Genesis 1:14-19

Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler

DAY FOUR (Genesis 1:14-19)

Genesis 1:14-19

And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

These verses speak of formation of the sun, moon, stars, planets… essentially, the entire universe as we know it. Hence, the following are the major topics associated with verses Genesis 1:14-19 that will be discussed:

·      The Nebular Hypothesis

·      The Stars and Planets

·      Signs in the Heavens

·      The “Appointed Times”

THE NEBULAR HYPOTHESIS

In simple terms, the Nebular Hypothesis states that the sun is the origin of the solar system.

General History of Nature and Theory of the Heavens, Immanuel Kant, 1755

“Some four billion years ago, the sun had ejected a tail, or a filament, of material that cooled and collected and thus formed the planets…“

About 21 years earlier, Emanuel Swedenborg said the same thing (in Latin) in Prodromus Philosophiae Retiocinantis de Infinito et Cause Creationis, 1734.

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772)

Emanuel Swedenborg was a mining engineer with a wide range of interests who also claimed to have psychic powers. He claimed confirmation of his Nebular Hypothesis from séances with men on Jupiter, Saturn and places more distant. Or, more likely, Swedenborg got his ideas during his visit with Edmund Halley at Cambridge about 20 years earlier. (Halley was famous for his predictions regarding the comet that still bears his name.)

Pierre Simon Laplace (1749- 1827) lent his endorsement to Kant’s theory but without checking the mathematical validations he was capable of providing. Thus, the Nebular Hypothesis gained widespread respectability despite serious mathematical flaws. Subsequent writers have continued to develop variations of this view even though increasing difficulties render it rather doubtful.

Problems with the hypothesis

The sun contains 99.86% of all the mass of the solar system. Yet the sun contains only 1.9% of the angular momentum, while the other planets contain 98.1% -- If the sun was truly the origin, the percentages would be the other way around! This fact was known in the time of Laplace a century ago, yet it was ignored to promote this hypothesis. There is still no plausible explanation that would support a solar origin of the planets.

James Jeans (1877-1946) pointed out that the outer planets are far larger than the inner ones. Jupiter is 5,750 times as massive as mercury, 2,958 times as massive as Mars, etc. This fact also conflicts with current theories.

There are three pairs of rapid-spin rates among our planets, each within 3% of each other: Earth and Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and Neptune and Uranus. Why? Earth and Mars have virtually identical spin axis tilts (about 23.5°). Why? From angular momentum and orbital calculations, it would seem that three pairs of these planets might have been brought here from elsewhere.

Why does Mars have 93% of its craters in one hemisphere and only 7% in the other? This suggests that over 80% of the craters occurred within a single half-hour!

All of the above facts above directly oppose the Nebular Hypothesis.

THE STARS AND PLANETS

Galaxies

All spiral galaxies have similar twists. But, the laws of physics tell us that the galaxies farthest away from us had to release their light long before the closer galaxies. The farther galaxies also did not have as much time to rotate and twist their arms. Thus, the closer galaxies should have the most twist – But they don’t. This suggests that all the galaxies must have formed all at the same time. If the speed of light was a million times faster in the past, that would account for their twist being so similar. The scientific data therefore better support God (or, for the non-believers, a “force”) creating the whole universe instantaneously than through billions of years “trial and error.”

The Planet Mars

Mars is the 4th major planet from the Sun and was named after the Roman god of War. Most of the early civilizations were terrified of it, to the point of even worshiping it. It is the Baal of the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Kings 23:5).

Why?

First, consider the following facts:

·      All ancient calendars are based on 360-day years.

·      All ancient calendars changed to 365-day years after 701 B.C.

·      Mars was worshiped by ancient cultures

Near Pass-By Hypothesis

Earth and Mars were originally on resonant orbits. Every 108 years, the two planets would have a near pass-by. This hypothesis proposes that this near pass-by would allow energy transfer between the two planets, as the two planets’ orbits equilibrate to the same frequency. These near pass-bys could account for the catastrophic events recorded in history. And in 701 B.C., the energy transfer was complete, leading to the stabilized orbits of the two planets known today.

Early Telescope Technology

1610: Galileo discovered 4 moons of Jupiter and Saturn’s rings

1781: Hershel discovered Uranus

1787: Hershel discovered 2 moons of Uranus

1789: Hershel discovered more moons of Uranus

1846: Laverrier discovered Neptune and its one moon

1877: Asaph Hall discovered 2 moons of Mars (Deimos & Phobos)

Gulliver’s Testimony

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) in 1726 wrote Gulliver’s Travels, (“Voyage to Laputa”) and details the size, revolutions, and orbits of the 2 moons of Mars... 151 years before they were discovered by Asaph Hall! How could have Swift known? If the near pass-by hypothesis holds true, then thousands of years ago, during one of those cyclic near pass-bys, people from Earth can see Mars (and its two moons) by the naked eye! And because these near-bys often resulted in catastrophic events, people feared it to the point of worshiping it. Those who study it therefore were able to describe the details of their observations. Whether be it religious or scientific pursuits of near pass-bys of Mars, these details were documented in short stories that Swift used for inspiration of his works.

The long day of Joshua: The Battle of Beth-Horon

Kings confederated under “Adonai-Zedek,” the king of Jerusalem. They were defeated with “stones of fire” from heaven. Joshua asked God for the sun to stand still to allow them more time to finish rout – and indeed, the sun and the moon stood still, giving them an extended day to overcome their enemies.

How could the sun stand still?

There were 1/3 of million men at Beth-Horon on Oct 25, 1404 B.C. Mars was on a polar pass at 70,000 miles and appeared to rise 50 times the size of Moon, with severe earthquakes and land tides. There was a polar shift of 5 degrees, allowing the “day” to be lengthened. Meteors (“stones of fire”) followed 2-3 hours later, at 30,000 mph. This catastrophic event is documented in other ancient legends and folklore (for example, The Long Night of China).

This is not the first (nor the last) example where we see how Biblical events can be explained via scientific findings. While non-believers can easily use these science-based details to wave away God as the center of the miracle, it is worthy to pose the question, how is it not a God-directed miracle that all the Israelites were spared during this massive catastrophe?

A little more about Joshua

The Campaign

The South (Joshua 10): The Southern Campaign was triggered by the treaty he made with the city of Gibeon. Five local kings went to war against Gibeon for its defection to the Israelites at The Battle of Beth Horon; Joshua conquered all their cities (except Jerusalem) using speedy marches and surprise attacks.

The North (Joshua 11): The collapse of the south to Joshua spurred the powerful King Jabin of Hazor to assemble a large army for war. Again Joshua’s shock tactics demolished the enemy. These quick victories had to be followed up by a slower guerilla war, rooting out pockets of resistance (Joshua 11:18).

The books Joshua vs. Revelation

·      Yehoshua is a variant of Yeshua

·      Both are about a military commander dispossessing the usurpers

·      Both speak of a 7 year campaign against 7 (of an original 10) nations

·      The Torah was ignored at Jericho: (Sabbath was ignored; Levites were involved in the war)

o   Joshua first sent in “Two Witnesses”

o   Seven Trumpet events were preceded by “Silence in heaven for a half hour”

·      Enemies confederate under a leader in Jerusalem (Adoni-Zedek, “Lord of Righteousness”)

·      Ultimately, the enemies are defeated with hailstones and fire from heaven, with signs in the Sun, Moon, etc.

·      Great kings of those times hide in caves (“Rocks fall on us…”)

  

SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS: THE MAZZAROTH

The Mazzaroth (Zodiac) are signs of God’s plan of redemption (Job 38:12). All the stars have a name (Ps 147:4; Isa 40:26). The Jews refer the signs in the Heavens as the Mazzaroth, or “zodiac,” which derived from the word, “Sodi,” or “the Way.”

Job 38:31

Canst thou bind the influences of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

These star relationships are the only visible eye constellations in direct gravitational bondage – How did Job know that? Stars are signs in the heavens from God – We just need to know how to read it.

Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Signs of the Zodiac (with their decans)

·      Virgo, the Virgin: Coma, the Infant, the Desired One; Centaurus, the dart piercing a victim; and, Bootes, the Great Shepherd and Harvester.

·      Libra: Crux, the Cross; Lupus or Victim, pierced to death; and Corona, the Crown.

·      Scorpio: Serpens, the Serpent; Ophiuchus, wrestling with the Serpent; and Hercules, the Mighty Man.

·      Sagittarius: Lyra, an Eagle holding a lyre; Ara, the Altar; and Draco, the Dragon, the old Serpent.

·      Capricornus: Sagitta, the Arrow; Aquila, the Eagle; and Delphinus, the Dolphin.

·      Aquarius: Picus Australis, the Southern Fish; Pegasus, the Winged Horse; and Cygnus, the Swan.

·      Pisces: The Band; Andromeda, a woman in chains; and Cepheus, a Crowned King.

·      Aries: Cassiopeia, a woman enthroned; Cetus, the Sea-Monster, bound by the lamb; and Perseus, armed and mighty man.

·      Taurus: Orion, a glorious Prince; Eridanus, Orion’s River; and Auriga, the Shepherd.

·      Gemini: Lepus, the Hare (or Serpent); Canis Major, Sirius, the Great Dog; and Canis Minor, Procyon, the 2nd Dog.

·      Cancer: Ursa Minor, the Lesser Sheepfold; Ursa Major, the Greater Sheepfold; and Argo, the Ship.

·      Leo: Hydra, the Fleeing Serpent; Crater, the Cup (of Wrath); and Corvus, the Raven, Bird of Doom.

Astronomers will say that ancient cultures recognize the horoscopes and stories based on their constellation. Cassiopeia is a W. There is no way people are just going to see that and say, “Wow, I see a woman sitting in her throne!” Instead, the constellation is a pneumonic for listing all the stars in the order of brightness. And when the stars are correctly ordered according to their brightness, the story they tell is then revealed. To delve into the details of why each constellation tells a certain story takes hours of research, which I will skip here. Instead, I will list below the summarizing message of the story (which is closely associated with their respective decans), starting with Virgo, the brightest star.

Virgo

The Seed of the Woman

The Desire of Nations

The Man of Double Nature in humiliation

The Exalted Shepherd and Harvester

Libra

The Price to be paid

The Cross to be endured

The Victim slain

The Crown Purchased

Scorpio

The Conflict

The Serpent’s coils

The Struggle with the Enemy

The toiling Vanquisher of evil

Sagittarius

The Doubled-natured One triumphing

He gladdens the Heavens

He builds fires of punishment

He casts down the Dragon

Capricornus

Life out of Death

The Arrow of God

Pierced and failing

Springing up again in abundant life

Aquarius

Life-waters from on high

Drinking in the heavenly food

Carrying the Good News

Bearing aloft the Cross over the Earth

Pisces

Multiplication of Redeemer’s People

Upheld and governed by the Lamb

The intended Bride bound and exposed

The Bridegroom exalted

Aries

The Lamb found worthy

The Bride released and making ready

Satan bound

The Breaker triumphing

Taurus

The invincible Ruler come

The sublime Vanquisher

The River of Judgment

The all-ruling Shepherd

Gemini

The Marriage of the Lamb

The Enemy trodden down

The Prince coming in Glory

His princely following

Cancer

The Possession secured

Lesser fold: the Church of the first born

Greater fold: Israel

Safe folding into a Everlasting Kingdom

Leo

The King rending

The Serpent fleeing

The Bowl of Wrath upon him

His carcass devoured

THE APPOINTED TIMES (Leviticus 23)

Genesis 1:14

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be fore signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

“Seasons” =  The Hebrew word for “the appointed times”

The Heptadic Calendar

The Week of Days = Shabbat

The Week of Weeks = Shavout

The Week of Months = The Religious Year

The Week of Years = The Sabbatical Year

Seven Weeks + 1 = The Jubilee Year, where all land reverts to its owners; all slaves go free; all debts forgiven; it is “the time of the restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21)

52 sabbaths

+ 7 days of Passover (including its related feast days)

+ 1 Shavout, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

+ 1 Yom Teruah, Feast of Trumpets

+ 1 Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement

+ 7 days of Sukkot, Feast of Tabernacles

+ 1 Shimini Atzeret, 8th Day of Assembly

= 70

The Appointed Times

At an interval of 70, as an equidistant letter sequence, statistical expectation dictates that in the 78,064 letters of Genesis, the Hebrew word for “the appointed times” should appear at least 5 times. However, it appears only once in Genesis, centered on Genesis 1:14. The odds of this happening by random chance is estimated to be greater than 70,000,000 to one! Coincidence? Chance? If we think it’s impossible that by some random chance, our clothes coming out of a tumbling dryer one day would be all folded, why the heck would we think these odds could happen by chance?

The Feasts of Israel 

Each feast represents a prophetic event fulfilled by the Messiah; each feast is an example of an appointed time.

The Spring Feasts (1st Month: Nisan)

·      Passover – Jesus’ death, dying as our sacrificial Lamb

·      Feast of Unleavened Bread – Jesus’ shed blood, with His sinlessness covering our sins

·      Feast of First Fruits – Jesus’ resurrection, the first of us to be resurrected to eternity

The Middle Feast

·      Feast of Weeks or Pentecost or Shavout – Jesus’ Bride, the Church

The above events have all been fulfilled by Jesus. The events below have yet to be fulfilled, so no one can say for certain whether it will be fulfilled one way versus another. However, given God’s consistency throughout the Bible, the following events can be reasonably assumed:

The Fall Feasts (7th Month: Tishri)

·      Feast of Trumpets – Rapture of Jesus’ Bride

·      Yom Kippur – Jesus’ 2^nd coming

·      Feast of Tabernacles – Wedding Supper of the Lamb

Feast of First Fruits – An example of an appointed time

Leviticus 23:11

The morrow after the sabbath after Passover…

The morning of the ultimate “First Fruits” is what we celebrate as Easter Sunday. The question at hand is, when did the flood of Noah end?

Genesis 8:4

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

The seventh month was the month of Nisan. Jesus was resurrected on the 17^th day of Nisan. That is, God gave us new life through Christ on the anniversary of God giving earth its new life!

The Mystery of Enoch

The oldest prophecy in the Bible is attributed to Enoch, whose prophecy concerned the second coming of Christ! Enoch was born on Shavout and raptured prior to the flood judgment—on his birthday. The Church was born on Shavout – Will the Church be raptured on this anniversary, prior to the Tribulation? This brings the curious question of will the Jewish “clock” restart on the same feast day that it was stopped?

Study Questions

1) What is the “Nebular Hypothesis” and what are its major defects?

2) How does the “twist” of spiral galaxies suggest a “young” universe?

3) List the 70 “appointed times” on the Hebrew calendar. In what way were the Feasts of Israel prophetic?

4) What is the significance of the Ark of Noah coming to rest on the 17th day of the 7th month?

5) How could there have been a “long day” in Joshua’s time while still maintaining the rotation of the earth?

6) What does Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels have to do with our views of planetary motion?

7) What do the signs of the Mazzeroth (Zodiac) imply concerning the history of man’s view of the heavens?

8) Is it possible that the creation of the earth preceded the rest of the universe?

9) In what ways is the Book of Joshua an anticipatory model of the Book of Revelation?

10) Complile a list of scientific enigmas emerging from the Book of Job.

11) In what ways does the Mazzeroth portray God’s plan of redemption?