LIFE AFTER THE FIRST FLOOD

You are invited to walk through the first two chapters of the book of Genesis with me. 

 This, as we've been told, 

is the account of our creation. 

The Sunday School stories of Adam and Eve. There's the Snake, the Tree and the Apple. There's the very first man and woman that ever existed ....... our Primal parents. 

We should accept it as it has been taught, 'cause those who taught it to us, went to Bible school for it. And, if it wasn't for such people, no one would ever believe in the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus either.

Don't take my facetious remarks too seriously. 

I don't mean to offend anyone. However, we cannot gain the understanding of any subject if we are not serious enough to maintain an objective approach. So please, put the Sunday School story of Adam and Eve out of your mind for a few moments. Walk with me through the first two chapters of Genesis as if covering new ground. 

 Let me show you what I see. Afterwards (just like me), we all will go on to believe whatever we choose to believe. That's just the way it is. Farewell my friend, until we meet again. No problem.

But, if you're still here reading, let's get going.

Some Bible students believe the flood of Noah's time was global in scope. Others believe it was more localized, destroying civilization just as far as it had spread. But, the flood of Noah was not the first flood; and the first flood definitely was global. In fact, planet earth was born in water.

Please bear with me. I walk through the Bible in the same way I often walk through the woods ... very slowly, stopping often, being sure to take everything in. I love the woods. And, I love the Bible.

Let's begin at the beginning: Genesis 1: 1-2:

"In the beginning God created the 

heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, 

and void; and darkness was upon 

the face of the deep. 

And the Spirit of God moved 

upon the face of the waters."

Here we see that "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Up to this point, we really do not know how much water was present. We only know that it is the first thing God is dealing with as far as earth is concerned. But that question is resolved in verse 9.

(Genesis 1:9)

"And God said, Let the waters 

under the heaven be gathered 

together unto one place, and let 

the dry land appear: and it was so". 

This statement lets us know that, up to this point, dry land did not even appear. Therefore, the entire globe was under water. It was totally flooded.

As upheavals raised the land, mountains and hills left valleys and great basins to catch the run-off resulting in vast land-locked lakes and seas. A continent was born with internal bodies of water caught in the low lying areas. Beyond the boundaries of the continent lay a vast ocean that encompassed the entire planet.

Something else should be noted at this point. The rather modern science of plate tectonics says that all the continents fit together like the pieces of a colossal puzzle; and that there was a time in the past that they were all together in one super continent they call Pangaea Wikipedia link article on Pangaea, you can scroll down to a Pangaea animation). But first, below is a short video from another source. 

The Bible supports this concept. Notice that verse 9 says "And God said, let the dry land appear ". He did not say "let the dry lands appear". Only one land (singular) is mentioned here.

In verses 10 through 12, the seas and lakes collect in the low areas, grass and trees develop upon the land. The narrative continues on to verses 20 and 21 before the first animal life is mentioned. And it is surprising to see that birds were brought forth from the water.

In verse 12 we find the phrase "bring forth abundantly". Notice it doesn't say that God himself created the animal life by fiat, out of nothing. But, at His command, "the waters brought forth abundantly."

When this phrase is applied to the Strong's Concordance of Hebrew words, it reads :

"Let the waters 

[Hebrew -mayim "water as euphemism, semen"] 

bring forth abundantly 

[Heb. - sharats "wriggle, swarm, abound, breed"] 

the moving creature 

[Heb. sherets "swarm, active mass of minute animals] 

that hath 

[Heb. - nephesh "breathing animal, beast"] 

life 

[Heb. - chaykhahee "is alive].

Imagine witnessing this process. All the chemical components are already present. God instructs them to come together as His act of creating physical life. A fluid first appears in the water. Soon, something can be seen moving in it - wriggling, swarming and breeding to abundance. A swarming mass of minute "animals" - microscopic organisms breed themselves into view. Swarming, breeding, growing into view, developing in complexity before your eyes until a complex animal swims or flies away.

It is really amazing that this creating mechanism of God still surrounds everyone of us, and yet we don't seem to notice it.

In the area of Pennsylvania where I live, there are some very large trees. There are the Oaks, the Sycamore, Beech and Hemlock (our state tree). Many reading this will find the same trees growing in your areas. Now just consider the size of a great Oak tree. A large tree such as this can weigh several tons. It can smash a house if it were ever to fall on it. Now, consider where it came from. And also consider that it is a living thing.

Now imagine a grassy meadow with no trees in it. A traveling Fox squirrel, moving from the woods on top of the hill, crosses the meadow as it searches for new territory in the woods near the bottom. It looses the acorn it had been carrying while being chased by a Fox across the meadow.

Now the chemical components necessary to construct an Oak tree had always been in that meadow, however no tree had ever grown there. But now, a little packet of instructions from the mind of God had been placed in proximity to those components.

The Oak tree is not inside the acorn. All that will make up the Oak tree is in the ground. Only the instructions are in the acorn. The seed releases its "chemical message" as the sunlight and warm spring rains work on it. The earth is commanded to "build" an Oak tree. A stem rises above the ground. A leaf opens to use the sun to power photosynthesis that it might accelerate it's development. Water in the ground acts as a medium to carry the necessary nutrients and chemical components to the developing root system. Seventy five years later it shades the back yard of a new home where children swing on a rope hanging from one of it's massive limbs.

That same plot of ground could have just as easily produced a tomato plant .... or an onion. Or any thousands of different kinds of plants. But it could not have produced anything without instructions. That is what a seed is. Nothing more than Instructions. This happens every year in millions of gardens around the world. And we seldom think of what a miracle it is.

If one were to dig up the seed prematurely, he would find what appears to be a decomposing mass. He would not find a tree, a tomato plant, nor an onion. These things are not in the seed. They are in the ground. Only the instructions are in the seed.

TIME LAPSE VIDEO OF AN ACORN

This is the same process described in Genesis 1: 20-21 as referring to how God brought the first animals into being through the chemical components of the earth also.

Now things really get interesting as we travel through the last nine verses of Genesis 1.

Remember, this is the creation account of Genesis chapter one. It is distinct from the creation account of chapter two. And, as we move along, I want to point out these distinctions.

Notice that in verse 24, we come to the beginning of the sixth day. Now we move out of the area of the water, and the animals that were created by using it. 

At the beginning of the sixth day, we find ourselves on dry land; and what are the FIRST things that are created? They are the animals. Take note that the phrase, "of the field" is not seen anywhere in chapter one. The trees, fish, birds, and beasts created here, in chapter one, are not the domesticated kind intended for agriculture. These are the wild animals, plants and birds.

Furthermore, all the wild things of the plant and animal kingdoms were created before there was ever a man. We have not come to the creation of mankind yet. After the entire natural world is up and running, we finally come to verse 26.

In verse 26, we see two members of the Elohim [God]. One speaks up and says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, ......" (See ABOUT THE FAMILY OF GOD for more information on the Elohim].

Immediately following this statement, mankind is created in the image of the Gods present; and they (mankind) were created male and female.

Verse 27:

"So God created man in his own image, 

in the image of God created he him;

 male and female created he them."

These two human beings were created at the same time. 

Furthermore, there were two of them: male and female. They were given dominion over all other life forms on the earth, plant and animal. These people were not to be farmers. 

All things were to be food for them; and they were to hunt and gather it to themselves as needed. You can read about this in verses 28 through 30. 

Then in verse 31, God evaluated all that had been done, and at the evening came to the sixth day, He said, "It was very good".

Now we move on to Genesis chapter two. Notice that the wording of Genesis two takes the first four verses to get across the fact that the first period of creation was complete. 

Now, in the fifth verse we encounter the phrase "of the field" for the very first time. This phrase does not refer to any of the wild plants, birds or animals mentioned in the first chapter of Genesis. This phrase refers to the agricultural types: Cattle, sheep, chickens, etc.

The man and woman created in chapter one were to be nomadic, following the season and animals as they migrated. They were hunter - gathers living off the fat of the land. Now, we are about to see the first agricultural type of man being formed. This is the second period of creating; and, it has some contrasting differences from the first.

This time, in chapter 2, this strain of human beings is formed and made before the animals, which is the opposite of the creation sequence in chapter one. 

Also, the animals and plants created here in chapter 2 are of the domestic type, "of the field". In addition, whereas the male and female were created in the same creating act in chapter one, here the man is not created, he is "formed".  And, he is formed first not simultaneously; and apparently he existed alone for quite some time before the female was made.

Let's begin in Genesis 2:5 ....."and there was not a man to till the ground."  

This does not say there was no man. It says there is no man to till the ground ..... no farming type. The type that stays put and develops the land. In fact, looking at that statement, we can see that God is referring back to something that the reader should already understand. He is referring back to a "man". A man that was created previously. The hunter - gatherers.

Chapter 2, verses 7-8:

"And the LORD God formed man of 

the dust of the ground, and breathed into 

his nostrils the breath of life; and man 

became a living soul.

And the LORD God planted a garden 

eastward in Eden; and there he put 

the man whom he had formed."

Here man is "formed" out of material that already existed. The Hebrew word for formed is "yatsar". It means "squeezed into shape, moulded into form". 

 In chapter one, the man and woman were not formed and made, but they were both "created" at the same time. This word is from the Hebrew "bara", meaning to "select as a formative process".

At one point, this man in Genesis two, was completely formed but not  yet living. God then jump-started him through artificial respiration.

Mouth to mouth resuscitation is accepted today as being far superior to all the other obsolete methods that used to be taught before the 1970's. If it is a baby, that is being revived, it is taught to place the mouth over the baby's mouth and nose. 

 It is interesting that God breathed into Adam's "nostrils" and he became a living soul. The Bible doesn't say how old Adam was when he was formed. However, there is a passage of time indicated in the subsequent events after his formation.

Notice, God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and after that, when He placed Adam there, the "planted" garden was full of trees.

On to verses 18-20:

"And the LORD God said, 

It is not good that the man should 

be alone; I will make him an 

help meet for him.

And out of the ground the LORD 

God formed every beast of the field, 

and every fowl of the air; and brought 

them unto Adam to see what he would

 call them: and whatsoever Adam called

 every living creature, that was the name thereof.

And Adam gave names to all cattle, 

and to the fowl of the air, and to 

every beast of the field; but for Adam 

there was not found an help meet for him."

God has remarked that it is not good for man to be alone (tell that to the celibate priests) so He plans to make a woman of his type. But first, God forms the necessary farm animals and lets Adam give them names.

After all of that, God put Adam in a coma and used part of his very being to make (Heb. "build, repair; or [the ladies will like this], advance") a woman. That is, a womb-man (but maybe they won't be too excited about that one). Verses 21-25.

The story of the Trees, the temptation, the Serpent is too large in scope to cover here. Some of the information is touched upon in the article called "TREES".

For now, we will move on to some events that occurred after the two sons Cain and Abel were born. As time went by, the first born son, Cain killed his brother Abel.

Now we need to stop right here, and think about things up to this point. Put aside all you have read so far. Put it on the shelf and go back to the Sunday School lesson. Pretend you are not aware of the creation of the hunter - gatherers in chapter one. As far as you know Adam was the first man. Eve was the first woman. That makes only two people on the entire planet. But, eventually two sons are born, so that makes four people total. However, one of the boys kills the other one. So now there are only three people left. Right?

Ok, let's go on. God deals with Cain on this matter. He sentences him to a nomadic life outside of the garden of Eden in a land whose name means "the land of wandering" .... the land of Nod.

When Cain hears this, a certain fear ensues. He voices this concern to God thus:

(Genesis 4: 13-14)

" My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Behold, thou hast driven me out this 

day from the face of the earth; 

and from thy face shall I be hid; 

and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond 

in the earth; and it shall come to pass,

 that every one that findeth me shall slay me." 

Say what?   What'd he say? 

Everyone that finds him will kill him? 

Who is he talking about? 

Besides himself, isn't there only his mom and dad left?

Ok. Now's the time to pull your understanding back off the shelf. You know who God and Cain are talking about. It's the hunter - gatherers that were created first, and have now grown in population to the point of having a region named after them ... the land of Nod.

God seems to understand his concern, however. So he gives Cain a "mark" : 

(Genesis 4: 15)

"And the LORD said unto him, 

Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, 

vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. 

And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, 

lest any finding him should kill him."

The Hebrew word for mark as used here is "owth". It means an identifying thing such as a beacon, a flag, or a medallion."

God knew Cain's concern was a real one. There already were people "outside" the garden who probably would kill him without knowing what he had done. Cain wasn't concerned that they would be seeking justice. He knew they would kill him just for being there. And he would be immediately noticed because his appearance was different than theirs.

This is the way one should walk through the Bible. Slow down. Stop and consider. Contemplate. Notice everything, but take nothing for granted. Or, as the apostle Paul once said, "Be noble".

Acts 17:11

"These were more noble than 

those in Thessalonica, in 

that they received the word 

with all readiness of mind, 

and searched the scriptures 

daily, whether those things were so."

Sometimes there is just too much to take in 

all at once no matter how slow we go. 

 Often, when hunting ginseng in the deep woods of Pennsylvania, I will stop and look back at the area I had just walked through, just to see things from a different perspective. I try to notice things that stand out when looking back. These "snapshots" come in handy when walking back out of the woods. On occasion, I have seen a large four-prong ginseng plant hiding beneath a clump of greenbrier, that I had somehow managed to miss even though I traveled slowly and purposefully tried to notice everything.

Reading the Bible is like that. There's something way back there I want you to see. It just didn't seem right to point it out as we began this walk. But now, that you've maybe gotten used to the idea that there might have been someone living on this earth before Adam and Eve, it seems a good time to take a look at it.

In your mind's eye, turn and look back even beyond the hunter - gathers. All we expect to see is a global flood, or more probable, Pangaea (remember the single super land mass?). 

 But there's a bit of information given to the hunter - gathers that causes us to suspect that there was even more to know. Life on earth BEFORE even that flood; and on Pangaea before the hunter - gathers. There were the dinosaurs, colossal vegetation and insects; and somewhere during those days , there was man.

There is also reason to believe there was a great period of time between the first two verses of Genesis, chapter one.

The problem is how the Hebrew word "hayah" was translated. Nearly everywhere else it is translated as "came to be", or "it came to Pass" indicating a passage of time. Here, they translated it in such a manner that one is inclined to think God created it "without form and void".

Look at it:

"In the beginning God created the 

heaven and the earth. 

And the earth was 

[haya = came to be]

 without form, and void; and darkness 

was upon the face of the deep."

Now, the reason I believe this is so, is because what the earth did become is described as  "without form and void".

 Those words are from the Hebrew "tohu and bohu" meaning "in vain." Did God create the earth in that condition? Nope!

That's not what Isaiah said. He did not create it that way, but, through the passage of time, it came to be that way.

(Isaiah 45:18)

"For thus saith the LORD that created 

the heavens; God himself that formed

 the earth and made it; he hath established 

it, he created it not in vain [tohu - "vain"], 

he formed it to be inhabited: 

I am the LORD; and there is none else."

I am forced into thinking there was life on earth between verses one and two, until Pangaea split up, for several reasons. Let's take a look at a few of them before closing this article.

First, there are fossils. They do exist. Any sensible reasoning wouldn't place them anywhere within the last 5,000 to 10,000 years. Yet, as stark evidence of a remote time, they are on display in museums all around the world. Dinosaurs must have populated Pangaea before its break up because, as the video showed, matching fossils have been found on opposite sides of the oceans from where the plates have traveled. Following the dinosaurs, fossils of man have also been found. Some recent claims have it that man may have existed for part of the dinosaur era. 

Second, what about the fossil bones of what have come to be called "cave man"? They don't seem to go back to the beginning of the dinosaur record, but they DO go way, way back. If it is not to them, that God is inferring in Genesis 1:28 (that I'm about to show you) , then who is it? 

Third, I know what the prefix "re" means. And, when added to "plenish" it means (according to the Dictionary in my computer) to "refill, restock, restore, or replace". 

That is what replenish means. Now look at what God told the Pre-Adamic hunter - gatherers:

(Genesis 1:28)

"And God blessed them, 

and God said unto them, 

Be fruitful, and multiply, 

and replenish the earth," 

They were being instructed to restock it, refill it, to replace what had been there before the demise of Pangaea. That world, we know nothing about. It could have been inhabited by beings created by God, of which we know nothing. It could have been inhabited by the sons and daughters of God.

There have been wars in heaven. And, a watery grave seems to have been the imprisonment for some who needed to "cool their heels", learn a lesson, and wait for their salvation and release just like mankind.

A couple things to think on:

Remember reading of Jesus casting a legion of demonic spirits out of one man? They thought Jesus was going to destroy them. Instead, He sent them into a herd of pigs that happened to be in the area. He must have also commanded the pigs, for all of them ran head-long down a hill and into the sea where they died and the spirits were released. What was that for?

Imagine if you had been imprisoned beneath the waves for eons before Pangaea was raised because of a rebellion aimed at God and His plan. Jesus was a man, they were spirit. Even though they knew who He was, they felt superior and began to offer Him "conditions" concerning His command to come out of the man. That display of driving them once again beneath the waves drove home the point of just Who it was that was talking to them!

(Jude 13)

"Raging waves of the sea, 

foaming out their own shame;

 wandering stars,

 [stars symbolizes spirit beings] 

to whom is reserved the blackness 

of darkness for ever

 [Forever = Gr."aion" which means "for an age", and not for eternity. " 

Also, there is a voluminous amount of physical evidence that demands the existence of intelligent, and technically capable, civilizations on earth before the presence of Adam and Eve.

Here's one article on the subject out of hundreds that exist on the internet today:

The Canadian National Newspaper - "A Pre-Historic Nuclear War?"

I hope you have found this walk interesting.

Keep studying. Go for the Mystery!