You May Not Know These Chapters as Well as You Think.
Creation begins in Genesis 1:1.
Recreation begins in Genesis 1:2.
These opening chapters reach far beyond a children’s creation story. They establish doctrines that stretch from Lucifer’s rebellion and the Controversy of Zion to salvation, the Second Coming, the Millennium, and mankind’s purpose on earth.
Adam Was Not Put in Eden to Till the Ground.
A common teaching says that God created Adam to farm the Garden of Eden. But the words of Scripture make an important distinction. Adam tilled the ground only after sin entered the picture.
Dress It and Keep It
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” — Genesis 2:15
Adam’s original responsibility was one of service, stewardship, fellowship, and keeping what God had entrusted to him. God had already provided the food. Adam’s purpose reached far beyond working the soil.
Sent Forth to Till
“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” — Genesis 3:23
Tilling the ground came after Adam’s fall and expulsion from Eden. What many teachers describe as Adam’s original purpose actually belonged to the consequences of sin.
What You May Have Never Seen Before
The six days of Genesis 1 contain far more than the physical events taking place on the earth. In this study, each day opens a doctrinal picture that reaches forward through the rest of Scripture.
The Incarnation of Light
The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
The Resurrection and Second Coming of Christ
The Millennial Reign of Christ and the Church
The Hopelessness of Humanity
The Hopelessness of Earth
God’s Rest Is Where Man’s Mission Begins.
God created Adam on the sixth day. On the seventh day, God rested. Adam’s first full day was therefore spent in God’s rest.
That does not mean inactivity. God’s rest means that His work was complete. Adam was to fulfill his commission by trusting what God had already provided and working within the order God had established.
God Finished the Work
Adam did not have to complete what God had left undone. He entered a world in which God had already supplied the place, the provision, and the resources necessary for his calling.
Man Entered the Rest
Adam’s responsibility was active, but it rested upon God’s completed work. The principle continues throughout Scripture: man can fulfill his duty to God only by resting in what God has done.
The Pattern Points Forward
The six days of work followed by the seventh day of rest establish a pattern that reaches forward to the millennial rest and God’s completed purpose for the earth.
Study Genesis 1–2 for Yourself
Begin with the overview, then work through the opening two chapters verse by verse. Each downloadable study follows the words of the King James Bible and explores the historical, doctrinal, and practical truths found in the text.
Genesis Overview
Start with the structure, themes, major divisions, and doctrinal importance of the book that lays the foundation for the rest of Scripture.
Open Study →Let There Be Light
Explore Genesis 1:1–5, the gap between verses 1 and 2, the Controversy of Zion, and the doctrinal picture of the incarnation of Light.
Open Study →Let It Divide
Follow the repeated principle of division through the firmament, the waters, light and darkness, and the prophetic patterns that point to Christ and things to come.
Open Study →Let Us Make Man in Our Image
Examine mankind’s creation, the image and likeness of God, humanity’s condition, and the purpose for which God placed man upon the earth.
Open Study →Bone of My Bones, and Flesh of My Flesh
Discover God’s rest, Adam’s true mission, fellowship in Eden, God’s provision, the purpose of the help-meet, and the doctrinal picture of Christ and the church.
Open Study →