“IN THE BEGINNING” DOES NOT MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS

The phrase “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth ” may be the most misunderstood scripture in the bible. It does not mean the beginning of natural time. Here is what science reports about natural time:

1. The Earth formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago (4,540 million years ago). This marks the beginning of Earth’s history.
2. The Hadean Eon, lasting from 4,540 to 4,000 million years ago, represents the earliest period of Earth’s existence. During this time, the Earth was forming and there was no life.
3. The universe itself is older than the Earth. The “Timeline of natural history” starts with the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, but doesn’t specify an absolute beginning of time .
4. The concept of “natural time” as we understand it is intrinsically linked to the existence of our universe. Some scientists and philosophers debate whether time itself had a beginning or has always existed.
5. From a cosmic perspective, the Big Bang is often considered the starting point of our observable universe, but even this doesn’t necessarily represent the absolute beginning of time.
6. In terms of life on Earth, the earliest evidence of life dates back to around 3.8 to 3.5 billion years ago, during the Archean Eon.

People who interpret Genesis 1literally, do not understand the “first the natural, then the spiritual” principle. Nor do the understand that the bible is filled with Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Allegories, Copies, and Shadows. Lacking understanding of these principles, most people wrongly interpret “in the beginning” as a unique, historical event — not as a symbolic representation of a spiritual event that is common to everyone who transitions from Old/First Covenant religionist to New Covenant disciple. This transition is explained in Creation Story.

STUDY TIP: See Kingdom of God/Heaven and Land, Earth and the Promised Land for understanding of the symbolism of heaven and earth.