Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning" - what does this really mean?
"1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
God says exactly what he means and means exactly what he says, and his use of even the simplest of words cannot be overlooked, assumed, or taken for granted without careful consideration.
Having said that, and to provide clarification of the aforementioned subject verse, Gen 1:1, consider this analogy: If someone were to say, "in the kitchen I made the table and chairs". What is this saying and what does it imply? It's saying that within the kitchen the table and chairs were made (created) by the individual. This implies that the kitchen was already there, and inside of it was made the table and chairs (not created along with or at the same time that they were).
If you superimpose the word God in this analogy and said, "in the kitchen God made (created) the table and chairs", this would imply that God made or created the table and chairs inside of, or within the kitchen, meaning that the kitchen was already there, and he simply made the items within it.
Extrapolating this logic further to the biblical verse Gen 1:1, it becomes clear that "the beginning", which equates to 'the kitchen', was already in existence, and God simply made or created the heaven and the earth within or during it, and not that they all were created at the same time; it does not say that nor does it infer that, when you look closely at the words. It doesn't say "at the beginning", but rather says "in the beginning". The beginning had already begun and at some point in or within it, the heaven and the earth were created. The next verse then goes on to describe the nature of the newly formed earth at that point in time.
This is not 'gap theory', nor theory at all, but rather clarifies 'gap theory' by simply looking closely at the very minute word "in", and applying its proper meaning and intent within the scriptural context.
"In" is used in virtually all biblical translations
"in", a few definitions
1. expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.
"dressed in their Sunday best"
2. expressing a period of time during which an event takes place or a situation remains the case.
3. "they met in 1885"—used as a function word to indicate inclusion, location, or position within limits
"1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
God says exactly what he means and means exactly what he says, and his use of even the simplest of words cannot be overlooked, assumed, or taken for granted without careful consideration.
Having said that, and to provide clarification of the aforementioned subject verse, Gen 1:1, consider this analogy: If someone were to say, "in the kitchen I made the table and chairs". What is this saying and what does it imply? It's saying that within the kitchen the table and chairs were made (created) by the individual. This implies that the kitchen was already there, and inside of it was made the table and chairs (not created along with or at the same time that they were).
If you superimpose the word God in this analogy and said, "in the kitchen God made (created) the table and chairs", this would imply that God made or created the table and chairs inside of, or within the kitchen, meaning that the kitchen was already there, and he simply made the items within it.
Extrapolating this logic further to the biblical verse Gen 1:1, it becomes clear that "the beginning", which equates to 'the kitchen', was already in existence, and God simply made or created the heaven and the earth within or during it, and not that they all were created at the same time; it does not say that nor does it infer that, when you look closely at the words. It doesn't say "at the beginning", but rather says "in the beginning". The beginning had already begun and at some point in or within it, the heaven and the earth were created. The next verse then goes on to describe the nature of the newly formed earth at that point in time.
This is not 'gap theory', nor theory at all, but rather clarifies 'gap theory' by simply looking closely at the very minute word "in", and applying its proper meaning and intent within the scriptural context.
"In" is used in virtually all biblical translations
"in", a few definitions
1. expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.
"dressed in their Sunday best"
2. expressing a period of time during which an event takes place or a situation remains the case.
3. "they met in 1885"—used as a function word to indicate inclusion, location, or position within limits
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