The Creation By God
Mr. Malcolm B. MacJannet is a retired missionary to Angola, now residing in Vista, Calif. His comments are in response to Mr. Jerry Clark’s article on Genesis 1 which appeared in the March-April issue of Focus.
That the words translated “create” and “make” are used synonymously is seen from the following Scriptures: Genesis 1:26, 27: 2:2, 3, 4; 9:6; Hebrews 1:2; Revelation 14:7. That the words “form” and “frame” are also used of God’s creative act is evidenced in Genesis 2:7; 2:19; Psalm 95:5 & Zechariah 12:1. The New Testament word “framed” (Hebrews 11:3) would also seem to comprehend this.
That God created the world and the universe according to His design and purpose in six literal days is shown by their being limited by the “evening and the morning” according to the Hebrew reckoning, and also by His resting on the seventh day (Genesis 2: 23 with Exodus 20:10-11).
Genesis 1:1 and 2:1-4 are prefatory. What follows is the account in detail which God the Holy Spirit has been pleased to grant for our illumination. The “gap theory” is neither scientific nor necessary. In fact, the six-day creation is absolutely contrary to evolution in its order and manner.
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (Mark 10:6), in reference to the creative acts of God taking place after five other days had past — would point to it as the prime, original and only creation of God revealed.
The statement of the Holy Scriptures as to a “fiat creation” (i.e., by command, by speaking and the establishing of that spoken into being) leads to the conclusion that there has been no such judgment of the original creation, as maintained by some, nor its resultant catastrophic condition and chaos (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 14, 20; Psalm 33:6; 148:5; Jeremiah 10:12).
Finally and conclusively, we read in Hebrews 11:3 that “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.” That is, they were created, made out of nothing, so that in six literal days Jehovah God made heaven and earth, and there could not have been a restoration, a second creation or recreation.
Does not the universal flood (i.e., deluge) of Noah’s day account for conditions on the earth now geologically? We believe that it does.