Step One – Creation
- Dates: Creation – 2000 BC
- Books: Genesis Chapters 1-11
Summary
This period covers a length of time longer than the remaining 11 other periods. Some claim creation happened around 6000 BC, others longer, but even a conservative estimate puts it at over 4000 years. This section is the foundation the rest of the Bible builds on, and it contains the seed of almost every major theology we have including: where we come from, who made us, marriage, why there is pain and evil in the world, humanities relationship with the world, a multi faceted God, God’s righteousness, God’s mercy, what God is like. …. Some say this part of the Bible is
, some say it is , but either way the important lessons we can learn are the same.God creates everything, including humans, and places them in a paradise known as the Garden of Eden. He visits them and they live in peace. (Gen Chapters 1 – 2)
Humans are tempted by God’s adversary and rebel against God and destroy God’s perfect creation. God judges them and the relationship between God and humans is broken. Death enters the world. (Gen Chapters 3)
Rather than turn themselves around, humans continue to rebel against God and enter a downward spiral of increasingly abhorrent behaviour. God’s answer is to judge them again by sending a flood to destroy them all however He chooses Noah, a righteous man, and saves him and his family. (Gen Chapters 6-8)
God is heart broken by the devastation of the flood, and vows to never destroy humans again – choosing to start a new plan to bring humans back into relationship with Himself. (Gen 8:15 – 9:17)
Humans continue to rebel, and so God mixes up their languages and disperses them all over the earth as God knows a united human race will continue to be an unstoppable force for evil. (Gen 11:1-8)
God removes them from Eden. Sickness, death and meaningless toil enter the world and humans relationship with God is broken. God covers Adam and Eves nakedness with the skin of an animal – the first death but also showing a glimpse of God’s plan to make things right between humans and Himself. Blood being used to remove shame and covering for sin is a major Biblical theme.
Noah build the ark, and when the flood comes is saved while the rest of the world dies. After the flood waters recede God vows to never destroy the world by flood again.