In the beginning...? If we want to learn more about Mystery Babylon, if we want to discover more of the obscurities of ancient biblical history, we really need to start at the beginning. So many of us were taught that God created the world in six days; and rested on the seventh. For centuries, many of us who believe the Bible have accepted this time-frame as absolute truth. We trusted the men who translated our Bible into English; and that they made no mistakes in methods of translation. Yet, the best way to truly understand the Bible is to look at it in its original Hebrew. What if the original language of the Bible could, perhaps, say some things that are different than what most of us have always believed? These translators - authorized by King James (in the 1611 King James Version) - were, no doubt, under the assumption that the world was created in six days. This was probably something they were always taught; as well as people before them. But, the words of the Hebrew language - as in many languages - can have a variety of meanings. The translators of the King James (our first major translation into English) could have easily tried to "fit" certain English words with their traditional assumptions; not only in regards to creation, but other biblical stories! Take these verses, for example: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. - Gen. 1:1 (KJV) The next verse states that: And the earth was without form, and void... - Gen. 1:2 (KJV) According to C. I. Scofield, Thomas Chalmers, and other biblical scholars, something dramatic may have happened between the time of this first and second verse. Were the King James translators accurate in their translation, or were they based on assumptions? As stated earlier, Hebrew words could easily have more than one meaning. With that in hand, let's see if these early translators indeed tried to translate the words correctly, or try to make the words "fit" into what they have always assumed. In Genesis 1:2, the use of the word was (from the Hebrew word hayah) indicates that something might have taken place beyond what these King James Translators believed. According to Strong's Concordance - a great guide to Hebrew words - this word can also mean "to be," "to come to pass," "to come about," or to "fall out."[1] Did the earth begin the way Genesis 1:2 said it did, or did it become that way? The English words without form, in the above verse, were translated from the Hebrew word tohuw; which can also mean "to lie waste," "that which is wasted," "a place of chaos," or "confusion."[2] The Hebrew word for void is bohuw, here; which can also mean "a state of waste" or "emptiness."[3] If we insert these other possible meanings, we could have an entirely different verse: And the earth came to be a place of chaos, and waste. -or- And the earth had fallen from its original form, and became a place of chaos and waste. The question remains: was the earth created "without form and void" or did something happen to bring it that way? If we look at these verses in this way we could surmise there might have been something of great importance occurring between the first and second verses of the Bible. Also, we see in Genesis 1:1 that God created the heaven and the earth (interestingly enough, the word heaven in the singular). When we look at the end of the Six-Day Creation, however, we see "the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them" (Genesis 2:1). Now, the word is in the plural. Why? Could the first heaven have been formed at the time of Genesis 1:1, and another heaven - possibly one of many - have been formed at the end of the Six-Day Creation? Is it possible there was more than one heaven created by God - created and subsequently destroyed over time? Could some parts of our earth, sky, and beyond, just need a "reworking;" while other parts needed to be created again, outright? As we dig look deeper into this: why would God desire to create a world which is formless and void, anyhow? Isn't a creation supposed to be considered a finished product? 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, he formed it to be inhabited; I am the LORD; and there is none else. - Isa. 45:18 (KJV) Many people believe that the Bible never contradicts itself; the author included. Therefore, if Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God made the earth "not in vain," then that would contradict the meaning of Genesis 1:2! But, what if there was another meaning: could there have been a previously established "world" that God needed to destroy (for whatever reason)? Just like the heaven example (above): could God have needed to establish another organized cosmos in the Six-Day Creation - refashioning a different world, and a different heaven, to replace the former? The Gap Theory agrees with the planet earth (in the wording of Genesis 1:1) as being created by God. But, it also suggest that there might have been an organized, harmonious order to the earth - known as the previous world - created at this same time. For whatever reason beyond our understanding, God might not have been satisfied with this previous world; and decided to destroy it - and remake it into something else. The physical planet (i.e. the earth) remained intact, however. What changed is how the organized cosmos - the present "world" - was set up. This cycle of destruction and reformation might have occurred a number of times, over the life of the planet. Our current world - the world we see right in front of us - might have been reworked from the ashes of a former world's indistinguishable ruin; which adds a different light to our "Six-Day Creation." The physical earth has always been there; the harmonized arrangement of it - the world - was fashioned, and re-fashioned, by God. The following verses of the Bible seem to reinforce the possibility of this theory: Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds… - Heb. 1:2 (KJV) Through 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. - Heb. 11:3 (KJV) Why the plural? Although the Bible could actually be referring to other planets, here; it seems unlikely. II Peter 3 seems to reinforces the above: II Pet. 3: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Many scholars have assumed these verses refer to only Noah and his flood. Yet, could they actually refer to the "world" which might have existed before our own? We notice other verses which seem to argue against these "worlds" as being related to the Flood of Noah: II Sam. 22: 2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 …thou savest me from violence. 5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. 10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. 12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. 15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; and discomfited them. 16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD. Psa. 18: 1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. 4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. 11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. 14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. 15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD. In the flood of Noah, we do not have any account of the earth "shaking" and "trembling." No hail stones. There was only 40 days and nights of rain; not such prevailing darkness. Also, as we'll notice, both of these verses state that the foundation of a new world were, also, brought about! What new world? The flood of Noah didn't devastate the entire world to a point where it had to have a new foundation. Could this have represented another destruction - maybe the world before Adam? In the words of Genesis 1:2, we recall: And the earth was without form, and void... Considering The Gap Theory, couldn't Genesis 1:2 also possibly be describing a planet that had become "without form and void," rather than something newly formed? Couldn't there be the possibility of a new foundation being put in place, here? Again, why would a Creator create something that was already demolished? Makes absolutely no sense, as it sets. Couldn't our current "world" truly be a reformulation of an extinct "world" of the past? This first reinterpretation of Biblical Scripture could easily set the stage for more reinterpretations of early stories in Genesis; possibly allowing them to also be viewed in different ways. The deeper we go, the easier it is to see a whole new view of our early history, as well as our world. On the other side of the coin, however: could we believe that there might be those out there - like those King James translators - who remain bound by tradition; and would rather downplay - even cover up - the possibility of these other interpretations? So, in order for us to go deeper, and find the answers, Untold Garden of Eden may be able to help us unravel a lot more of these obscurities. There is also a lot more to be found in the book The Rise of Mystery Babylon. Footnotes: [1] Strong’s H1961 – hayah, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=H1961&t=KJV.html (accessed Dec. 23, 2009). [2] Strong’s H8414 - tohuw, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=H8414&t=KJV.html (accessed Dec. 23, 2009). [3] Strongs’s H922 - bohuw, http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=H922&t=KJV.html (accessed Dec. 23, 2009). Copyright 2010, Brett T., All Rights Reserved |
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God... (Heb. 11:3) |