Jack T. Chakhesang
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the mid-1960s, African American singer Connie Francis sang a song “Never on a Sunday” which was an immediate hit and is still popular today. The song penned by Manos Hadjidakis starts with the lyrics:
“Oh you can kiss me on a Monday, a Monday is very, very good. Or you can kiss on a Tuesday, a Tuesday, in fact I wish you would. Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday, or Saturday is best.
“But never, never on a Sunday, a Sunday, a Sunday cause that’s my day of Rest.“Come any day and you will be my guest; any day you say but my day of rest….”
Now in this present life, we are made to understand that on the seventh day, that is the Sabbath (Sunday) we ought not to do certain things. However, going to Church is regarded as something that is a must although we may not always adhere to it.
It is also true that majority of the people pray to their God especially on a Sunday. Here is where one wonders that while God Himself is supposed to rest on Sunday, the billion-plus Christians pray to Him for very many various reasons. In that sense He probably does not get much rest.
The seventh day as mentioned in the Bible refers primarily to His rest from the act of creation spread over millennia, billions of years in fact.
LUCIFER’S REBELLION
AND WAR OF THE ANGELS
The angels were created sometime during creation week. They were not in existence prior to that. It is most likely the angels were created early-on, as they were apparently observers of the work of creation. The Bible does not explain or justify the existence of God or the devil; the existence of evil is already clear by Genesis, chapter 3. He first appears in Genesis as a serpent—probably a dazzlingly beautiful creature, as subtle counterfeit of the presence of God.
From Scriptures we know that good and fallen angels war against one another because of Lucifer’s cosmic ambitions against God. The warring angels evidently used powerful weapons rather than mere swords of steel. We would expect such mighty creatures, with such vast influence, to have weaponry in advance of that imagined for Space Defense Initiative, and even beyond the imaginative concepts raised for sci-fi entertainment in “Star Trek” and “Star Wars.”
In the war, about one-third of the angels sided with Lucifer and was finally hurled down to Earth.
LUCIFER DESTROYED EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM
Satan destroyed this world’s ability to support life because he wanted to stop the soul evolution. Lucifer knew that Reincarnation was how God was making it possible for the souls of mankind to have enough opportunities to finally discover their God consciousness.
The rebellion of Lucifer is also the missing information that ties Evolution and Creation together, as well as the paradox of Reincarnation and the Resurrection. Afterwards, Lucifer’s name (which had many versions) was changed from “Bringer of Light” to Satan which means “the enemy that destroys.”
GOD REPAIRS THE EARTH
The fossil records that indicate that life has been on this planet for billions of years are correct. Genesis 1:1 states that God created the heavens and the earth, and it can be claimed that science does not contradict that statement with Big Bang Theory.
The definition, was, in Genesis 1:2 could be better translated as the phrase, “It came to pass”. The original Hebrew meant, “And it came to pass that the earth became a lifeless wasteland empty and chaotic,” and that Lucifer’s rebellion is what brought about the tragedy.
But Genesis plainly says that God created the Sun and Moon on the fourth day. Why would God put plants on the earth on the third day before creating a Sun on the fourth day? Science knows the Sun came before the Earth. Genesis does not contradict Science.
DAY 1: BLACK SMOKE AND DARK
CLOUDS COVERED THE EARTH
Imagine the world as being frozen and covered with a dark atmosphere, choking with smoke and clouds so thick with corruption that no light could glimmer through it. Lucifer’s destruction was so complete that only a few sea creatures were still alive.
The seas were close to freezing up and if the Spirit of God hadn’t intervened then eventually, even the deep sea creatures would have died. Genesis 1:2 begins with Spirit of God hovering over the water. Obviously, science understands the universe was not created from water. By believing both Science and Genesis we can have understanding.
CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO NUCLEAR WINTER
This theory sounds almost like a nuclear winter. In fact, it might explain why the mammoths were frozen so quickly that many had food still in their mouths. That has always been a puzzle as to how or why they became frozen so quickly and suddenly.
Research indicates many species disappeared over night geologically speaking. Somewhere between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago we lost mammoths, saber toothed tigers, giant armadillos and such. The best current theory is violent climatic changes. Perhaps Lucifer was responsible for the violent weather changes and volcanic eruptions.
God divided the light from the darkness. On the first day God cleared the atmosphere enough for light to penetrate. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.
DAY 2: THE ICE MELTS
“Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” And God called the firmament Heaven. The temperature of the earth was so cold that the seas were beginning to freeze and the land was covered in deep ice and snow. God warmed the earth so that water separated from the ice to become water below and rain and clouds above. This is what is meant to divide the waters from the waters to create the heavens. And the evening and the morning were the second day
DAY 3: DRY LAND AND PLANTS APPEAR
God commanded: “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.” And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. Warming the Earth and melting of the ice created massive flooding.
The obvious meaning of Genesis 1:10 needs no further explanation. Okay, so the water finally settled in the low areas revealing the land. The possible meaning is not usually understood off the cuff but it makes sense.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth, and it was so.” And the evening and the morning were the third day.
So far so good, but it still has to be explained why God created the Sun and Moon and Stars on the fourth Day! Sounds like a flaw. But do not forget the atmosphere. On Day 2 the ice had just turned into water and clouds but the atmosphere wasn’t clear yet. Clouds still covered the earth heavily on Day three. As it rained and flooded, God brought the water loving plants back into the world but the cloudy steamy atmosphere prevented a clear view of the celestial heavens.
On flipping back to Genesis, you will find that the tense is present tense on day four not past tense. It doesn’t say “God had made” it says “God made.”
DAY 4: SUN, MOON AND STARS REVEALED
And God said, “Let the lights in the firmament of the heaven divide the day from the night for they are the signs of days, seasons, and years.” The lights in the firmament of the heaven will give light upon the earth. And God made the heavens shine with two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.
The stars also were seen in their glory shining from the heavens. For God had set the sun and stars in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
From this it follows that it does make sense that the Sun and Stars preceded the Earth. What God did on the fourth day was finish clearing up the air and break up the cloud cover. The Sun, Moon and Stars were hidden up to this time because the atmosphere had become so polluted and dark by the War of the Angels. This theory at least matches the scientific record. Obviously, the sun came before the earth and certainly wasn’t created a day after God put plants on the Earth.
Therefore, Genesis 1:1 says God created the heavens and the earth. The Sun, Moon and Stars are part of the heavens. Verse 2 is later in the timeline; it is not a detailed commentary of verse 1. Verse 1 stands alone. God created the heavens and the Earth, period. The heavens are mentioned again in verse 4, billions of years later than verse 1 in the timeline. The Sun, Moon and Stars existed before the rebellion of Lucifer and were hidden by the darkness created by Lucifer. God cleared the air for the plants restored on day 3 so that they could have sunshine.
BIBLICAL HEBREW IS NOT A ‘TENSE’ LANGUAGE
Genesis 1 is a record of God repairing the damage caused by Lucifer’s war. On the fourth day the clouds were cleared by God so that the Sun, Moon and Stars could be seen. Maybe it will help if you understand that there is no such thing as ‘tense’ in biblical Hebrew. Hebrew is not a ‘tense’ language. Modern grammarians recognize that it is an “aspectual” language.
This means that the same form of a verb can be translated as past, present, or future depending on the context and grammatical cues. So, when it references the Sun, Moon and Stars, the original Hebrew does not indicate when the Sun, Moon and Stars were made, (that is present tense) but simply a statement that God made them to be for times and seasons and so forth.
DAY 5: FISH AND BIRDS RESTORED
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth in the waters did God create. And every winged fowl did God place for His pleasure.”
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
DAY 6: ANIMALS AND MANKIND RESTORED
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, male and female, created He them.”
It can thus be seen that Lucifer’s rebellion could create the illusion that Evolution and the Genesis are paradoxes. So when do we ever take a stand?
The Sabbath is where we make our stand. And on the seventh day God rested and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. Life walks to physical death at any time. But our souls will continue in search of the Valhalla or wherever it is that we deserve to go based on our performance on Mother Earth!
So, whatever ones does, always honour the rites of the Sabbath. And if necessary, even insist, “Never on a Sunday!”
