Journey to see God: Genesis 1-2 “wonderfully made in God's image and likeness”

The watchman continued his “journey to see God” in the Book of Genesis, as led by the Holy Spirit, and he seeks the Lord daily as in Psalm 24:6 (“This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face.”) While seeking the Lord, he beholds the wonders that truly, “The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)

The more he sees the more he is filled with awesome admiration for the Almighty God, Who has revealed Himself as the Creator and the Provider for all who have breath on earth. One thing that stands out in the revelation of these verses is that God is very particular about every detail of His design and pattern. The pattern for earth is in the word of God, the Bible. He required His creation to follow exactly to His original design which He considers as “GOOD”! After man sinned and had fallen short of God's glory, God provided a second creation for all who believe in Jesus Christ and His salvation on the cross, this time, through the supernatural born again experience by exactly the same ingredients: the Holy Spirit and the incorruptible seed of God -the word of God! We are specifically told by Jesus that the new creation is born of God and is of the image and likeness of God, Who is Spirit. (Joh 1:12-13, 3:5-6, 4:23-24; 1 Pet.1:23)

This is the most important truth for all who seek God.

(The watchman's notes are in brackets after the following respective verses as he read them.)

THE MAKE OF MANKIND: ACCORDING TO THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD

Genesis 1:26-30

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.” ²⁷ So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.²⁸ God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. ³⁰ And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant.” And that is how it was. ³¹ God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.

(In the beginning, God already stated that He rules over all. However, He made humankind in His image and likeness, so that they could be given the power of attorney to rule over all the earth in His name. As long as humankind remain in God's image and likeness, they may carry out this kingly responsibility.)

(Jesus has similarly warned on this subject: in John 15:4-6 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” )

(As Jesus has declared, unless Christians are of the image and likeness of Jesus Himself, they are of no use in the kingdom of God!)

GOD DESIGNED AN IDEAL LIFE FOR MANKIND AND ALL LIVING CREATURES

Genesis 2 (CJB)

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. 2 On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.

(God showed how He designed an ideal life. He created a brand new world and made sure everything was well and orderly and provided the best for the inhabitants. He set out one day to mark the completion and at the same time to provide refreshment for those who abide in His rest. Only by drawing near to God and resting in the presence of God can one be refreshed and made ready for the next phase of good work. To God the day of rest is set apart for Him only. No one is to pursue self interest on that day. God only asks for one day out of seven days. But the carnal Christians complain that is too much!)

ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE THE BEST ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCES FOR AN IDEAL LIFE ON EARTH

(A: iv, S: ii) 4 Here is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created. On the day when Adonai, God, made earth and heaven, 5 there was as yet no wild bush on the earth, and no wild plant had as yet sprung up; for Adonai, God, had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no one to cultivate the ground. 6 Rather, a mist went up from the earth which watered the entire surface of the ground.

(Even the growth of wild plants require the rain input from God. When God stops rain no plants can grow. Just look at the horrors of prolonged drought around the world today and we know how true this is! Man can never create water out of nothing.)

MEN AND TREES WERE MADE FROM THE SAME MATERIALS: DUST

7 Then Adonai, God, formed a person from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being. 8 Adonai, God, planted a garden toward the east, in ‘Eden, and there he put the person whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground Adonai, God, caused to grow every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

(God created man and trees out of the earth/ground. Yet He treated the man as special. He gave man His breath to make him alive. He even took care to make sure the trees are pleasing to look at and good for food so the man would be attracted to eat them and survive on earth!)

WATERS FROM HEAVEN AND WATERS FROM EARTH

10 A river went out of ‘Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four streams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it winds throughout the land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gichon; it winds throughout the land of Kush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that flows toward the east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

(God cares for the earth He created. He provides rivers of waters for the earth. The physical rivers store waters for the earth. Rivers on earth can run dry. There are spiritual storehouses for waters in heavens. When the windows of heaven are opened, the rain pours down, as in the case of the great flood at Noah's time. Rain from heaven evidences God's blessings. Duet.28:12a (CEB) “The Lord will open up for you his own well-stocked storehouse, the heavens, providing your land with rain at just the right time and blessing all your work.” )

(Note the provision of “rivers of living water for the hearts” of those who believe in Jesus, John 7:38. Like the earth, man's body needs physical water to survive. However, there is now another “water” which man's total survival must have, the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit in the believers flows, nourishes and strengthens the inner man. Praying in the Spirit is an important way to tap into this mighty river within us.)

End Times Bible Study: Know Your God -BE SEPARATE!

The watchman was led to read Genesis Chapter One. He was prompted before the last year ended. He was again prompted today. He obeyed this time. Indeed, the direction to “READ” and the promise of “OPEN” materialized. He was blessed. He believed the message is urgent and relevant for many who seek to know God now, TODAY.

Here is how he read the message from above today. He recorded what he has received in brackets.

Genesis 1 (NLT)

The Account of Creation (of this world we know)

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.^{[a] 2}The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

(In the beginning, God created. Note the Presence of the Spirit of God. God spoke His Word to create as shown in the rest of this chapter. In John 6:63, Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life“).

³ Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

(The word “SEPARATE” is the dominant theme of God’s creation. First creation was LIGHT. God SEPARATED Light from Darkness above the earth. “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of Light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.” Ephesians 5:8-9).

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” ⁷ And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. ⁸ God called the space “sky.”
(Second creation was SPACE-called SKY. God SEPARATED things of Heavens from things of Earth. )
And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. ¹² The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
(Third creation was SEED. Seed produces seeds which in turn produce seeds. This is how life continues on earth. The Word is Seed. The words of God are seeds. Jesus said in Mark4:14 “The sower sows the word.” God SEPARATED seed/Word bearing and non-seed/Word bearing. Jesus said in John 15:7 “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”. )
¹³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
¹⁴ Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the seasons, days, and years. ¹⁵ Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
(Fourth creation was TIME. Signs to mark off time. God separated Day from Night, Light from Darkness on earth. )
¹⁹ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
(Fifth creation was: LIVING THINGS in waters and skies, fish and birds. His direction: “Multiply and Fill up“. They too have seeds to procreate offspring of the same kind. God SEPARATED each kind).
²³ And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. ²⁵ God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

(Sixth creation: Living things on earth. He separated each kind. They too have seeds to procreate offspring of the same kind. God SEPARATED each kind).

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings^[b] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
²⁷ So God created human beings^[c] in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

(Seventh creation: “MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD“. God SEPARATED those of His image and those not of His image: the God-like and the UN-God-like. The Rulers and those being ruled. )

²⁸ Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

(God’s direction to Human beings: FILL and REIGN. Note their reigning was over the living things on earth and in the sky. They had no authority over other beings, like the evil spirits or the spiritual beings in heavens. But this has changed since the fall of man through Adam. Man lost the reigning authority. However, when the Son of God-Jesus was crucified on the cross He redeemed us from the fall. Revelation 5:10 (KJV) “¹⁰And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” GOD SEPARATED THOSE WHO REIGN AND THOSE WHO DO NOT!)

²⁹ Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.³⁰ And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
³¹ Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

(Overall summary: “BE SEPARATE”!)