Creation Narrative Scriptures

Creation chronology: physical perspective

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was bwithout form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, cÒLet there be light,Ó and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6 And God said, dÒLet there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.Ó 7 And God made2 the expanse and eseparated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were fabove the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9 And God said, gÒLet the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.Ó And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, hÒLet the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.Ó And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

14 And God said, ÒLet there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for isigns and for jseasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.Ó And it was so. 16 And God kmade the two great lightsÑthe greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the nightÑand the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to lrule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 And God said, ÒLet the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.Ó 21 So mGod created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, nÒBe fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.Ó 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 And God said, ÒLet the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kindsÑlivestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.Ó And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, oÒLet us make man8 in our image, pafter our likeness. And qlet them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.Ó

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; rmale and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, sÒBe fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.Ó 29 And God said, ÒBehold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. tYou shall have them for food. 30 And uto every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.Ó And it was so. 31 vAnd God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and wall the host of them. 2 And xon the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Creation chronology: spiritual perspective

Genesis 2: 4 - 25

4 yThese are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

5 When no zbush of the field1 was yet in the land2 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung upÑfor the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man ato work the ground, 6 and a mist3 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the groundÑ 7 then the Lord God formed the man of bdust from the ground and cbreathed into his dnostrils the breath of life, and ethe man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a fgarden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. gThe tree of life was in the midst of the garden, hand the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of iHavilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the jTigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God took the man kand put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ÒYou may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lyou shall not eat, for in the day that you eat4 of it you mshall surely die.Ó

18 Then the Lord God said, ÒIt is not good that the man should be alone; nI will make him a helper fit for5 him.Ó 19 oNow out of the ground the Lord God had formed6 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and pbrought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam7 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a qdeep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made8 into a woman and brought her to the man.

23 Then the man said, ÒThis at last is rbone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was staken out of Man.Ó9

24 tTherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Human sin and its damage

Genesis 3-5

God's damage control

Genesis 6-9

Global dispersion of humanity

Genesis 10-11

Creator's transcendent creation power

Job 9: 1-12

9:1 Then Job answered and said:

2 "Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?

3 If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times.

4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?

5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger,

6 who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble;

7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars;

8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;

9 who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;

10 who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number.

11 Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.

12 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?'

Physical creation's intricacy and complexity

Job 34-38

Physical creation's intricacy and complexity

Job 39-42

Creation's appeal to humility

Psalm 8

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and athe son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

Creation's "speech"

Psalm 19

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for lthe sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

God's control and sovereignty over nature

Psalm 33

Creator's authority and optimal provision

Psalm 65

Elaboration of physical creation events

Psalm 104
104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.

3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;

4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.

8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.

9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;

11 they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.

13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth

15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen manÕs heart.

16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.

20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.

21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.

22 When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.

23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.

26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.

28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works,

32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

Creation of individual humans

Psalm 139

Testimony of the Creator's power, wisdom, and care in nature

Psalm 147-148

Creator's existence before creation

Proverbs 8

Constancy of physical laws

Ecclesiastes 1-3

Limits to human control of nature

Ecclesiastes 8-12

Origin and development of the universe

Isaiah 40-51

Heavens "Stretched Out"?

Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

Isaiah 46: 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.'

Purposes of the creation

Romans 1-8

Romans 1:19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Life after life

1 Corinthians 15

Creator's glory in and beyond creation

2 Corinthians 4

Creation's extent

Colossians 1

Cosmic creation's temporality; role of angels in creation

Hebrews 1

Role of God's rest in creation

Hebrews 4

Creation's end

2 Peter 3

The new creation

Revelation 20-22

Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

In Hugh Ross's "Why the Universe is the Way it Is", Ch 9: Why Believe the Bible, he makes a persuasive case for believing the Bible because it tells us accurately about numerous facts of nature.