Cosmology Addendum: “Restarts” vs. the First Start
I. Introduction
a. Review
i. In our Cosmology Outline we establish that the heavens and earth are never removed and replaced by a new set of heavens and earth
ii. Instead, they are simply rejuvenated, renewed, and restored by God at various points of history
1. The Flood – the first destruction and subsequent rejuvenation (destruction by water)
2. The return of Jesus Christ to start his millennial reign – the second destruction and subsequent rejuvenation (destruction by fire)
3. The coming of God the Father after the millennium – radically transforms heaven and earth making them eternal and incorruptible since they have now been restored and purified during the millennium
b. Questions
i. The understanding that the heaven and earth are rejuvenated from time to time might bring up questions as to whether or not the creation account in Genesis 1 is itself just a restoration after a preceding destruction
1. given that mankind are clearly created during Genesis 1, ideas of another creation prior to Genesis 1 typically center around the notion of an angelic history before the creation week of Genesis 1
ii. Such a suggestion cannot be supported by scripture and, in fact, is contradicted by scripture
II. 3 Essential Foundation Points
a. God created all things (nothing exists other than what God created)
i. In the Old Testament, there are multiple times where the texts speaks not only of the “heavens” but also of “the heaven of heavens,” indicating a place even beyond the heavens.
Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, the heaven (08064) and heaven (08064) of heavens (08064) is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.
1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven (08064) and heaven (08064) of heavens (08064) cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
2 Chronicles 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven (08064) and heaven (08064) of heavens (08064) cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
ii. These passages indicate that while God resides in the “heaven of heavens,” they are not sufficient to contain him.
iii. Therefore, in 1 Kings 8:27 and 2 Chronicles 2:6, Solomon similarly wonders how God the temple he has built could be God’s dwelling place, when even the heaven of heavens cannot contain God.
iv. In fact, 2 Chronicles 6 recounts Solomon’s prayer in which he states that although the heaven of heavens cannot contain God, that is where God dwells and from there he hears the prayers of men.
2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven (08064) and heaven (08064) of heavens (08064) cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!...25 Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers…33 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name…35 Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause…39 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.
v. The phrase “heaven of heavens” seems to be the designation for the highest heaven in which God dwells but which itself is not greater than God or sufficient to contain him.
1. Consequently, this phrase “heaven of heavens” would seem to correspond directly with the third definition of heaven, which we established early on in this study as the place where angels reside and where God the Father currently resides on his throne.
vi. What appears to be going on is simple.
1. The Hebrew word for “heaven” or “heavens” is “shamayim” (Strong’s No. 08064).
08064 shamayim dual of an unused singular shameh
from an unused root meaning to be lofty; TWOT-2407a; n m
AV-heaven 398, air 21, astrologers + 01895 1; 420
1) heaven, heavens, sky
1a) visible heavens, sky
1a1) as abode of the stars
1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc
1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)
2. As we can see from the definition, “shamayim” is said to be derived from “an unused root” word meaning “to be lofty.”
3. The English word “lofty,” which is here being used to define root word from which the Hebrew word for “heaven” comes from, simply means “elevated” or “rising to a great height.”
a. It is considered synonymous with the word “high.”
“Lofty – 1a: elevated in character and spirit: noble b: elevated in status: superior 2: having a haughty overbearing manner: supercilious 3a: rising to a great height: impressively high lofty mountains b: remote, esoteric – synonyms see high.” – Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
4. The earth was the spot where man would dwell and the heavens are above it.
a. Thus, they are given a name that is derived from a root word meaning “high” or “lofty” in order to reflect their position “above” the earth.
b. In fact, the term “shamayim” is used precisely in the sense of being “above,” particularly above the earth, in Genesis 1:20.
Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above (05921) the earth in the open firmament of heaven (08064).
5. Consequently, since the word heaven denotes the “high or highest part,” the “heaven of heavens” reflects the very highest or loftiest portion of the heavens themselves.
a. This was the portion of the heavens which was above the rest, just as the heavens as a whole were given that name because they were “higher than” or “above” the earth.
6. Likewise, notice that the rendering of the phrase “heaven of heavens” includes both a singular and a plural rendering of this same Hebrew word.
a. For a word to be plural it must include no less than at least 2 of what it is describing.
b. So, in the simplest terms, we have 3 heavens depicted in this phrase: 2 heavens with another heaven, or even higher place, above them.
i. Right above the surface of the earth is the atmosphere.
ii. Beyond, or higher than, the atmosphere is space where the sun, moon, and stars reside.
iii. And beyond or above space is the third heaven, a heaven loftier than even the atmosphere and space. It is here that God and angels reside.
vii. Consequently, when Paul states that he was caught up to the third heavens, it is clear that he means the place where God and the angels reside, which is situated beyond the atmosphere and space.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
viii. More importantly, scripture is clear that God made the heaven of heavens, where he resides and all that is in them, which would include the angels, just as much as he made the earth and seas and all that is in them.
Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
ix. And the New Testament is equally clear that God made all things, which indicates quite clearly that all the things that God created had a beginning or starting point.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
x. Thus, at long last, we have arrived at our first foundation point.
1. Setting aside for a moment of whether or not the Bible allows any room for a prior angelic creation, we know that the Bible does clearly indicate that God created all things, including all the heavens and all that is in it, which of course means the angels also.
2. This is important because it demonstrates that there is at least one starting point, one first creation when God made the first things.
3. Consequently, regardless of what we learn about potential “restarts,” we know that this series of “restarts” had one initial starting point, one start before which there were no others.
xi. The question then becomes, is that first start the start described in Genesis 1?
1. This leads to our second foundation point
b. The phrase “in the beginning” in Genesis 1
i. 2 Factors
1. The phrase “in the beginning” appears as the very first words in scripture and they appear without any qualification or elaboration.
2. Furthermore, no subsequent passage in scripture ever describes or mentions any earlier creation.
ii. These two factors strongly suggest that, for whatever “restarts” might follow afterward, the creation week of Genesis 1 is the very first start ever, the very first time that God created.
1. Any suggestion to the contrary is entirely a product of weak inferences and an argument from silence.
a. As we will see, the inferences are weak because none of them add up to the weight of such a profoundly simple declaration as “in the beginning.”
b. And they are arguments from silence because they rely on the fact that some events, such as the creation of angels, are unstated or absent from the Genesis 1 account.
iii. Without any qualification or elaboration that “the beginning” in Genesis 1 is a “relative” term (used perhaps to denote something along the lines of “the beginning as far as man is concerned”), there is simply no basis in the text itself on which to assert that this beginning is not the beginning.
1. Left to be understood as it reads, the clear, unqualified indication of the text is that this is the beginning.
iv. As we stated above, since there certainly was a starting point when God made the first things, why wouldn’t we understand that first starting point was the creation week described in Genesis 1?
1. There is no earlier creation ever mentioned or described anywhere in scripture.
2. So, unless there were strong indications otherwise, the profoundly simple opening words of Genesis 1 provide solid reason for concluding that the creation week of Genesis was indeed, the actual starting point of all things.
v. Furthermore, if the unqualified phrase “the beginning” is not to be taken to designate the actual beginning, then what phrase or term would convey that concept?
1. Any other more specific phrase that we might think of is used as a synonym to refer to “the beginning” found in Genesis 1.
2. This leads to the third foundation point
c. Limitation by Explicit descriptions
i. Mark 13:19 uses the phrase “the beginning of the creation which God created.”
Mark 13:19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
1. We know from John 1 that all things were created by God.
a. Consequently, Mark’s designation of “the beginning of the creation which God created” must necessarily refer to the beginning of the existence of all things.
2. It is important to note that this statement found here in Mark 13:19 is made by Jesus himself in the midst of his Olivet Discourse, which begins in the opening verses of the same chapter.
Mark 13:1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you…
a. The Olivet Discourse is also recorded in Matthew 24, which begins the same way as Mark 13.
Matthew 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.