By John Coish

Question: Why is it the Armor of God program on April 22 spoke of the first chapter of Genesis differently then the articles on this website?

Answer:  Traditionally the Armstrongs and many other COG ministers have suggested a GAP theory.   Unfortunately many have wrongly interpreted the theory as if it was part of the Word of God and not a theory of man.   As like many traditions, when one is repeated often enough many begin to assume the tradition is the Word of God.   The GAP theory is a theory of man and many ministers have never presented it as the Word of God but only a theory.

The presentation of the World being destroyed before the Genesis creation (recreation they called it) is simply an incorrect translation of the verse.  It just goes to show how easy a worldview can obfuscate the Word of God, if you let it.    I oppose the idea that tradition or theory should be taught as the Word of God and will continue to answer such presentations publicly.

Genesis 1:1 states "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"   Then continuing on that exact thought He explains how He did it.

Then it says the Earth was void - without life or appearance, a blank slate, then God states how the earth and the heavens took form.

The creation thought is finished with Genesis 2:1, "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host therein were finished."    This is the companion or bookend to "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".

That this passage was to describe the beginning of creation is also verified in Exodus 20:11 by the Word of God at Mt Sinai. (see Exodus 31:16-17 too)

Jesus, who was at the beginning and created all things, refers to this as the beginning of creation in Mark 10:6-9 "But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 'and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."    He actually quotes the Genesis account and refers to it as the beginning of creation.

There is no biblical passage that states that Genesis 1 is a recreation, but don't believe me - BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD!    Read it and see.

Either way the point of the account is that God created man for a purpose - to be in the image of God.   The creation account and all the acts and promises of God in Genesis and Exodus were meant to be a part of the testimony of Jesus.   Unfortunately, traditions and theories on occasion can get in the way of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.  I apologize for that on their behalf.

Note:   While others will recognize that the Genesis account is a unified picture of creation they may believe in an older earth via the day as an age theory or that the account is a local account as opposed to a universal account.    However, there are no scientific reasons to require an older earth outside of theories and political science.