Genesis 2:1a

[Big_TJ]

Hey guys.
Since JW's doctrine is that a "day" or yom is an unspecified period of time, and that we are still in the seventh day, what do you understand this verse to mean:
Genesis 2:1a " So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy..."
Does it mean that, since creation, we are living in a blessed and holy "period of time?"
Thanks.

 

[Pegg]

Hey guys.
Since JW's doctrine is that a "day" or yom is an unspecified period of time, and that we are still in the seventh day, what do you understand this verse to mean:
Genesis 2:1a " So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy..."
Does it mean that, since creation, we are living in a blessed and holy "period of time?"
Thanks.

Hi,
When something is made holy, it is set aside for a special purpose. In the temple era, the utensils of the temple were made holy by being used solely for the purpose of worship. Its similar with the 7th day... its been set aside to be given time to fulfill a holy purpose.

God commissioned the first man and woman “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) It would take some time before the whole earth was subdued and transformed into a paradise filled with a perfect human family, but by the end of the 7th day, all that God had purposed for mankind will have become a reality.

So basically, the making of the 7th day holy signifies that God is allowing time for his purpose regarding mankind to be fulfilled. We have been taken a little offcourse, but by the time it finishes, the earth will be transformed and all mankind will be reunited with Jehovah.

 

[Big_TJ]

Ok. So what does "blessed" mean in Gen 2:1a?

 

[Pegg]

Ok. So what does "blessed" mean in Gen 2:1a?

in the context of Gods purpose, it would mean he gave the 7th day his approval & favor to become a holy day

a day for the fulfillment of his purpose to take place

 

[Big_TJ]

So, even though Gen 2:1a said " So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy..."

Is really saying:

“so God [gave the 7th day his approval & favor to become a special period of millions years] the seventh [period of millions of years] and [set it aside for a special purpose]”
Correct?

 

[Pegg]

So, even though Gen 2:1a said " So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy..."

Is really saying:

“so God [gave the 7th day his approval & favor to become a special period of millions years] the seventh [period of millions of years] and [set it aside for a special purpose]”
Correct?

almost, we dont know how long the 7th day will last for.... it might not be millions of years. It might be several thousand...no one will know its length until it ends.

But yes to the rest... God gave the 7th day his blessing which means it has his divine approval and favor. He made it 'holy' by allowing his sacred purpose for mankind to come to fulfillment....so this period of time is to allow Gods purpose to come to fruition.

 

[Big_TJ]

Ok, thanks!

 

[Jensen]

Hi,
When something is made holy, it is set aside for a special purpose. In the temple era, the utensils of the temple were made holy by being used solely for the purpose of worship. Its similar with the 7th day... its been set aside to be given time to fulfill a holy purpose.

God commissioned the first man and woman “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) It would take some time before the whole earth was subdued and transformed into a paradise filled with a perfect human family, but by the end of the 7th day, all that God had purposed for mankind will have become a reality.

So basically, the making of the 7th day holy signifies that God is allowing time for his purpose regarding mankind to be fulfilled. We have been taken a little offcourse, but by the time it finishes, the earth will be transformed and all mankind will be reunited with Jehovah.

Hi Peg,

Are you saying that the whole earth is to be subdued by man, and that man is to make it like a paradise, that this is what man is to do during this 7th day? Isn't paradise to come about after the return of Christ? I may not understand fully what you're saying, as this is new to me. Please explain.

Jensen

 

[Pegg]

Hi Peg,

Are you saying that the whole earth is to be subdued by man, and that man is to make it like a paradise, that this is what man is to do during this 7th day? Isn't paradise to come about after the return of Christ? I may not understand fully what you're saying, as this is new to me. Please explain.

Jensen

Hi Jensen,

When God created Adam and Eve, they were given the clear instructions to subdue the earth and 'fill' it. So if they had of remained obedient to God, they would still be alive today doing exactly that.

They would have been working to bring the earth into a paradise state....their Garden of Eden (which was cultivated by God ) was the blue print for what the entire earth could have become...and with all their children doing the same, eventually the whole earth would have become a paradise.

But now that cannot happen until Christs millenial reign begins. From that point on mankind will work together to make this earth a paradise....and by the end of the 7th day, the earth will be just as it was purposed.

 

[Jensen]

Thanks Peg, I'm going to have to read Genesis again, as I don't see where in that verse that it says anything about man making it into a paradise. I thought that Adam and Eve were to live in the Garden of Eden indefinitely, and were forced out because of sinning. I must be missing something, so will read that part of Genesis again. Thanks..

Jensen

 

[Pegg]

Thanks Peg, I'm going to have to read Genesis again, as I don't see where in that verse that it says anything about man making it into a paradise. I thought that Adam and Eve were to live in the Garden of Eden indefinitely, and were forced out because of sinning. I must be missing something, so will read that part of Genesis again. Thanks..

Jensen

you can't derive that information from Genesis alone... you also need to look at the writings of the prophets such as Isaiah who speaks of a time when the earth will be transformed
Isaiah 35:1-7

Jesus spoke of 'the meek will inherit the earth' in his sermon on the mount at Matthew 5. He also told a man that he would be 'in paradise' at Luke 23:43

The psalms speak of righteous mankind living forever on earth at Psalm 37:10, 11


these (and many more scriptures) reveal what Gods purpose for the earth is... that first couple were given a perfect start because that is what God purposed...and that is what he will ultimately achieve because he can.

 

[Jensen]

Ok, thanks, so it is a paradise of the future which is how I always understood it to be, being that sin had entered the world. What I thought was being said was that Adam and Eve were to make all the earth into a paradise at that time onward, but failed because they sinned. It was this that I couldn't find in the Genesis account of Adam. I just finished reading six chapters of Genesis...but yes, the paradise is of the future, and will be here on the earth, and comes after the return of Christ. Will read the additional verses you offered, thanks for you reply and clarification.

Jensen.

 

[Pegg]

Ok, thanks, so it is a paradise of the future which is how I always understood it to be, being that sin had entered the world. What I thought was being said was that Adam and Eve were to make all the earth into a paradise at that time onward, but failed because they sinned. It was this that I couldn't find in the Genesis account of Adam.

that is actually what would have happened if Adam and Eve remained subject to God. He had given them the assignment to 'subdue the earth and fill it' but by turning away from God, they stopped living according to Gods Will for them.

Gen 2:15 And Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of E′den to cultivate it and to take care of it

Genesis 1:28 Further, God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.”


the expression here: 'cultivate it', shows that more work was to be done to Eden. The garden itself was already cultivated and growing all forms of fruits and vegetables...so it was cultivated already. But the part of the earth which was not cultivated was what lay beyond Eden... so the words can only apply to what had not already been cultivated. And thats why we believe that it was mans assignment to continue to cultivate all the earth to make it all like the garden of Eden.


I hope that makes sense...

 

[Jensen]

Hi Pegg

Adam and Eve were driven from Eden because they sinned. If they had not sinned, wouldn't they have remained in the Garden of Eden? And if so they wouldn't have cultivated the rest of the earth? I always thought the leaving was their punishment for sinning, wasn't it?

When reading the first chapter, and then the chapter about Adam and Eve being created and put into the Garden, have you ever had the feeling that this almost seems like an account of two different creations of man? Isn't it possible that the first chapter is about the creation of man in general, and the creating of Adam and Eve was the creation of a man and woman for the purpose of being the chosen sons of God, maybe the first parents of the Hebrews? because the two accounts are told so differently? Just a thought....what do you think?

Jensen

 

[Pegg]

Hi Pegg

Adam and Eve were driven from Eden because they sinned. If they had not sinned, wouldn't they have remained in the Garden of Eden? And if so they wouldn't have cultivated the rest of the earth? I always thought the leaving was their punishment for sinning, wasn't it?

yes, i agree that they were drive out because they sinned, but that doesnt mean the rest of the earth (the wilderness outside eden) was to be left unattended and wild.
The prophecies of Isaiah show that God purposes for the entire earth is to become inhabited:
Isaiah 45:18 For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the [true] God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited:

and it wouldnt make sense for God to command Adam and Eve to subdue the earth if he only had the garden of Eden in mind. He wants mankind to inhabit the entire earth...as they had more and more children, naturally they would have had to spread the boundaries of Eden to accommodate them...and that is where 'subdue' the earth would come into the picture.

Eden was the starting point for mankind.... it was a holy place because it was created by God himself and genesis even says that God walked in the garden with the man. But when the man transgressed, he defiled what was holy and this is why God removed him from the garden sanctuary... but Gods purpose has never changed in regard to the earth and we can see this through the writings of the prophets.

When reading the first chapter, and then the chapter about Adam and Eve being created and put into the Garden, have you ever had the feeling that this almost seems like an account of two different creations of man? Isn't it possible that the first chapter is about the creation of man in general, and the creating of Adam and Eve was the creation of a man and woman for the purpose of being the chosen sons of God, maybe the first parents of the Hebrews? because the two accounts are told so differently? Just a thought....what do you think?

Jensen

I know some people think it could be a completely different creation story, but we dont think they are different accounts of creation. We think that Genesis chapter 1 gives an overview of the entire process, while Genesis 2 focuses on the creation of the human family... .its also this account where we learn of the tree of knowledge, the work that Adam did in naming the animals before Eve was created, the creation of Eve and the command to fill the earth and subdue it.

It would seem to us that it is just a more detailed account about Adams creation. chapter 3 then looks at how they came to be in transgression....again, this is not a new and different story about different people, its just a progressive story where Moses is filling in the details progressively.

 

[Jensen]

Thanks Pegg, I may have more to asked on this later, but first I would like to study those chapters some more. Then may be back. Thanks for the reply

Jensen

 

[Big_TJ]

The prophecies of Isaiah show that God purposes for the entire earth is to become inhabited:
Isaiah 45:18 For this is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the [true] God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited:

Hi Pegg

Was doing my usual reviews and saw the quote above. I assumed that by "inhabited" you mean "inhabited by humans" seen that you are mentioning this in the context of Adam and Eve. So, if that's what Isaiah showed, wouldnt he be wrong? I saw something somewhere that it is impossible for humans to inhabit over 70% of the earth (which makes sense, since the rivers and oceans etc takes up a very large portion of the earth). So, wouldn't the prophet err if he showed that "God purpose of the entire earth is to become inhabited" since this would be impossible?

 

[Pegg]

Hi Pegg

Was doing my usual reviews and saw the quote above. I assumed that by "inhabited" you mean "inhabited by humans" seen that you are mentioning this in the context of Adam and Eve. So, if that's what Isaiah showed, wouldnt he be wrong? I saw something somewhere that it is impossible for humans to inhabit over 70% of the earth (which makes sense, since the rivers and oceans etc takes up a very large portion of the earth). So, wouldn't the prophet err if he showed that "God purpose of the entire earth is to become inhabited" since this would be impossible?

Hi Big_TJ,

When God created the earth in genesis, a portion of it was water and a portion was land. It is said he created the fish to dwell in the seas and the 'land creatures' to dwell on the land.

so when the bible writer said that the entire earth is to be inhabited, it would mean the sea creatures would inhabit the seas and the land creatures would inhabit the lands and thus the entire earth will be inhabited.

keep in mind to that even in some parts of the earth which are currently uninhabitable, God has said that he will restore these places to make them inhabitable
“The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. Without fail it will blossom, and it will really be joyful with joyousness and with glad crying out. The glory of Lebanon itself must be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and of Sharon. There will be those who will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.”—Isaiah 35:1, 2.

So eventually, by the close of the millennial reign of Christ, all the earth will be repaired and restored to what it was intended to be ... a beautiful paradise home with billions of happy caretakers looking after it.

 

[Big_TJ]

Hi Big_TJ,

When God created the earth in genesis, a portion of it was water and a portion was land. It is said he created the fish to dwell in the seas and the 'land creatures' to dwell on the land.

so when the bible writer said that the entire earth is to be inhabited, it would mean the sea creatures would inhabit the seas and the land creatures would inhabit the lands and thus the entire earth will be inhabited.

keep in mind to that even in some parts of the earth which are currently uninhabitable, God has said that he will restore these places to make them inhabitable
“The wilderness and the waterless region will exult, and the desert plain will be joyful and blossom as the saffron. Without fail it will blossom, and it will really be joyful with joyousness and with glad crying out. The glory of Lebanon itself must be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and of Sharon. There will be those who will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.”—Isaiah 35:1, 2.

So eventually, by the close of the millennial reign of Christ, all the earth will be repaired and restored to what it was intended to be ... a beautiful paradise home with billions of happy caretakers looking after it.

Oh . . . . . ok.

Thanks.

 

[Pegg]

Oh . . . . . ok.

Thanks.

i could have said something stupid like "havent you heard of houseboats"