Bible Lecture Two

(Under development)

God creates the world

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, deals with the first few thousand years of human history, starting right at the beginning - with the creation of universe. Unlike evolutionist theories, the Bible presents a clear and logical picture of how the world was created in the very first chapter. You should read all of Genesis chapters 1 & 2 if you haven't done so already. The first thing that God creates, on day 1, is light. In the beginning it was dark. This explains why in Jewish tradition, each "day" actually starts at sundown. God took six days to create the world, and the Bible focuses specifically on the things He created on Earth. His final creation, molded in His own image, was man, in the form of Adam. On the seventh day, God rested. Historically, only one day a week was allotted for rest, but in modern times we have two (the weekend). Still, the Judeo-Christian culture reserves one special day for rest and praise for God. In Judaism, it's the Sabbath - Saturday. In Christianity, it's Sunday, when pious people rest, go to church, and honor God. All these traditions stem from the Bible itself.

Adam & Eve

The first person created by God was Adam. God literally breathed life into him. Adam means "man" in Hebrew. God placed Adam in a lush garden (the Garden of Eden), and created animals and plants for the man to eat. In order for the man not to be alone, God created a woman: Eve. She was created out of Adam's ribs. Note how the Bible says that God put Adam in a "deep sleep" before performing the rib extraction. This could be considered Biblical scientific foreknowledge of the advent of anesthesia for surgeries. Furthermore, note how God created a woman to be man's companion - not another man. This is the first of many biblical passages that confirm heterosexual marriage is the only kind supported by God. God gave Adam and Eve free will to do whatever they want - except for one thing: they were not allowed to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, an evil serpent - a manifestation of the Devil - tempted Eve into eating from the forbidden tree. Not only did she eat, but she also gave the fruit to Adam. This disobedience angered God, and he banished Adam and Eve from the Garden. However, note that the benevolent God was quite forgiving - he didn't kill Adam and Eve (as he originally indicated he would do if they ate from the tree), but rather let them live.

Homework

1. It's commonly said that Noah brought two of each animal into the ark. This isn't entirely correct - what does the Bible actually say about this?

2. Why do you think God sometimes refers to Himself in the plural (e.g. "us") in Genesis? (Hint: Could the Old Testament be foreshadowing something here?)

3. List one absurd and unverifiable claim that evolutionists make about the creation of the world.

4. The rivers mentioned in the story of Adam & Eve suggest that the Garden of Eden was in what region of the world?

5. Early humans lived very long (for example, Adam lived 930 years). What passage in Genesis limits the current human lifespan to 120 years?

EXTRA CREDIT:

Conservapedia contains many great satirical pieces about the fallacies of evolution (and humor is indeed a Christian concept - the Gospels contain many early example of humor). Can you create your own satirical article to add to this list?