sun, earth, stars, and moon. This would also reconcile why the creation of these instruments of time momentarily reverse the (now natural) order of time once they are created, and for the first time, have a somewhat traumatic effect on eternity by creating a new reality where time suddenly assaults the created order of an eternity where time does not even exist. (Say that ten times really fast!)

If time does not exist prior to the creation of time measuring instruments such as the sun and earth, and suddenly time itself is created within an envelope of eternity, perhaps there’s a brief exchange of the (now natural) order in time at the line of demarcation between where God’s reality in eternity becomes “reversed” as He becomes subject to time Himself--by His Own Creation. We’ll see this apparent reverse order in various passages throughout Scripture including when the Lord reversed time itself:

10 Hezekiah answered, It is an easy matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps; so let the shadow go back ten steps.

11 So Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and He brought the shadow the ten steps backward by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20: 10-11

Later in this chapter of The Bed Keeper, we’ll also see the Book of Revelation ties back to the Book of Genesis through the presence of the Tree of Life being present in both books; in heaven in Revelation, and in the Garden of Eden in Genesis. Most notably, we see that once we are in heaven and partaking of the Tree of Life, time seems to exist in what is supposed to be eternity:

Through the middle of the broadway of the city; also, on either side of the river was the tree of life with its twelve varieties of fruit, yielding each month its fresh crop; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing and the restoration of the nations. Revelation 22:2

Begging the question, “How can months exist within eternity?” It would seem that once time begins with the creation of the earth, sun, moon, and stars, time (as we understand 24 hour rotations of the earth), becomes part of eternity, and eternity can then be measured for the first time. This would say then that just as “darkness” is a measure of light (or the absence thereof), eternity is a measure of time (or the absence thereof).

If that is a mind boggling concept to wrap your mind around, rest assured that I struggle to do so myself even as I write this. It reminds me of a scene from Star Trek: First Contact, when Deanna Troi says,

“This is no time to talk about time! We don’t have the time!”

It also reminds me of Jesus' response to His disciples:

6 So when they were assembled they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom and restore it to Israel?

7 He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with and know what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power. Acts 1:6-7

This theory continues to be supported as we explore the possibility in the next chapter of The Bed Keeper that the entire universe sprang forth from a massive black hole where light cannot escape…but perhaps time can exist. It’s a theory posited not only by science, but also by the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish religious work ascribed to the prophet Enoch, the great grandfather of Noah. It is not currently regarded as part of the Canon of Scripture used by Jews, apart from the Beta Israel canon. It is regarded as canon by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church, but no other Christian denominations. It was part of the Old Testament and includes a fragment from the Book of Noah as well as a vivid description of what seems like a scientific rendering of a black hole, which Enoch affirms as the Lake of Fire spoken of in Revelation. Enoch (the person) is referred to in the canonized Books of Genesis and Hebrews, and the Book of Enoch is referred to in the Book of Jude during a discussion involving a revelation in regards to a race of human-like beings that walked the earth prior to Adam and Eve.

Such a scientific theory positing that the universe sprang forth from a massive black hole would then explain curious phrases within the creation account such as “and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep.”

Let us agree for the sake of argument that the theory is correct regarding what we perceive to be the reality of our universe being a mirror image of the actual reality of it, and that the creation of the stars, moon, earth and sun are indeed listed in what we consider a “reversed order” and is done so on purpose; to support the newest scientific theory which posits that everything we can see, touch, or feel is not a true reality, but simply a mirror image of it, and is interpreted through our human senses through light.

It’s a fascinating theory that basically says what we know of the entire universe (and even time itself) is but a reflection of the real universe; much like the negative of a photograph. If this scientific theory proves true, it would explain how the following events in Creation appear in the reverse of (natural time) order, as it gives us a “mirror image” of reality, and not reality itself. It also aligns with what Paul said:

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Having said all that as a basis to direct our thoughts and understanding in one direction for a moment, let us now examine how the Creation account seems to relay this “mirror image of reality” with the creation of the earth (and time itself), resuming our look at Genesis 1 and picking up again at verse 9:

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be collected into one place [of standing], and let the dry land appear. And it was so.

10 God called the dry land Earth, and the accumulated waters He called Seas. And God saw that this was good (fitting, admirable) and He approved it.

TIME STAMP: PROTO-EARTH

(4.5 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: If scientific theories regarding the early universe being in a state of quark-gluon plasmais correct, verse 9 seems to be telling us that out of this liquid plasma (or waters under the heavens) the earth was formed. We know from science that the early earth was also a collection of molten material and that it was nearly constantly being bombarded by meteors; some containing water (H2O) crystals. We also have geological evidence in the form of detrital zircon crystals that show evidence of having undergone contact with liquid water (H2O), suggesting that the planet at this time already had oceans or seas at that time, and sure enough, in verse 10, we see God called the dry land Earth and the accumulated waters He called Seas.

What is also interesting here is that God no longer refers to the water “above the heavens” and “below the heavens,” but instead now refers to the water on the earth as “Seas.” This would further support the notion that the Creation account’s reference to “waters” prior to them being called “seas”on the earth, were indeed not references to H2O, but something distinctively different, perhaps the liquid quark-gluon plasma scientists theorize made up the early universe following the Big Bang Event Horizon.

11 And God said, Let the earth put forth [tender] vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so.

12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.

13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

TIME STAMP: Hadean Eon

(3.5-4 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: Here is the clearest evidence in the Creation account that God didn’t wave some magic wand and plants suddenly appeared on the earth, but instead employed an evolutionary process whereby the earth itself caused the vegetation to grow, and the plants then became self-replicating through their seeds. Also important to note is that plants appear on the earth before animals, just as science has proven.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God's provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years,

NOTE: As already mentioned, this is the first instance in the Creation account that time (as we know it, based upon 24 hour rotations of the earth) becomes part of the reality we call earth. For the first time we see specific references to not only days, but seasons and years. We also see God specifically created them as tokens to mark these various measurements of time. Therefore, again, the early Creation account reference did not refer to time, as God called the day “light,” however we now see that days will begin to be marked by the creation of the sun and moon, and even the earth itself.

15 And let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so.

16 And God made the two great lights--the greater light (the sun) to rule the day

TIME STAMP: Hadean Eon

(5 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: As already mentioned, this seems to be the exact reverse order of the creation of the earth and sun as we know it from science, but science already theorizes that what we know of reality may in fact be a mirror image of it. If so, the creation of the sun may have indeed transpired before the creation of the earth, but the Creation account lists them in reverse order on purpose: to clue us in to the fact that the theory science is developing may indeed be truth.

(verse 16 continued) and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night.

TIME STAMP: Hadean Eon

(4-4.5 Billion Years Ago)

NOTE: As already mentioned, we know that scientists hypothesize that after the formation of an initial crust of the earth, the proto-Earth was impacted by a smaller protoplanet, which ejected part of the mantle and crust of the earth into space and later coalesced, creating our moon.

(verse 16 continued) He also made the stars.

NOTE: As already mentioned, we know that the stars came before the sun, and the sun came before the earth and the earth came before the moon: stars, sun, earth, moon. What is also interesting is that of all the created objects listed thus far, only the stars continue to be created all over the universe, while the earth, moon and sun do not.

It’s also important to not overlook one other possibility that (at least pertaining to the sun, moon and stars), their creations appear in the very same passage of Scripture. This would lead to the possibility that they are listed “in no particular order.” Certainly science has determined that the sun, moon and earth all formed between 4.5 and 5 billion years ago. In such close proximity in time when comparing one to the other, the apparent conflict of the earth being created before them becomes even less problematic, and would support the theory (once again) that our perceived reality is a mirror image of the true reality, and that the Creation account is ordered in such a way as to clue us in to investigate this scientific theory even further. It’s also interesting that as the sun and moon are created in the same verse of Scripture, and yet we know the sun is 5 billion years old while the moon is only 4.5 billion years old, we have clear evidence that 500 million years of time is covered in one single verse, rendering assumptions of the earth’s age at 6,000 years old “less than absolute.”

What’s also interesting to note is that science can construct the mathematical formulas that support the theory. This is very promising because as any scientist will tell you, the only actual, non-changing truths of the universe will be most accurately explained in a mathematical formula, and not in words.

One final theory to consider in regards to the apparent reverse order of the creation of the earth vis-a-vis the sun, moon and stars is that although it appears that they are created after the earth was created, there is the possibility that the revelation of the Creation account suddenly shifts from God’s perspective of creation to man’s perception of His Creation. As we see the text says "God made the two great lights and He also made the stars," but that doesn't necessarily mean He created them just at this point in the Creation account, but rather, their light is just now visible "upon the earth." Remember that in just the last verse did the earth "appear,” although it (and the heavens) had been "created" in Genesis 1:1. When God said "let the dry land (the earth) appear," it does NOT necessarily mean He was just now "creating" the dry land at this point in the account. The land had already been "created"--it just had not yet "appeared." Take a look at those verses again, and I think you'll see that is yet another possible (and most probable) explanation for the apparent reverse order of the creation of the earth compared to the sun, moon and stars.

17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,

18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it.

19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

NOTE: In verse 18 we see that God created the sun and moon “to separate the light from the darkness.” But didn’t God already do that in verse 4: “And God saw that the light was good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it; and God separated the light from the darkness.”

This gives us yet another point to consider as a follow up to my last notes. In verses 14-18, it sounds like God is re-separating the light from the darkness. But if we look closely at verse 17, we see the key phrase "upon the earth.” So although light had already been separated from darkness on the first day (in the heavens), here we are now having the light and darkness "upon the earth" being separated on the fourth day. But we realize that the light “upon the earth” is not the light and darkness in the expanse of the heavens.

To view it another way, the Big Bang happened, but the Milky Way was not created at that point. It came later, starting in verse 14, to be exact, even though millions of other galaxies much further away from us had already been created. This explains how earth is only 4.5 billion years old, while the universe is 14-15 billion years old. If this supposition is accurate, that means from Genesis 1:1 through verse 9 covers a span of time of about 10 billion earth years, but only 2 "days" worth of "light" in God's time. I know it's a technicality, but I think it's an important distinction to keep in mind when considering all the possible ways to reconcile the order of the earth being created prior to the sun, moon and stars in the Creation account, and yet still present no contradictions to what we know, and have learned, and are theorizing from a scientific framework.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly and swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.

21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.

22 And God blessed them, saying, be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

TIME STAMP: Proterozoic, Phanerozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic Eons

(2.5 Billion-245 Million Years Ago)

NOTE: Here is even more clear evidence in the Creation account that God didn’t wave some magic wand and animals suddenly appeared in the waters (H2O), and birds suddenly filled the skies. Instead as we see the phrase, “which the waters brought forth abundantly,” and notice that even the birds originated “in the waters.” Just as the evolutionary process caused the earth itself to grow vegetation and the plants then became self-replicating through their seeds, so too did the waters bring forth “the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.”

AND BANG!

The event that caused widespread extinction upon the earth occurs here. We’ll prove this because in the very next verse, God is creating animals again. This time, there are no great sea monsters, but there are livestock and domestic animals. If one were to look for the KT Boundary in the Creation account, I believe it is between Gen 1:23 and 24, which is between the fifth and sixth days.

TIME STAMP: Cenozoic Eon

(65 Million Years Ago)

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creeping things, and [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so.

25 And God made the [wild] beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and domestic animals according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (fitting, pleasant) and He approved it.

TIME STAMP: Cenozoic Eon

(2-65 Million Years Ago)

NOTE: Yet again, we see more clear evidence in the Creation account that God didn’t wave some magic wand and the livestock, creeping things, and wild beasts sprang forth upon the earth. It says, “let the earth bring forth living creatures,” and science has proven that through the evolutionary process, that is exactly what happened.

26 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

NOTE: Out of everything God created and gave man dominion over, notice He does not say, “Let man have complete authority over the “great sea monsters” that appeared in Genesis 21. This gives us yet more evidence from the Creation account that they no longer lived at the time of man’s creation. Today we call them dinosaurs. For those saying, “Well what about the T-Rex…that was not a sea monster, but a land monster?” I would reply that while many dinosaurs were indeed land dwellers, they too began life in the water, just as all living creatures did, and eventually evolved to the point they walked on land…just exactly as the Scriptures tell us they did.

27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

29 And God said, See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the land and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

30 And to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the ground--to everything in which there is the breath of life--I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.

31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

Cenozoic Eon

(200,000-2 Million Years Ago)

And from the extinction of the dinosaurs (verse 24 through verse 30) is all considered "the sixth day," and that is what we see today in terms of animal and human life, even through a scientific lens.

Genesis 2:

1 THUS THE heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 And God blessed (spoke good of) the seventh day, set it apart as His own, and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done.

4 This is the history of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens—

5 When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not [yet] caused it to rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground,

6 But there went up a mist (fog, vapor) from the land and watered the whole surface of the ground—

7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.

TIME STAMP:

(6,000 Years Ago)

8 And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed (framed, constituted).

NOTE: So while the Creation account shows mankind was created on the 6th day we also know that human beings today didn’t always look like we do. There were several species of humanoids prior to homo sapien sapiens of which I believe Adam was the first. We also see from the Creation account that God rested on the 7th day, yet His work continues on after that point. That means that Adam (having not been created at this point in time) must have then been created on what the Creation account would call the 8th Day (the day after the Sabbath), not the 6th Day.

Just as we resume our daily routines after we rest on the Sabbath today, so too apparently did God. But He didn't just go into retirement. After the Sabbath, we see He planted the Garden of Eden, created Adam, placed Adam in the Garden, planted the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, walked with Adam in the cool of the day, came and asked Cain what he had done with his brother, came and spoke to Abraham, and (later) Moses, impregnated Mary with Jesus, (and Elizabeth with John the Baptist), parted the heavens at Jesus' baptism to speak to Him, and many other things…

Not only that, but right after the 7th day, we see Genesis 2 says:

5 When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not [yet] caused it to rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground,

6 But there went up a mist (fog, vapor) from the land and watered the whole surface of the ground—

7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. Genesis 2:4-7

If God made Adam on the 6th day when He created mankind, then why was there still "no man to till the ground" after the 7th day? And why would God have made Adam as a result of not having a man to till the ground?

Also, on what could have very well been the 9th day, God created Eve:

20 And Adam gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the air and to every [wild] beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs or a part of his side and closed up the [place with] flesh.

22 And the rib or part of his side which the Lord God had taken from the man He built up and made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Genesis 2:20-22

So not only is there no man to till the ground by day 7, there's also no helper meet (Eve) made for Adam. But how could that be if on the 6th Day, God created man, male AND female created He them? The events described on the 6th Day simply must have transpired at separate times from the creation of Adam and eve. this woudl again seamlessly align with our scientific knowledge and the wealth of fossilized remains of both dinosaurs and humans from long before 6,000 years agao when Adam and Eve existed (which we can discern fairly accurately from Biblical genealogies that trace their descendants).

One may say, “If there were human fossils that date back prior to Adam, then that would mean that sin and death was around before Adam, which would contradict Scripture” I would reply that’s not what Paul said:

12 Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.

13 [To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men's account where there is no law [to transgress].

14 Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves transgress [a positive command] as Adam did. Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come [in reverse, the former destructive, the Latter saving]. Romans 5:12-14

Actually, it could be that the pre-Adamic race that was here prior to Adam had no need of a savior, because as Paul said in verse 13 above,

“To be sure sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men’s account where there is no law.”

If we examine another of Paul’s teachings, I think it will be easier to see I present no contradictory view of Paul’s statement that “sin held sway from Adam to Moses (prior to the Law of Moses being given):

45 Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].

46 But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual.

47 The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven.

48 Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).

49 And just as we have borne the image [of the man] of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image [of the Man] of heaven.

50 But I tell you this, brethren, flesh and blood cannot [become partakers of eternal salvation and] inherit or share in the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (that which is decaying) inherit or share in the imperishable (the immortal).

51 Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed)

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed). 1 Corinthians 15:45-52

NOTE: I believe Adam was the first man, but more specifically, he was the first man “with the breath of life,” or as we may say, “Adam was the first man to become aware of his spirit….his human spirit….breathed into Him by God Himself….just as becomes the case with all who believe Jesus is the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.” As we learned in Chapter 7 of The Bed Keeper, nobody can even say Jesus is Lord but by the aid of the Holy Spirit of God. I believe this is what distinguishes Adam from the “mankind” God had created on the sixth day.

7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.

NOTE: Nowhere on the 6th day when God creates mankind does it mention that He breathed into their nostrils and they became living beings, nor does it say He gave them the breath or spirit of life. In fact, even Paul alludes to two separate events:

46 But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46

Just as I am saying, when God made mankind on the 6th Day, He created "physical" creatures (which we still have the fossilized bones of). Then after the Sabbath (on the 8th Day) God made the spiritually aware human being known as Adam. Now look again at Paul's overriding point in all this:

51 Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed)

I see Paul saying here that the first mankind God created on Day 6 was indeed physical, and not spiritual, and that they indeed "fell asleep in death," but the spiritualman does not. Also He says flesh and blood cannot [become partakers of eternal salvation and] inherit or share in the Kingdom of God. This seems confirmed in Ecclesiastes 12:7 which reads:

Then shall the dust [out of which God made man's body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it.

So returning back to Genesis 2:1-6 we see that God rested on the 7th day and:

7 Thenthe Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.

8 And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed (framed, constituted).

9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired--good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life also in the center of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of [the difference between] good and evil and blessing and calamity. Genesis 2:7-9

But didn’t He do that already on Day 3? This is one reason so many Christian theologians believe there are two Creation accounts presented in Genesis 1 and 2, but let’s continue reading, skipping over verses 10-14 which tell us where the Garden of Eden was located (basically present day Iraq):

15 And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.

NOTE: So it would seem Adam was not created in the Garden of Eden itself, but we’ll soon see that Eve was. This would show yet another example of the difference between the creation of mankind (both male and female) on Day 6, and this separate creation of Adam and Eve after the Sabbath (Day 8).

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

18 Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.

NOTE: Many anti-gay Christians point to this verse to claim that God’s purpose for marriage between one man and one woman is for the purposes of procreation, but as we see here, the very basic, fundamental and foundational reason God gives is companionship, saying “It is not good that the man should be alone.” It’s also interesting that the Amplified Translation goes on to clarify the term “helper meet” is more fully and accurately translated as “suitable, adapted and complementary”for him. As a gay man, I can tell you that if God were to create a helper meet for me, the only way they would be“suitable, adapted and complementary to me” is for them to also be a gay man. I’m certain even the most die-hard atheist gay man would “amen” that!

Further, it’s important (as we have already explored in previous chapters of The Bed Keeper that God knew full well not all people would have children, as we studied Isaiah 54 and Isaiah 56, where God tells the women they would have more spiritual children than a married woman, and tells the men (eunuchs) not to complain about being dry trees.

19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name.

But didn’t He already do that on Day 5 and on Day 6? This is one more reason so many Christian theologians believe there are two Creation accounts presented in Genesis 1 and 2, but if this were true, why does verse 19 here not include the“great sea monsters” that were mentioned in the Creation account from Day 5?

NOTE: Have you ever noticed Adam never named the fish and insects, or any reptiles--including the dinosaurs? This would seem to provide yet another clue that points toward one continuous Creation account instead of two separate ones, or one with a gap in it.

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs or a part of his side and closed up the [place with] flesh.

22 And the rib or part of his side which the Lord God had taken from the man He built up and made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

But didn’t He make man “male and female” on Day 6? Why then was Eve not yet present and why was there no man to till the ground after the Sabbath Day, unless Adam and Eve were created separate and apart from the male and female humanoids God had created on Day 6?

23 Then Adam said, This [creature] is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man.

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

NOTE: Too many Christians “assume” that it was God Who said this, but as verse 23 clearly shows, it was actually Adam who ordained heterosexual marriage, and not God. Further, how does Adam know what a “father and mother” are if they are the only humans ever created at this point in time?

We’ll recall that God “placed the man in the Garden.” Seems to me that Adam was aware of the existence of fathers and mothers due to his interactions with members of the pre-Adamic race (outside the Garden), which consisted of both males and females (which God had created on the 6th Day). The point in the account then that God "placed the man in the Garden" represents an allegory of the point in time in the life of Adam when he beacme the first human to become aware if his spirit (himself being a natural born, descendant of the evolved/evolving pre-Adamic race). Just as God separated Moses from his family, and separated the Israelites from all other humanity, it seems God had first separated Adam from the rest of the human race that had been created on Day 6, which evolved into the homo sapien sapiens we recognize ourselves to be today.

Basically, I contend that God did not wave a magic wand to create Adam any more than He did to create anything else. We see the Scripture clearly state that "God made man from the dust of the earth" which is not very far away from when God said, "let the earth bring forth vegetation" or "let the waters bring forth every living creature." We know from a scientific viewpoint that humanoids were the result of evolution and I believe that Adam was indeed created from the dust of the earth, and was indeed a unique creation of God since he was the first to become aware of his spirit. However, I also believe that many Christians read the Creation account and assume that God picked up a handful of dust, blew into it and voila!; a fully grown man stood in front of Him.

That would be entirely inconsistent with the rest of God's creation. Evolution in this case actually more closely follows the Creation account than does the idea of a magically created man child that suddenly appears out of nowhere as so many Christians believe. But what of the creation of Eve?

Another question I’ve often asked is, “How could God have formed the woman from the man if Adam was not transgender? Also, why did the woman not come from natural birth, but as basically a “clone” of Adam?"

I think it is clear this portion of Scripture is meant to be an allegory representing the relationship between men and women in heterosexual marriage. We see the formation of the woman was for Adam’s companionship, and then we see the first conversation Adam having with Eve was his ordination of heterosexual marriage.

I believe it is a metaphor designed to reflect the shed blood of Christ and the pierced side that gave birth to His Bride, the Church. But I also believe Eve was also a naturally born descendant of the pre-Adamic race. The point at which she is "created by God" is basically another way of saying that God had prepared a Bride for Adam....a Bride who sinned, and provided both the need (and the bloodline) for the birth of Jesus Christ Himself. Without sin, there would have never been a need for a Redeemer, Christ would have never been born, and man would never have to use faith in order to attain eternal life.

There are quite a few passages of Scripture that seem to support this which we'll explore in the next chapter of The Bed Keeper, as well as another tie-in to this account of Adam and Eve. We will also be taking a look at the partaking of the Tree of Life would have made it possible for Adam to live forever (which was the premise upon which God exiled him from the Garden). We'll see the same Tree of Life appears in heaven, and we who are saved are rewarded with the right to approach and partake of the Tree of Life, as the means for eternal life ourselves.

25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not embarrassed or ashamed in each other's presence.

NOTE: Realizing the Creation account shows all these things happening after God had rested on the 7th day makes it less difficult to believe He created Adam on the 8th day, separate and apart from the human race on Day 6. Interestingly enough, this also explains why Jews (including Jesus) were circumcised at 8 days of age and not 6, as the sign of the Covenant between God and man.

If you’ve managed to get through reading this chapter of The Bed Keeper, I want to be the first to congratulate you on a job well done! I realize this is a mental challenge, and I believe my fellow intellectual types wouldn't have it any other way. But I hope to have explained it in simple enough terms that anyone can fully comprehend it after a couple or three readings, and can further research many of the scientific claims made herein to verify the accuracy of the claims made. As I stated at the outset, these concepts are difficult to put into linear thought using only words. However, if you’re up to it, in the next Chapter of The Bed Keeper, we’ll begin to now do the same forensic examination of Genesis 3 and 4 as we did here, but moreso from a spiritual perspective rather than a scientific one. In doing so, we’ll meet Lucifer, as well as some of Adam and Eve’s (and Cain’s) kinfolk.

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Dear Valued Readers,

This blog continues to be a work in progress. As recent revelations and events throughout Christendom have created an increasingly fluid situation, updates will no longer be published at the end of each post, but rather only at the beginning of the corresponding posts so impacted. As of August 1, 2013, the only updates to appear at the end of each post will be churches that are personally endorsed by The Bed Keeper as a "SAFE SPACE."

Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.

UPDATE 01.15.12:
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.

UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.

THANK YOU for your generous support of this work!

Let him who receives instruction in the Word of God share all good things with his teacher, contributing to his support.

Galatians 6:6