Genesis 1 Explained

Here is the story of how God created the earth and prepared it as a home for us. This is from Genesis 1, the first chapter of the Bible.

(1) In the beginning, God created the skies and the earth.

The original creation of the sun, moon, earth, and universe was some time in the distant past. Later something happened that caused the earth to be empty, ruined, and covered with water and darkness.

(2) Now the earth was empty and desolate, and darkness covered the surface of the ocean, and God’s spirit spread out over the surface of the water.

Day 1: Day and Night

(3) And God said, “Light, appear!” And light appeared. (4) And God saw that the light was good. And God separated between the light and the darkness. (5) And God named the light Day, and the darkness He named Night. And there was evening and there was morning—one day.

The events of this week are recorded from a viewpoint on the surface of the earth. Before the first day no light from the sun reached the surface of the earth. When God cleared the dark covering from the earth, sunlight appeared, marking the beginning of the first day just as the sun set. The evening came first, then morning. This shows that the Bible counts days as beginning with sunset, not at midnight.

Day 2: Air above the Water

(6) And God said, “Expanse, appear in the middle of the waters, and be there to separate waters from the waters!” (7) And God made the expanse, and separated between the waters which were under the expanse and the waters which were above the expanse; and that is what happened. (8) And God named the expanse Sky. And there was evening and there was morning—a second day.

God created an expanse of air around the earth, and clouds of water rose up into the sky.

Day 3: Land and Plants Appear

(9) And God said, “Waters under the sky, come together to one place! And dry land, be seen!” And that is what happened. (10) And God named the dry land Earth, and the basin of water He named Seas. And God saw that these things were good.

(11) And God said, “Earth, sprout vegetation on the earth—seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees (which have their seed inside) producing fruit according to its kind*!” And that is what happened. (12) And the earth brought out vegetation—seed-bearing plants according to their kind, and trees producing fruit (which have their seed inside) according to their kind. And God saw that these things were good. (13) And there was evening and there was morning—a third day.

Day 4: A Calendar

(14) And God said, “Lights, be in the expanse of the sky to separate between the day and the night! And they are for signs and for appointments, and for days and years. (15) And they are for lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth.” And that is what happened. (16) And God made the two great lights—the great light for the dominion of the day, and the minor light for the dominion of the night—and the stars. (17) And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, (18) and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and the darkness. And God saw that these things were good. (19) And there was evening and there was morning—a fourth day.

When Did God Create the Sun And Moon?

Many people wonder, “How could there be light on the first day of Creation if the sun and moon were not created until the fourth day?”

The answer is back in verse 1. The sun, moon, stars, and earth were all created “in the beginning,” before this week of restoration began.

Here, in verse 14, the Bible says “God made the two great lights.” This actually could be translated “God had made…,” but the real key to understanding this verse is to understand the difference between the words create and make.

Most of the first 75% of the Bible was written in the Hebrew language. In Hebrew, the word translated create in verse 1 means to create something out of nothing. The universe didn’t exist, and then God created it.

The Hebrew word translated make in verse 14 means to form, fashion, or arrange something that already exists. For example, if you make a clay pot out of clay, you don’t create the clay. You only form what already exists it into a new shape. If you make your bed and do your hair you aren’t creating anything. You are just arranging things how you want them.

That is what God did on the fourth day. He just arranged the sun, moon, and earth to create a cycle of months and years.

Later, the Bible says, “in six days Yehovah made [arranged] the skies and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them” (Exodus 20:11). Again, that doesn’t mean the earth was created in six days. It simply means that the earth (which already existed) was arranged and restored in six days.

There are many clues in the Bible (and history) that a long time ago the original cycle of the moon was exactly 30 days, and a year was a perfect 360 days. I’ll show you the evidence for that later. But for now, just understand that God created the sun and moon “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1), and “made” or arranged them on the fourth day.

Day 5: Fish and Birds

(20) And God said, “Water, abound with an abundance of living creatures! And birds, fly above the earth on the face of the expanse of the sky.” (21) And God created the large sea creatures, and all the living creatures that scurry, with which the water abounds, according to their kind; and all birds with wings, according to their kind. And God saw that these things were good. (22) And God blessed them, saying, “Reproduce, and become many, and fill the water in the seas! And birds, become many on the earth!” (23) And there was evening and there was morning—a fifth day.

Day 6: Land Animals and Humans

(24) And God said, “Earth, bring out living creatures according to their kind, large animals, and small animals, and animals of the earth according to their kind!” And that is what happened. (25) And God made the animals of the earth according to their kind, and the large animals according to their kind, and all the small land animals according to their kind. And God saw that these things were good.

God also created humans on the first day. I’ll tell you about that another day. If you can’t wait to hear the rest of the story, find a Bible and read the rest of the chapter yourself. But for today, I want to end with one import idea:

God Works in Stages

There is a pattern to this week of restoration. In the first three days, God prepared a foundation. In the next three days He built on that foundation.

Notice:

On day 1 God established a cycle of days. Three days later He established the cycle of months and years. Three days later He established the cycle of weeks. These are all cycles of time which form a calendar for mankind.

On day 2 God separated the air (atmosphere) from the water. Three days later He filled the air and water with life.

On day 3 God cleared water to expose the land and caused plants to grow. Three days later He put animals and humans on the land.

God didn’t create everything at once. He didn’t finish everything in one day. He began with a foundation, and came back to complete it. This is how God works. He has a plan, and He is completing His plan one step at a time. You will learn more about that plan when I finish telling the story of the sixth day.