Buildontherock: Creation was not the Beginning

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tohu and bohu
As I see it
The Beginning and the End
New Heaven and New Earth

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Creation was not the Beginning

author: buildontherock

published: 2012-02-11 last updated: 2021-03-09

The book of Genesis starts with in the beginning God which pretty much excludes God from what this beginning refers to i.e. this is not talking about the beginning of God. Continue reading to examine the evidence and you may also want to connect to much more to be said on the subject of creation.

I have also gone through a discourse on angels which shows that they were around when the Earth was created. A key scripture here was when Job recorded in chapter 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? which shows that not only God was around but also sons which could only be a reference to angels. So angels are also excepted from this beginning.

There is also a beginning spoken of in the book of John.

John 1:1-2 KJV 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.

This beginning in Genesis then can only include the universe and mankind at most. That leaves us with two options one of which includes tohu and bohu which I find completely reasonable although I prefer the other alternative.

tohu and bohu

There is a lot of ridicule in recent times about theu ubeu meaning chaotic and waste. Genesis 1:2 (KJV) says:

u e artz eithe theu u beu u chshk: And the earth she-became chaos and vacancy and darkness

ol -phni theum u ruch aleim mrchphth: over surfaces-of abyss and spirit-of Elohim vibrating

ol -phni e mim: over surfaces-of the waters

as I understand from ISA basic

It says that the earth became chaotic and waste. This understanding of the scriptures fits the evidence thus far presented for what occurred at creation.

According to [ISA BASIC] this word eithe (strongs H1961) is translated as was 37 times, became 172 times and as occurred once. It would seem to me that it is a reasonable alternative translation in Genesis 1:2.

Based on this interpretation of the Scriptures, in the beginning is referring to a time long before the creation of man. The earth then became waste and empty and then God set out to correct the situation before introducing man. I think that is pretty cool and it makes sense. I agree with the interpretation of the facts but not their conclusion. The context of Genesis 1 is the six-day creation and therefore the beginning must also be related to that in my opinion.

There is something else that is worth considering when examining the meaning of tohu and bohu. It occurs in the book of Jeremiah in similar context to Genesis.

Jeremiah 4:19-27 (KJV)¹⁹My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.²⁰Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.²¹How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?²²For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.²³I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the hea vens, and they had no light.²⁴I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.²⁵I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.²⁶I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.²⁷For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

This explains what tohu and bohu is all about. It is utter destruction resulting from supernatural forces. Jeremiah is here having a vision of God meting out judgement because there is no way an army in the time of Jeremiah could damage the heavens and shake the mountains. It indicates that the condition of the earth was a consequence of God's presence in judgement.

As I see it

At the core of this is the understanding that creation as used in Genesis does not mean producing out of thin air. It means making something new out of existing material. I think it is appropriate to start with what should be expected in the context. The context of the Bible is God talking to mankind and Genesis is talking to mankind about the beginning. I would think that God would be telling mankind about man's beginning. If I wanted to tell my child about his beginning I would not talk about in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. It would make more sense to talk about how we prepared for the child by making a home first. If the place where we lived had been damaged I would tell the child how we made sure that it was repaired or if it was newly built I would talk about that to help the child to understand that we wanted him/her. So we should not expect to find God talking about some arbitrary beginning and therefore I would expect the beginning in Genesis to apply to the six-day creation period not eons before. The beginning here is talking about the renewing of the Earth. My proposal then is that the beginning means the beginning of this age; the age of man. It is saying that when God started what He started with was formless. He now puts forms on it and that is why the demons would be here. There are no forms anywhere in their domain any longer.

Hebrews 11:3 (KJV)³Through 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.

According to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments the word framed above means:

G2675 καταρτίζω katartizo (ka-tar-tiy'-zō) v.
1. to completely form (i.e. completely develop, repair or adjust).
2. to completely repair.
3. to completely reform.

God started with a mess that was greatly in need of repair. Repair means that it once functioned differently and that functionality is being restored.

Notice also that where you see that the worlds in this verse, it is not referring to heavenly bodies in the Greek. The worlds (Greek :αἰῶνας aiōnas; Strong's 165) is talking about a space of time, an age. It is saying that the age that we live in was repaired. The age of man was a result of repairing another age.

The Beginning and the End

For every end there is a beginning. If we know what has ended then we know what began. The Bible talks a lot about the end. All of the major prophesies point to the same end for example Daniel and Revelation both coincide. I want to extract what Revelation describes as the End. Peter tells that the end spoken of there is the end of all things (1Peter 4:7) but that does not mean destruction. Easton's Bible Dictionary says

Easton's Bible Dictionary

says in Heb. 13:7, is the rendering of the unusual Greek word _ekbasin_, meaning "outcome", i.e., death. It occurs only elsewhere in 1 Cor. 10:13, where it is rendered "escape."

This is talking about outcomes or conclusions. It does not include angels and it did not say that all matter was destroyed. It is talking about the outcomes for the plan that was started.

2 Peter 3:10-12 (KJV)¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹² Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Notice that this is talking about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is something that happens to people unexpectedly. It happens before the millennium. It comes with the sound of a great trumpet and Peter adds that the heavens will pass away in some form. This will be followed at some time with the earth burning up which is also explained in John. John was given the revelation not Peter.

You might notice that this end matches the beginning that I am proposing. My beginning starts with a renewal of an existing earth and this end talks of a renewing of the existing earth after it has been purged with fire. More details are given in the book of Revelation. This end spoken of in Revelation is identified in Revelation 2:6

Revelation 2:26 (KJV)²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

This end comes at the reward of the saints. Both Peter and John are speaking of the same thing.

2 Peter 3:13 (KJV)¹³ Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

As an aside notice that it does not say that there will never be another sin and nobody will ever make another mistake. Instead it says that righteousness will never again be dominated, it will always live, so every act will be treated justly according to God's law.

Revelation 21:1 (KJV)¹ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

So this end marks the end of the age of man, or better mortal man in control, consequently the beginning has to be the beginning of the age of mortal man.

New Heaven and New Earth

God says in Revelation 21 that He is going to renew the heaven (singular) and the Earth. If all things are to be renewed then we are having new angels as well. Other than that, it means that the 'all' in (v5) does not mean all. It could mean all things in this solar system that started in Genesis. The indication is that heaven and Earth is all that there is to consider. It is always a challenge to put all the pieces together and not to include things that are not actually written as facts.

Revelation 21:1-7And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. ²And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. ⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. ⁵And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. ⁶And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. ⁷He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. [KJV]

Malachi says that those living in the new Earth will walk on the ashes of the old hence the new Earth is not a completely new fabrication because a new fabrication would contain nothing of the old.

Malachi 4:3 (KJV)³ And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

In one sense everybody lives in this one basic realm, heaven and Earth. If you go to heaven then it is a question of how far up.

Isaiah 14:13 (KJV)For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [KJV]

From God's perspective, He lives somewhere in the north, but it is His intention to be at the centre just like He wanted the Tabernacle to be at the centre but that is another story. A funny thing about the Earth is that you can tell north and south but not east and west because of the Earth's rotation. The sides of the Earth turn but the top and bottom remain north and south. Isaiah seemed to know that God lives in the North and He knew that the Earth was a circle long before the scholars. Isaiah 40:22 (KJV) It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:. So did Elihu and Job did not contradict Job 37:22 (KJV) Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty. There are also the symbolism and references to Zion in the North which indicates that those old foolish people knew something that we don't which compelled them to adopt that concept.

So there is also precedent for renewing the Earth but it will happen again and once again it will be a beginning.

Welcome! Article Comments Catalog Table of Contents: tohu and bohu As I see it The Beginning and the End New Heaven and New Earth	faq about Home log in register
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	Creation was not the Beginning
	author: buildontherock published: 2012-02-11 last updated: 2021-03-09
	The book of Genesis starts with in the beginning God which pretty much excludes God from what this beginning refers to i.e. this is not talking about the beginning of God. Continue reading to examine the evidence and you may also want to connect to much more to be said on the subject of creation. I have also gone through a discourse on angels which shows that they were around when the Earth was created. A key scripture here was when Job recorded in chapter 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? which shows that not only God was around but also sons which could only be a reference to angels. So angels are also excepted from this beginning. There is also a beginning spoken of in the book of John. John 1:1-2 KJV 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. This beginning in Genesis then can only include the universe and mankind at most. That leaves us with two options one of which includes tohu and bohu which I find completely reasonable although I prefer the other alternative. tohu and bohu There is a lot of ridicule in recent times about theu ubeu meaning chaotic and waste. Genesis 1:2 (KJV) says: u e artz eithe theu u beu u chshk: And the earth she-became chaos and vacancy and darkness ol -phni theum u ruch aleim mrchphth: over surfaces-of abyss and spirit-of Elohim vibrating ol -phni e mim: over surfaces-of the waters as I understand from ISA basic It says that the earth became chaotic and waste. This understanding of the scriptures fits the evidence thus far presented for what occurred at creation. According to [ISA BASIC] this word eithe (strongs H1961) is translated as was 37 times, became 172 times and as occurred once. It would seem to me that it is a reasonable alternative translation in Genesis 1:2. Based on this interpretation of the Scriptures, in the beginning is referring to a time long before the creation of man. The earth then became waste and empty and then God set out to correct the situation before introducing man. I think that is pretty cool and it makes sense. I agree with the interpretation of the facts but not their conclusion. The context of Genesis 1 is the six-day creation and therefore the beginning must also be related to that in my opinion. There is something else that is worth considering when examining the meaning of tohu and bohu. It occurs in the book of Jeremiah in similar context to Genesis. Jeremiah 4:19-27 (KJV)¹⁹My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.²⁰Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.²¹How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?²²For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.²³I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the hea vens, and they had no light.²⁴I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.²⁵I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.²⁶I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.²⁷For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. This explains what tohu and bohu is all about. It is utter destruction resulting from supernatural forces. Jeremiah is here having a vision of God meting out judgement because there is no way an army in the time of Jeremiah could damage the heavens and shake the mountains. It indicates that the condition of the earth was a consequence of God's presence in judgement. As I see it At the core of this is the understanding that creation as used in Genesis does not mean producing out of thin air. It means making something new out of existing material. I think it is appropriate to start with what should be expected in the context. The context of the Bible is God talking to mankind and Genesis is talking to mankind about the beginning. I would think that God would be telling mankind about man's beginning. If I wanted to tell my child about his beginning I would not talk about in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. It would make more sense to talk about how we prepared for the child by making a home first. If the place where we lived had been damaged I would tell the child how we made sure that it was repaired or if it was newly built I would talk about that to help the child to understand that we wanted him/her. So we should not expect to find God talking about some arbitrary beginning and therefore I would expect the beginning in Genesis to apply to the six-day creation period not eons before. The beginning here is talking about the renewing of the Earth. My proposal then is that the beginning means the beginning of this age; the age of man. It is saying that when God started what He started with was formless. He now puts forms on it and that is why the demons would be here. There are no forms anywhere in their domain any longer. Hebrews 11:3 (KJV)³Through 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. According to Mickelson's Enhanced Strong's Dictionaries of the Greek and Hebrew Testaments the word framed above means: G2675 καταρτίζω katartizo (ka-tar-tiy'-zō) v. 1. to completely form (i.e. completely develop, repair or adjust). 2. to completely repair. 3. to completely reform. God started with a mess that was greatly in need of repair. Repair means that it once functioned differently and that functionality is being restored. Notice also that where you see that the worlds in this verse, it is not referring to heavenly bodies in the Greek. The worlds (Greek :αἰῶνας aiōnas; Strong's 165) is talking about a space of time, an age. It is saying that the age that we live in was repaired. The age of man was a result of repairing another age. The Beginning and the End For every end there is a beginning. If we know what has ended then we know what began. The Bible talks a lot about the end. All of the major prophesies point to the same end for example Daniel and Revelation both coincide. I want to extract what Revelation describes as the End. Peter tells that the end spoken of there is the end of all things (1Peter 4:7) but that does not mean destruction. Easton's Bible Dictionary says Easton's Bible Dictionary says in Heb. 13:7, is the rendering of the unusual Greek word _ekbasin_, meaning "outcome", i.e., death. It occurs only elsewhere in 1 Cor. 10:13, where it is rendered "escape." This is talking about outcomes or conclusions. It does not include angels and it did not say that all matter was destroyed. It is talking about the outcomes for the plan that was started. 2 Peter 3:10-12 (KJV)¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹² Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Notice that this is talking about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is something that happens to people unexpectedly. It happens before the millennium. It comes with the sound of a great trumpet and Peter adds that the heavens will pass away in some form. This will be followed at some time with the earth burning up which is also explained in John. John was given the revelation not Peter. You might notice that this end matches the beginning that I am proposing. My beginning starts with a renewal of an existing earth and this end talks of a renewing of the existing earth after it has been purged with fire. More details are given in the book of Revelation. This end spoken of in Revelation is identified in Revelation 2:6 Revelation 2:26 (KJV)²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: This end comes at the reward of the saints. Both Peter and John are speaking of the same thing. 2 Peter 3:13 (KJV)¹³ Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. As an aside notice that it does not say that there will never be another sin and nobody will ever make another mistake. Instead it says that righteousness will never again be dominated, it will always live, so every act will be treated justly according to God's law. Revelation 21:1 (KJV)¹ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. So this end marks the end of the age of man, or better mortal man in control, consequently the beginning has to be the beginning of the age of mortal man. New Heaven and New Earth God says in Revelation 21 that He is going to renew the heaven (singular) and the Earth. If all things are to be renewed then we are having new angels as well. Other than that, it means that the 'all' in (v5) does not mean all. It could mean all things in this solar system that started in Genesis. The indication is that heaven and Earth is all that there is to consider. It is always a challenge to put all the pieces together and not to include things that are not actually written as facts. Revelation 21:1-7And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. ²And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. ⁴And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. ⁵And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. ⁶And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. ⁷He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. [KJV] Malachi says that those living in the new Earth will walk on the ashes of the old hence the new Earth is not a completely new fabrication because a new fabrication would contain nothing of the old. Malachi 4:3 (KJV)³ And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. In one sense everybody lives in this one basic realm, heaven and Earth. If you go to heaven then it is a question of how far up. Isaiah 14:13 (KJV)For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [KJV] From God's perspective, He lives somewhere in the north, but it is His intention to be at the centre just like He wanted the Tabernacle to be at the centre but that is another story. A funny thing about the Earth is that you can tell north and south but not east and west because of the Earth's rotation. The sides of the Earth turn but the top and bottom remain north and south. Isaiah seemed to know that God lives in the North and He knew that the Earth was a circle long before the scholars. Isaiah 40:22 (KJV) It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:. So did Elihu and Job did not contradict Job 37:22 (KJV) Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty. There are also the symbolism and references to Zion in the North which indicates that those old foolish people knew something that we don't which compelled them to adopt that concept. So there is also precedent for renewing the Earth but it will happen again and once again it will be a beginning.