Dear Friend of Creation,
From the first verse of Genesis on, the care taken in preserving the precise wording of the Bible has been truly remarkable! It is the special, wonderful truth of God, alive to our spirits through the Holy Spirit, which can be mined for innumerable gems and nuggets of great insight to the delight and edification of our souls.
The first verse of the Bible, for example, is loaded with meaning (note: Hebrew, shown above, reads right to left). “Barashet (In the beginning) bara (created) Elohim (God) et Hashamayim (the heavens) vet (and) Haretz (the earth)” (Genesis 1:1).
There are exactly seven Hebrew words that make the summary creation statement of the first verse of the Bible. While six of these words actually do the work of the statement, the seventh word just “rests”. Here, then, within the very first verse lies a beautiful divine metaphor. The seven days of God’s original creation establishes our seven-day week, six days of which are working days and the seventh day a day of rest. This seventh Hebrew word which rests from the work of the statement is “et” in the middle of the verse, a place for emphasis in Hebrew sentence structure. And at first glance, it would seem rather odd that it is included in Genesis 1:1. Its presence can be for punctuation, but the sentence would also work fine without it.
The Hebrew word “et” is formed from the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet – the Aleph and the Tav. This is the Hebrew equivalent of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Omega. Interestingly, Jesus Christ says about Himself in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible - “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13).
Furthermore, the Bible says that Jesus is our “faith-rest” (Hebrews 4:1-4) because the Sabbath-rest from the work of redemption was completed in Christ on the cross when Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Thus, the “et” in Genesis 1:1 is quite arguably a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in multiple marvelous ways! It’s in the place of emphasis in the sentence; it speaks metaphorically as a summary creation statement of the Sabbath-rest for reconciliation with our Creator through Christ alone, and it is “the first and the last” as Aleph and Tav are equivalent of Alpha and Omega - tying the first and last chapters of the Bible together with Christ’s own phrase about Himself!
God telling “the end from the beginning” is explicitly mentioned in Scripture: “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). There is a great deal of prophetic scripture in the Bible, much of it already fulfilled literally, and much of it remaining to be fulfilled.
An allegorical view of prophecy treats a prophetic vision for its spiritual emphases and for the recurring pattern. For example, the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” in an allegorical view would not be tied to specific dates or empires. They would represent the forces that move through every generation: conquest, violence, inequality, and death -they’re always riding, sometimes loudly, sometimes subtly. Prophecy (especially apocalyptic prophecy) has a way of resisting neat answers. It arguably speaks in layers.
For example the verse describing the vision of the “First Horseman” reads thus: “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2). Many expositors have seen this first rider among the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” as the Antichrist, using among other arguments that the bow he carries is a symbol of deceitfulness.
But a bow is also symbolic of God’s judgment and victory over wickedness (Psalm 7:11-12) and the white horse is ridden by Christ at the final consummation of the Age when he comes to defeat the armies of the Antichrist at Armageddon. Henry Morris, credited as being the founder of the modern creation science movement, in his great creation science-related Study Bible Commentary says the following about the First Horseman of the Apocalypse: “The proper interpretation is to view Christ as the rider (on the white horse)… Throughout the events of Revelation 6 through 19, as the successive seal judgments are sent forth, He is gradually ‘conquering’ and is destined finally ‘to conquer’ completely” - as He does when He comes as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” to cast the devil “into the bottomless pit” (Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-3).
Just as we see literal fulfillments in the first chapters of Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible in connection with creation science, we find them also in future yet unfulfilled prophecies. Creation science supports biblical inerrancy and literal interpretation, and this approach goes for the “end” as well as the “beginning” – as we see in the declaration of Isaiah 46:9-10 noted above.
Prophecy often has a “dual fulfillment”. For instance, the coming of Christ has both a first and second coming about which the relevant scriptures speak. And not just “dual fulfillment”, but frequently a layered fulfillment as in Old Testament “types and shadows” of the final one (Colossians 2:17, Hebrews 8:5). So, Christ both conquers for His kingdom now (through His Church, His Word, and the Holy Spirit) and He Himself conquers in the “end times” to establish His kingdom rule on earth, coming in glory and power at Armageddon. Indeed, the Bible tells us that the advance of the gospel as Christ gathers the Church, His Bride, will proceed “unto all the nations” in a foretelling of the apocalypse (Mark 13:7-10, Mathew 24:14).
As C.S. Lewis puts it in Mere Christianity, “Enemy-occupied territory---that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” And one day it will no longer be a “campaign of sabotage” against the world, the flesh, and the devil, but a frontal war with Christ Himself at the head! And it will be over very quickly, as He rides in on a great white horse, wearing the title “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” making His entry with a host of heaven to defeat Satan and the forces of the Antichrist at Armageddon!
We invite you to participate in this worldwide outreach and soul-winning battle for the whole truth of the Bible! - of Jesus Christ, “Alpha and Omega … which is and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8)! Thank you for all your prayers and continued financial support!
Yours in Christ,
Mark Cadwallader, Board Chairman
P.S. This month, I’d like to promote the new edition of The Henry Morris Study Bible as referenced above. This large print KJV Defender’s Edition is a powerful apologetics resource featuring over 10,000 study notes from Dr. Henry Morris himself. This high-quality resource helps believers stand firm on biblical creation, refute evolution, and defend their faith confidently, making it an essential tool for students, pastors, and anyone passionate about God’s Word. I recently purchased Henry Morris’ Study Bible for my son as a gift to assist his love of scripture! There’s arguably no greater gift than one featuring the powerful Word of God.
NEW Gospel Tracts are in! We’ve taken 4 of our original tracts and specifically tailored them to reach ages 13-35. Help the next generation overcome misconceptions about science and evolution and receive salvation! You can reach the world with the “everlasting gospel” (Revelation 14:6-7) while experiencing the joy of participating with the Holy Spirit in winning people to Christ. Call for discounts on bulk orders.
Furthermore, if you’re looking for powerful material that quickly, coherently, and with Scripture argues the case against evolution and for creation science, then we are also highlighting our classic Tracts of Evidence this month. Each tract in the set of 5 makes a cogent case against a particular problem area for evolution, accessible to ages 13 and up.
Finally, I’d like to highlight 101 Last Days Prophecies. The Bible foretells many signs that will culminate in the last days, and Jesus indicated these signs would arise together as His return drew near. In this thorough but inexpensive booklet, you’ll discover all the “end times” prophecies unfolding in our present day and see evidence of what’s to come. It’s a great resource for the days we live in!
To get all or any of these resources, call us toll-free at 1-800-422-4253 during regular office hours (Mon – Th 8:30am-4:30pm CT).
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