The shelter was the only place they could get together in the midst of tribulation to do what they had desired to do since they had become Christ-Followers. It is what anyone should desire to do once they have given their lives to Christ. A person who becomes a new creature in Christ wants to not only follow Him, but they want to know Him, too. And there was really only one way to do that.

Study His Word.

Staci Cohen wanted to know the Word inside and out. She was excited that she was going to be able to study the Bible together with her brothers in Christ. What made this time so exciting was that there was a new believer who would also be with them. Albert Barrington, William Fronk, Darren Fuller, and herself had been praying desperately for almost four years for this man to come to Christ.

And Michael Lenox finally came to Him.

Now they were sitting together in a hidden shelter at a table. A coffee pot was on a counter and the aroma of fresh coffee filled the room. They sat together, eager to begin their journey on Route 66.

Lenox was more eager than the others. Not just because he was a new believer, but also because he actually enjoyed living life on the edge. It meant more to him in studying the Word while knowing that at any second, the doors could be kicked open and Salvadori’s so-called Gestapo forces could take them away. Let them, he thought to himself. To die for Christ is gain.

Fuller sat at the head of the table. He had his Bible before him and he put on his reading glasses as the others waited.

Finally, he said, “It does my heart good to see you here. Especially you, Michael, because we’ve been praying for you for a long time.”

Fronk did what can only be called a happy dance while sitting at the table. “Wahoo!” he exclaimed happily. “That old pitch-fork dude ain’t a happy camper now that you’ve joined the Lord’s Army, brother!”

“Amen to that,” Barrington replied, clapping his friend Lenox on the shoulder.

Staci couldn’t contain her own joy. She was simply all smiles. “I’m just so happy you’re with us.”

The joy was infectious.

Lenox was usually never known to smile very often. But he was smiling now. “I don’t know why I was so stubborn,” he finally said. “I fought so hard to keep from the truth because I wanted to hang onto my own anger. Now that I’m free…now that my eyes are open…It’s just amazing.” He shook his head in awe. “You know, I just have to wonder if that is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ 1 Don’t you ever wonder why He said that? Is it because we are so blind that all we do is fumble along in the dark and fall for anything that comes our way?”

Fuller patted the open pages of the Bible in front of him. “That’s why we need this Book. It’s a light that shows us the path we must walk. I’m glad we can walk it together.” He cleared his throat. “Why don’t we pray before we start? I know none of us in this room are great scholars. All we have is His Word before us. We don’t have any spectacular teaching tools…We don’t have any graphs. Or outlines. We don’t have anyone qualified to teach us like Charles Spurgeon, or J. Vernon McGee…We don’t have a Dr. Wilmington. There’s just us and His Word, the Bible. My idea in coming together is to simply read His Word from the very beginning to the very end. And as we read, we could share our thoughts. We could help each other to understand God’s truth as we allow the Spirit to lead us into all understanding. Yet before we begin, we should pray.”

They bowed their heads. Staci reached out to Lenox and he took her hand. Then, they all closed their eyes and Fuller prayed.

“Father, I’m just going to say a simple prayer. Help us see Your truths today as we study from Your Word. We thank You so much for Your Word and what it means to us. We thank You for Your Son, who died for us. We ask now for Your blessings as we study together. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.”

“Amen!” Fronk hollered.

Barrington grinned. “Amen.”

Lenox and Staci exchanged smiles as they said together, “Amen.”

Fuller picked up his Bible and said, “I’ll start. I believe what we read comes in sections so I’ll read first and then…well, I guess we’ll just take it from there. I‘ll start with Genesis 1:1, and 2, and, William, you can read about the first day of creation.” He read out loud, “‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.’”

“That’s really quite simple, isn’t it?” Barrington inquired. “Seems to me you don’t have to be a scholar to understand those two simple verses. God said He did it, that’s it.”

“The only way you can take it is by faith,” Staci replied. “Nichole used to study in these groups and always came back with notes on what Historians said or found. I could never understand anything they were trying to tell her. History might be good for some, but it’s hard to follow because you weren’t really there. So how could you really know if that’s how it happened or not? If you read the Bible, you have to take it by faith. It’s God’s Word and we know He wouldn’t lie to us.”

“Of course, He wouldn’t!” Fronk exclaimed.

Fuller nodded thoughtfully. “Okay. We know God isn’t a liar. We believe His Word to be true. It says He created the universe. At least, He created the heavens and the earth and we’ll see that He created everything else that followed. He puts more detail into His creation. We’re a part of that detail. There’s some verses here in my Bible, which go right along with Genesis 1:1 and I think they only add to it. These verses are just further proof of what God did. I think we should read them and by doing so, we’ll be able to see more clearly about creation.” He took a pen and began writing the verses down on a piece of paper. As he did, he said them out loud so the others could also write them down.

Many of the verses were from the Book of Psalms.

Altogether, there were a total of eighteen verses, which went right along with Genesis 1:1.

“I’ll just go ahead and read the first four verses,” Fuller said when he was through writing them down. He read, “‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?’ 2 ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.’ 3 ‘The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.’ 4”

Staci couldn’t help it. She hesitantly raised her hand as if they were in a classroom.

Fuller smiled. “Yes, Staci?”

“Who are Tabor and Hermon? Q1” she asked.

All at once, everyone began to flip through the pages of their Bible, looking into footnotes and also trying to find the answer through the Bible Concordance. Upon their search, however, they could not find any further reference on Tabor and Hermon.

“I’m sorry, Staci,” Fuller replied as he shook his head. “It seems that we’ll have to make a note of unanswered questions so that we can look into them later.”

“Oh.” Staci pursed her lips in thought. “Well, maybe it wasn’t a very good question anyway. I mean, it’s not like Tabor and Hermon have anything to do with creation, right.” She shook her head. “I’m…I’m sorry I asked a dumb question like that. I didn’t mean to get us off track.”

Lenox shook his head. “When it comes to the Bible, Staci, I don’t think any question is a dumb question to ask. We may have been reading verses, which deal with the Creation account, but we’re also learning about the author of the Bible. Who He is and how we can come to know Him. That’s what it’s all about.”

Barrington nodded in agreement. “It’s like what Darren just read from Psalms. ‘What is man, that thou art mindful of him?’ Seems to me that God thinks highly of us enough to not only send His Son to die on the cross for us, but He also thought of us enough to write a Book about Himself…just for us. I mean, it’s like a personal letter. He wants to tell us who He is and why He is.” He held up his Bible. “And here it is.”

Fronk held his Bible up high over his head. “Ooh! Ooooh! Look! I have a letter, too!”

Staci grinned and shook her head at Fronk.

“What’s the next verse you have?” Barrington asked Fuller.

Fuller flipped through the pages of the Book of Psalms until he found the verse written in his notes. “‘Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.’ 5” He looked at the others. “Well, there certainly is no doubt in my mind who the Creator is and just how vast His Creation is. And man is just a small part of that. How can something so big even be comprehended? This is just a tip of the iceberg. It probably would take us thousands of years to break through a small fragment of it just in our own attempts to understand it. That’s how big it is.”

“We could use high-grade explosives,” Fronk pointed out. “We could melt the tip of the iceberg.”

“Just read the next four verses, Crazy Man.”

“Alllllllllrighty then!” Fronk turned to his Bible, flipping through its pages until he came to the verse he was to read. He waved his arms in the air before him as if he were a great conductor getting ready to out perform Beethoven. Then, he cleared his throat dramatically. Finally, he read in a deep, narrative voice, “‘To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever.’ 6 Yes, it truly does, for I may be a crazy man and a clown at heart, I know He has shown me much mercy. Now then, let us continue with another great truth about God, ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever…’ 7 And didn’t we all agree that God is not a liar? Here is proof of that, even though we already knew it. He is a keeper of truth. Ah, but now we move from the Book of Psalms…” He looked up from his Bible. “Weren’t we studying Genesis?” He shrugged. “Anyway…we go from Psalms to Isaiah. ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.’ 8 After all, God doesn’t require our help at all! For, according to Jeremiah, ‘He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.’ 9 So our God is pretty big if He can do all of that.” He let out a loud yell as he raised his fist in honor to the Lord.

Fuller shook his head, but he couldn’t help chuckling at Fronk’s enthusiasm. “What have you got, Al?”

Barrington began by saying, “Also according to Jeremiah, ’He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.’ 10”

Fronk frowned at him. “Hey, that was the verse I just read!”

“Actually it wasn’t. Yours ended with God stretching out the heavens by his discretion. Mine ended with stretching out the heaven, no plural, by his understanding. That’s very cool. God used discretion and understanding when He created everything. To me, when I read this verse from Zechariah, it seems that God gets a little more personal. Particularly with Israel. Listen to this, ‘The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.’ 11 Sounds like God is burdened for Israel. Like He loves Israel so much, His heart goes out toward them. I mean, come on. This is heavy. We’re talking about the Creation account and by doing so, we see how much God loves Israel. We can even see how His love not only reaches out to Israel but to all men.”

Lenox nodded. “It boggles the mind how so much can be learned from one verse.”

“But that’s the awesome thing about studying God’s Word.” Barrington looked at the next verse he was about to read. “Ooh. We’re getting into the New Testament now.”

Fronk tried not to grin. “Say, didn’t we get together to study Genesis?” He winked.

“Every one of these verses just backs up what Genesis 1:1 says,” Fuller commented. “I’m sure we could even discover that there are more verses to back up those verses and so on. What New Testament verse do you have, Al? From John?” He looked down at the verses he had written earlier.

Barrington had turned into the New Testament. He nodded. “Yep. The first two verses of the Book of John begin with, ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.’ 12 I’ve heard it said that these two verses and Genesis 1:2 prove that there is a Trinity.”

“How?” Staci asked.

“It is said that the Son of God is called the Word. And the Word is at the beginning, so He was there when Creation began. God was also there because ‘In the beginning, God created…’ And Darren’s already read the second verse. ‘The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.’ That’s the Trinity in Creation.”

She thought about it. “Wait…doesn’t the Bible tell us that man was created in His image?”

Fuller nodded. “I believe we’re going to come to that verse soon.”

“Well…let’s think about this for a moment. We have three parts as well, don’t we? Body, mind/soul and spirit. The same as God if you think about it. All three parts of us are separate, but they have to function in unity for us to live. The Holy Spirit to our Inner Man or spirit, God the Father to our mind, which is our will and our emotions and…and Jesus, the Man, to our flesh. Our body. Also, it seems as though the Father is the ‘decision maker’ or the Higher-up of the three, if you know what I mean.” She looked at each one around the table with her. “Isn’t our minds also the same? That is where the enemy battles with us and where we decide whether to sin or not. Also, Jesus being the counterpart of the flesh was the one that was sent to atone for our sins…as sin came in the physical world and even when we are saved, when we are redeemed, the flesh still experiences death.” She stopped. Then, she pursed her lips. “Any of that make sense to you?”

“It certainly is a lot to consider!” Fronk exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Slow it down, sister. I’m trying to take it all in!”

Fuller smiled. “Well, Staci, I think I can get the most of what you mean. I believe you’ve just answered your own question.”

Barrington flipped the pages of his Bible. “Darren, this verse you gave us from Acts…”

“What about it?” Fuller inquired.

“I’m gonna pick up the two verses from the one you gave us. I think it’s important in our study to see this in one complete passage. It seems to me that from this passage in Acts, there are men who are getting ready to perform some kind of sacrifice, but it isn’t to God. Or maybe it is. I guess this is just another thing we’ll need to look into later. Q2 But anyway, the apostles begin to tell these men of their sin and they start out by telling them of the God of creation. It says, ‘Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.’ 13” Barrington looked up. “I really like that. These men were using the Creation account as a tool for witnessing.”

Fuller reached for his coffee mug. “Maybe this priest of Jupiter was intending the sacrifice to God, but he didn’t know that the sacrifice was already provided through God’s Son and he didn’t have to do it any more.” He nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right, though. Once again, there’s another topic of interest we’ve uncovered for further study. With prayer, we’ll get to it later.”

Barrington held up a hand. “Hold on now…Wait. We shouldn’t get this wrong. If you go up a few more verses, the word ‘gods’ is with a small ‘g’. I don’t believe this priest of Jupiter was sacrificing to God, but to false gods. This must be why the apostles were so upset. They apparently wanted this to stop and they wanted to show that there is only one way to the Father and that is through His Son.”

“Wow…That could have been a blunder,” Fuller said as he looked at the verses Barrington was referring to. “Thank you, Al, for pointing that out.”

Fronk waved a pen at him. “I’ll keep track of the questions we run into. Even this one, ‘cause it would be interesting to find out more detail on what went on here.”

“Good. Michael, what verses do you have?”

Lenox turned to his Bible and flipped its pages to the first verse he intended to look up. He looked up the other two verses as well and placed markers to keep their spots, making it easier for him to return to them when he needed to. He said, “These three verses obviously continue the theme of God as our Creator. I’ll read them all. ‘God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands…’ I’m also going to read the next verse because it goes on. ‘Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.’ 14 ‘For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.’ 15 ‘And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.’ 16” Lenox sat back and shook his head. “That’s just amazing. So amazing.”

Barrington laughed. “Coming from you, that says a lot.”

“I know. I know. Just a short time ago, I wouldn’t have given any of this a thought and I would have frowned at you because you did. Now…all I can do is shake my head in wonder. Amazing is the only word I can use that describes what I’m feeling. The creation of God is just so amazing.”

“So is His grace,” Staci pointed out.

Lenox nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is.” He turned to face her. “Read your verses to us.”

“Okay…” She looked to where her finger was poised in her Bible. “The first verse I’m reading is this…‘Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.’ 17” She looked up. “Weren’t we talking about faith before?”

Fuller nodded. “You brought it up. And we agreed.”

“It has to be taken by faith. God wants us to have faith,” Barrington replied. “When we place our faith in Him, we’re telling Him that we trust Him to do what He says He’ll do. It’s like coming to Him as a child because children are so trusting. We have to be just as trusting as a child and when we do that, we know God will stand by His Word. We know He’ll bring us to Him.”

Staci hesitated. “David would have been seven this year.” David Cohen was her son who was raptured when he was three. She smiled wryly as her eyes blurred. “I know what that means, Albert. What you’re saying. All of those children went to Him when they were raptured out from this earth. All of His promises have so far come true and I long for the day when another promise of His comes true. That day when I will see my son again. And not only my son…but I’ll see Jesus. We’ll all see Him. How amazing is that?”

Fronk slapped his hands together. “Goody! The new word for today is ‘amazing’.” Imitating Mr. Rogers, he said, “Hello, neighbor. Would you like to be my neighbor? Wonderful. Because today we learned a new word and I want you to share it with your neighbor. That word is ‘amazing’. Can you say it with me?”

“William,” Fuller began, “some people really do need to stay in their box.”

“What are you trying to say, Skipper?”

He shook his head. “Staci, before he gets real crazy on us, continue with your verses.”

Staci nodded. “Okay. Ooh…They’re verses from Revelation.”

“That’s like the prize from a CrackerJack box!” Fronk exclaimed.

“William,” Fuller said, looking at him from across the table.

“Well, it is. Don’t you remember being so excited when you had your first CrackerJack box? You just had to know what the prize was, didn’t you? Well, didn’t you?” Fronk thumped his chest. “Well, I just had to know. I ripped open into that box and I dumped all of its contents onto the tabletop. I didn’t care about the caramelized popcorn and nuts. I just wanted the prize! And I didn’t want to have to wait for it.” He pointed at Staci. “That’s how excited I get with Revelation. It’s the prize, Doc. The prize! And you got the prize!”

Staci smiled. “Yeah, I got the prize.” She suddenly looked stern. “Can I read it now?”

Fronk immediately picked up his Bible and looked as if he hadn’t said a word.

Barrington shook his head, but he couldn’t keep the grin he felt off his face.

Staci said, “Now I read from Revelation. And as I read this verse, I’m reading it with all my heart, my soul, my mind, because I know it to be true. ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’ 18 Amen and amen! Thank You, Jesus. In the next verse I’m reading, there’s an angel who swears ‘by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein.’ 19 Doesn’t it just make you want to shout a loud halleluiah? We’re so privileged to know this! The God of all Creation created us for Himself. He created us for His pleasure. We’re special to Him. I wish I had known this earlier in my life. But now I give thanks to Him for saving me and for allowing me to be here with all of you as we study His Word.” She smiled. “I feel like this is only the beginning. We haven’t really even started, have we?”

Fuller shook his head. “No. We’ve barely begun. I feel the same way you do about getting into this book. I also want to shout a loud halleluiah.” He held it up. “But I’m talking about really getting into it. Read it. Study it. Discuss it. You just can’t get enough. There’s always something to learn. There’s always something new.” He paused. “God created the heavens and the earth and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. He is the incomparable God because no one can compare! ‘Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?’ 20 No one.”

“That is correct, my brother,” replied a voice from across the room.

All eyes turned toward the source of the voice and the study group were surprised to find they had company. Three others had entered the shelter. Marc Shiva, Erin Greye and David King, who used to be Darwyn Musad.

It was David King whom had spoken. He grinned at the look of surprise on Fuller’s face. “How could you possibly start a Bible Study without me? You know I love to teach!”

They were all glad to have King, Shiva and Erin join them in the Bible Study they had just begun. Especially King because since the Rapture of the Church and his conversion, he had been giving himself into full time study of the Bible. If anyone was qualified to teach the Word, it would be him.

Shiva and Erin placed bags onto the table as greetings were exchanged all around. There were hugs and pats on the backs exchanged as well. Fuller told the three newcomers where they were in the Bible Study and brought them up to date.

When they all finally settled into their places around the table and had their coffee and snacks before them, they were ready to dig into the Bible for more truths. Fuller had relinquished his place at the head of the table for King, who was eagerly rubbing his hands together in anticipation of what was ahead.

“Where did you guys get all the food?” Barrington asked as he broke open a soft roll. He was about to make a sandwich.

“Some of our brothers and sisters in other shelters provided it all for us,” King told him. “And I have decided to use it today as an object lesson before we continue with where you left off.” He grabbed a roll for himself and passed the package of rolls to Fuller. “Take one, please. Everyone!”

When everyone had a roll, they waited with anticipation.

King smiled at them. “‘And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.’ 21” He broke open his roll.

The others did the same.

“You see…this is extremely important for us to realize,” King began, making eye contact with everyone at the table. “If we would have Christ dwell with us, we must be earnest with Him. Those that have experienced the pleasure and profit of communion with Him, cannot but desire more of His company. He took bread. He blessed it. He broke it…and He gave it to them, His disciples who sat at the table with Him. This He did with His usual authority and affection. With the same manner and perhaps with the same words. Now here He teaches us to crave a blessing on every meal, does He not?”

There were nods of agreement around the table.

“I don’t know about you, but it fills my heart with joy knowing that the Lord Jesus wants to break bread with us! Just as much as we want to break bread with Him. Do you see how Christ by His Spirit and grace makes Himself known to the souls of His people? He opens the scriptures to them. He meets them at His table - even right at this table with us! - Yet He meets his disciples at His table, in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper and is known to them in breaking of bread. But the work is completed by the opening of the eyes of their mind; yet it is but short views we have of Christ in this world. But when we enter heaven, we shall see Him forever.”

“Amen!” Fronk hollered. Then, he let out a loud yell, which made Erin jump.

Erin had taken a seat next to him, but now wondered if that had been a good idea.

After some chuckles from around the table, King smiled at them all. “This is what the object lesson is all about. Fellowship. Breaking of bread and I mean…” He held up his Bible as if to show the world. “Bread. The Word of God. ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ 22” He put his Bible before him and opened it. “Now, shall we begin?”

The fellowship of the Gatherers were in agreement.

And so they began.

“I would like everyone to close their eyes and get a visual picture in your minds,” King said as he looked at each person present. He nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead. Just close your eyes…” He waited until he was certain the entire group had their eyes closed. “Good. Good. Now…picture nothing but darkness. Absolute and complete darkness.”

He waited.

There was no sound.

In each of their minds, they saw what he asked them to see.

“What do you see?” he asked them.

“I can’t see a thing,” Shiva responded.

“Can you move around in this darkness?”

In their minds, they did try to move in the darkness. They held out their hands and tried to move, feeling their way…all but Erin and Staci.

“I’m not moving in this,” Erin commented. Suddenly, she exclaimed. “Hey! Who just stepped on my foot?”

“Oops,” Fronk muttered.

“Ow!” Erin cried out.

“Does anybody got a flashlight?” Barrington called out.

King smiled. “I have something better.” He paused. “William, can you please read Genesis 1:3 - 5?”

“Ahhhh, no,” Fronk replied.

“Why not?”

“It’s really kinda dark in here and I have this thing about reading in the dark.” He paused. “I can’t see the pages.”

A light came on over Fronk.

Fronk looked around. He was standing with the others and they were all surrounded by darkness. But because of the little flashlight King held over Fronk, they could all see each other.

“Wow, this is so cool!” Fronk exclaimed. “Where’s the shelter we were in?”

King smiled. “This is a lesson. Remember, we are all traveling along Route 66 and this is only one of many stops we shall take. This is only the beginning, my brothers and sisters.” He waved his hand around. “Take a look. We are in nothing but darkness. In our limited minds, this is how we perceive it began.” He shone his light on the Bible in Fronk’s hands. “Now…read to us Genesis 1:3 - 5, if you would.”

Fronk unnecessarily cleared his throat. Then, he read, “‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’”

The darkness abruptly disappeared and they were all surrounded by light. King turned off his flashlight and it disappeared from view. He motioned for Fronk to continue reading.

Fronk cleared his throat again. “‘And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.’”

“Look up there!” Staci exclaimed, pointing excitedly.

They all looked up. The darkness was somewhere far above, but still clearly visible.

“In our limited minds,” King said softly, “what we are looking at is the first day of creation. This is only a simple object lesson. We are catching only a small glimpse of the first day of creation. And how was this all made possible?”

Everyone glanced at each other.

Staci spoke up, hesitantly. “Because…God created it.”

“Yes, but how did He create it?”

Again, there was silence.

King grinned. “Come on. I know you know this.” He paused. “‘For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.’ 23” He laughed joyfully. “Don’t you just love that? He said it, it happened. He made a command…and it stood fast! Yes, sir! Right away, sir! There’s no hesitation whatsoever when God gives a command like that.” He made eye contact with everyone. “That is how it should be with us, but we are human and we have what is called a free will. So sometimes, with us, there is hesitation. God tells us to do something, whether it is through someone we know or through a certain circumstance in our lives…or maybe even through His Word. Through a still, small voice. And yet, sometimes…” He shrugged helplessly. “…we hesitate. Is this not sadly so?”

There were nods of agreement from all around the group.

“Now…I’m going to ask another question. This is the first day, the creation of light. There is another source of light that the darkness cannot ever hide from. This source chases away the darkness for it reveals all. Our hearts were even filled with this horrible darkness, but praise be to God it is no longer there! ‘For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,’ - Praise God! - ‘to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of…’ 24 who?”

“The Lord,” answered Lenox.

“Jesus Christ,” responded Barrington.

King grinned at them. “That is correct. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the light…The true Light of the Gospel. The darkness hides our sin and yet He reveals it in His light. When we turn from it and come to Him, He then washes it away. Our very own darkness is now gone! So where do we stand? In His light.” He waved his hands around to indicate their surroundings. “This is all of which He created…but there is still even more than this. Our God is a very big God. How big is our God? There is nothing He cannot do. ‘The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.’ 25 It all belongs to Him. ‘Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.’ 26 This is the first day, which God has created. He created Day and He created Night.” He turned to Barrington. “My brother, would you like to read the verses pertaining to the second day?”

Barrington nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Then, read the scriptures to us, my brother.”

And Barrington read.

Barrington read Genesis 1:6 - 8. “‘And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.’”

“Does anyone know what a ‘firmament’ is?” King asked, looking around at the study group.

“Is it air?” Erin asked.

“Sky!” Fronk exclaimed, holding his hand up high and bouncing up and down as if he were Tigger. “Whowhooo!”

“Well, you are both right,” King assured them. “It is the sky. God is simply putting everything in its place quite nicely, isn’t He? No one else could do something this amazing! ‘Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?’ 27 Certainly not! No one has but God alone. Does anyone know of any other verses that support this?”

“I’ve got one,” Barrington replied. “I believe we went over it before you arrived. ‘To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth forever.’ 28”

“Excellent!” King held up a fist. “Isn’t it wonderful that our God is a merciful God?”

“Amen,” Fuller agreed.

The others did, too.

King raised his hands toward the sky. “‘Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.’ 29 Jesus Himself once said that the very rocks would cry out praises to Him if men did not. Thank God there are men today who will call Him Lord and King.” He paused in thought. “Now, before Marc, Erin and I arrived, you covered the first two verses of Genesis. Then we all went over the First Day of Creation and just now, the Second Day. Before we move onto the Third Day, there is something I wish to add here that will benefit our study. I wanted to begin this in the First Day, but through the study, I just got caught up in it. So let us all now take a moment to reflect on something very important. I need someone…well, there are eight of us here, are there not?”

“Do we really have to count?” Lenox inquired. “I hate math.”

Staci giggled.

Fronk shook his head. “Getting saved has changed you, brother, but your jokes are extremely lame.”

“I can still take you any day of the week,” Lenox replied with a serious look on his face.

“Not to mention that your jokes are also very funny. Hilarious even!”

“If you two are going to act up, you can take it outside,” Fuller said as he leaned back in his chair. “David, in answer to your question, there are eight of us here.”

King rubbed his hands together in anticipation of what he was about to share. “Very good. Now, we shall team up into two groups. The Genesis group and the Revelation group.”

“Ooh,” Barrington began, looking forward to where the lesson was heading, “I’d like to be in the Revelation group.”

King nodded. “Very well. You will be and I will be in Genesis. Therefore you and I will be first. Now, pick someone else to be with you.”

“My best friend, the one and only, Michael Lenox.” Barrington pointed at him. “You’re on my team.”

Lenox nodded. “Good call.”

King smiled. “If you take my brother then I must take my sister, Staci.”

Staci sent a wave at Lenox. “See you later.”

Fronk frowned. “Why can’t you see him now?”

“It’s a figure of…” She looked at him. “Wise guy.”

He grinned.

Barrington cleared his throat. “Fury, you’re with us.”

Fronk pouted. “What…? Am I green or something? Do I have gills? Do I look funny?” He rubbed his fingers against his teeth. “Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Why won’t you pick me?” He sniffed.

“Well, we don’t take whiners in the Revelators.”

Fronk abruptly turned to King and raised his hand high, squirming in his chair like a kid anxious to be noticed. “Pick me! Pick me! Pick, pick, pick me!”

Laughing, King nodded his head. “You’re with us, William.”

“Thank you so much,” Fronk began, blubbering as if he was sobbing. “I…I thought I was gonna be ignored.” He sniffed.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Fuller replied. “I’ve tried to ignore you on several accounts and it never seems to work.”

Fronk stared at him. “I…I…Skipper, I can’t believe you said that.” He looked at Barrington. “Pick him! I don’t want him on my team!”

Barrington nodded. “Done. You’re with us, Todd.”

Fuller nodded back. “Thank you.” Since they were in a study group, he appreciated the fact that they didn’t have to call him by his formal title.

Erin let out a sigh. “I can’t believe this.”

“What’s wrong, Erin?” King asked.

“When I was in High School, I was never picked last.”

Fronk leaned toward her. “I’m sorry. Would you like to trade seats?”

“No. I’m on your team.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m the last one to be picked and David is the last one to choose. He has to pick me, silly!”

King interrupted before Fronk continued. “Erin, do not be embarrassed that you have been chosen last. After all… ‘many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.’ 30” With that, he grinned.

Erin smiled wryly.

“But now that we have our teams, I will assign verses to everyone. Keep track of them for as we continue with our study, we will stop when we come to these particular verses in Genesis. Then, the Genesis team will read their verse…and the Revelation team will read theirs.” He assigned each of them two verses apiece. “Now…we have already passed over one of the verses in Genesis, so we will go to that one now.” He looked at Barrington. “I will read my verse and you will then read yours. Are you ready?”

Barrington nodded.

“Excellent. Let us begin.” King turned to his Bible and said, “I will read from Genesis 1:4. ‘And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.’” He nodded to Barrington.

Barrington looked at his Bible. “I’m reading from Revelation 21:25. ‘And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.’” He looked up. “Wow.”

King smiled. “Exactly.” He looked around. “Do you not see where we are going with this? What we have here, my brothers and sisters, are comparisons - and there are eight of them - between the created world in which we live and the eternal world in where we are going. In these verses, we go from the division of light and darkness to absolutely no night. On this earth, there is day and night. In heaven, there is only light.”

“That…that is just…” Shiva shook his head. “I can’t even describe it, David. It’s mind-boggling.”

“That it is…And it is only the beginning.” He turned to Staci. “Now, when we get to verse 10, we’ll see the second comparison. Keep that in mind for it is your verse and Michael will give the comparison from Revelation.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Good…Now then, who is reading to us about the Third Day?”

Shiva raised his hand. “I’d like to read it if it’s okay.”

“Of course, it’s okay. My brother, read on.”

Shiva cleared his throat. Then, he read about the Third Day.

Shiva read Genesis 1:9 - 13. “‘And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day.’”

“Land and sea…” King said softly, “on the third day.” He lifted his hands toward the heavens above. “‘He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.’ 31 These are simple foundations to God. He is creating everything in a perfect order because God is a God of order, not chaos. Everything is done for a purpose, for our God is a purposeful God and He never does anything by chance or guesswork like we do. He lays the foundation and finishes the work, but He is the one who completes it. Did not Jesus Himself say, ‘It is finished’ 32?”

“Yes, he did,” Fuller agreed.

“And why did He say that?”

“Because He finished it.”

King looked around at the others. “Finished what?”

Barrington paused. “He finished the way to the cross. He put an end to the only way to God. His death on the cross opened the only way to heaven, by coming to Him in repentance and being able to come to the Father.”

“But more specifically, what did our Lord and Savior finish at the cross?” Q3

There was a pause.

“When you finish something, you basically end it.”

Lenox let out a sigh, but he didn’t say anything. It was a sigh that he wanted to say something, but didn’t.

King smiled at him. “You have an answer?”

Lenox hesitated. “I…have a thought.”

“Speak it.”

“Well…the only thing I can think of is sin.”

King grinned. “You are saying that what Christ finished at the cross is sin?”

Lenox nodded. “I guess I am.”

“Do not guess, my brother, for sin is what Jesus Christ ended at the cross. He nailed our sin on the cross, He bore it upon himself…and then He put an end to it. It is no more. That is why when we come to the cross of Calvary, He takes our sin and casts it from us. He washes us in His blood and makes us white as snow. His blood cleanses us from sin and it is gone. Finished. Defeated. So much meaning in a single Greek word! Jerome translated this as ’Consummatum est’. I like that, since it extends the English word ’finished’ with the notion ’consummation’. Christ was speaking of the work of His atonement. It was, at that moment, conclusively complete, fully finished and perfectly performed. In an utterly unique way in all of time and history, the Law was satisfied. The Messianic prophecies were fulfilled. Redemption has been accomplished and secured. The ransom was completely paid for the elect. The redemption of God’s own people was accomplished, nothing more needing to be added to it. This ushers in a new age, the Church age. ‘Now that is the climax. That’s no groan and curse of a victim; that’s the proclamation of a victor, that’s the shout of triumph: ‘It is finished.’ Jesus knew everything was done because He knew everything. He had control of every detail, He had mapped out every detail in eternity past and every detail occurred exactly as He had planned.’ 33 And with that, what do we become?”

“Children of God,” Staci answered.

“Yes…but specifically, we become…?”

Fronk snapped his fingers. “Oh, come on! We become new! New creations in Christ.”

King smiled at his enthusiasm. “Yes! New creations. And this is what I want you to see. God has a plan. He puts the plan into motion and it becomes complete because He brings it into completion. Just as He laid the foundation of Creation, He also laid the foundation of salvation. The third day brought forth the land and the seas of this planet. ‘Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the cornerstone thereof…? 34’ God did. God ‘gathererth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.’ 35 ‘The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.’ 36 It is all His. He has created all of it. ‘To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth forever.’ 37 Can you imagine God taking the earth and stretching it as a child would stretch silly putty? This is what God is doing when he stretched the earth…He is forming it into what He is creating. He is laying a foundation. He is creating dry land and seas and soon will have it completed. Now…Christ is one with the Father in the creation of the world and rejoicing in His work for the salvation of man for He was there ‘when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth.’ 38 The Son of God declares Himself to have been engaged in the creation of the world. How able, how fit is the Son of God to be the Savior of the world, who also was the Creator of it! The Son of God was ordained, before the world, to that great work. Does He delight in saving wretched sinners and shall not we delight in His salvation?”

Fronk let out a loud holler, causing Erin to jump.

Chuckles spread through the group.

“Amen, brother!” Shiva agreed. “I’m awed at all of this. I never gave it a thought about any of this…Creation, I mean. And how can you not see or just feel the almighty power of God.” He shook his head. “It just…it just blows my mind. I can’t even comprehend how big it is because when I even try, I’m not even close.”

“People should have great respect and a proper fear for God,” Fuller commented. “Being afraid is one thing, but with the fear of God, you can’t help but keep things in perspective and have a great deal of awe and reverence for God.”

“That is well said,” King told him. “‘Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?’ 39 Scoffers do not have any respect or fear for God now, but they will at the Judgment. They are in their own ignorance. But God blesses those whom loves Him and He also blesses the earth, which He created. ‘For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God.’ 40 God created everything and He also loves and cares for what He has created.” He turned to Staci. “We come to our second comparison of the created earth and heaven, haven’t we?”

Staci nodded. “Yes.”

“Would you be so kind as to read your verse, and then, Michael, you read yours so we can see the comparison.”

Staci looked at her Bible. “I’m reading Genesis 1:10. ‘And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.’” She smiled. “I like it when God saw that things He created was good.” She shrugged. “It makes me feel…happy.”

King agreed with a nod.

Lenox looked at Staci. “You know, there was a time I would never admit to ever feeling happy…but I know what you’re saying and can only agree.” He moved his Bible closer toward him. “Revelation 21:1 says, ‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.’” He paused. “No more sea?”

King nodded. “Yes. In this new heaven, there will be no more night and no more sea.”

Erin shook her head. “I…don’t understand. The sea is beautiful. God saw that it was good so how come there won’t be any more sea?” Q4

King nodded thoughtfully. “Erin, my sister…that is a very good question, but I’m uncertain that it is answerable in a conclusive way.”

“Ah…” Fronk made a tsking sound. “Then, what you’re telling us is that the question of a sea in heaven or not is entirely inconclusive.”

Lenox shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems pretty conclusive to me. If the Bible says there’s no sea in heaven, then there’s no sea in heaven. It’s pretty clear cut to me.”

Staci nodded. “I agree…but I’m also with Erin. The sea is pretty.”

King held up a hand for their attention. “My brothers and sisters, let me explain further.”

All eyes turned to him.

He smiled at them. “You see, we don’t really have anything in this passage to suggest that it is to be taken as anything other than an aspect of the new earth, which John had found particularly striking. I’ve heard some say that it means that the whole earth will be inhabitable, making about four times as much surface area as available today.”

Shiva shook his head. “That’s amazing. I’ve never heard of that.”

“There’s more. Others suggest that the oceans are gone because they are a remnant of the diluvial judgment. I’ve heard people assert that the oceans disappeared in the fiery transformation mentioned in Amos 7:4 and II Peter 3:10 - 12. ‘Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and , behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.’”

Barrington grinned. “It never ceases to amaze me how you can just call up scripture like that from memory.”

King winked at him. “II Peter 3:10 - 12, ‘But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?’” He pointed at Barrington. “Study the word. Meditate upon it and when you need it, it will come to you. The Spirit will guide you. Now then, on the other hand, to the non-seafaring, Jewish mind, oceans and seas were not well appreciated.”

Being Jewish, Staci regarded him thoughtfully. “Really?”

“Weather from the Mediterranean was usually pretty problematic for them. Generally, allusions to the sea were pretty negative. For example, Isaiah 57:20 says, ‘But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.’ Now I’m sure people have their dearly-held opinions on this, but I don’t see any authority from the Scriptures themselves that would allow us to conclusively answer. Prophetic language is usually intentionally obscure, becoming obvious only in hindsight.” He smiled at Erin. “We may have to wait to know for certain!”

“Well, if we survive the rest of the Tribulation,” Fuller began, “the wait won’t be much longer.”

“Again, well said.” King looked at Erin. “Does that satisfy your answer?”

Erin nodded. “It does. I can wait…I guess.”

“Then, if there are no other questions, would you care to read the next verses in Genesis pertaining to the Fourth Day?”

She nodded again.

“Then, please…read on, my sister.”

And Erin read…

Erin cleared her throat and then, read from Genesis 1:14 - 19. “‘And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.’”

“The Fourth Day,” King repeated. “And God created what?”

“The sun, moon and stars.”

“Now…I can assure you that there is some very important things we can discover about this particular creation. The sun, the moon and the stars. We can see by them but throughout history, they have been misused by man. They have been taken out of their proper place and put higher than God intended.” King sat back and said, “‘And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.’ 41 When we get to the ten plagues, which God sent upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, we will see that these plagues were specifically aimed at a false god. This includes the sun god. God warned the Israelites many times not to turn to false gods or idols.”

“But they did,” Fuller pointed out.

“Yes. Sadly enough, this is true. The power and love of God to Israel are here made the ground and reason of a number of cautions and serious warnings; and although there is much reference to their national covenant, yet all may be applied to those who live under the Gospel. What are laws made for but to be observed and obeyed? Our obedience as individuals cannot merit salvation; but it is the only evidence that we are partakers of the gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Considering how many temptations we are compassed with and what corrupt desires we have in out bosoms, we have a great need to keep our hearts with all diligence. Those who cannot walk aright, walk carelessly.”

Staci frowned. “But…what does that have to do with the sun, the moon and the stars?”

“Everything. Moses charged particularly to take heed of the sin of idolatry. He shows how weak the temptation would be to those who thought aright; for those pretended gods, the sun, moon and stars, were only blessings which the Lord their God had imparted to all nations. It is absurd to worship them. Shall we serve those that were made to serve us? Take heed lest ye forget the Covenant of the Lord your God. We must take heed lest at any time we forget our Creator.”

Barrington nodded thoughtfully. “It should make sense. God is the one who created the sun, the moon and the stars…and everything else. How can we rightfully worship something created? It all belongs to Him. ‘The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the boarders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.’ 42 It was the Lord’s doing, no one else is worthy.”

“Amen to that, my brother!” King exclaimed. “‘He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.’ 43 Everything in its proper place. Even the sun knows its place!” He smiled. “Oh, but now this brings us to a third comparison! Who had the Genesis comparison?”

Fronk waved his hands for attention, squirming in his chair. “Oooh! I know this one! I really, really do!”

King laughed. “Alright, my friend. Say on.”

“On!”

“No, no…I mean, read your verse.”

Fronk slapped at his forehead. “Oh, silly me! What was I thinking?”

“I’m sure there’s not a single person in this room that can answer that question,” Lenox couldn’t help but comment.

Fronk pointed at him. “Right you are!” He shushed him. “Quiet now. I’m-a speaking.” He picked up his Bible and cleared his throat dramatically. “I read to you now from Genesis 1:16, which clearly says…‘And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.’” He let out a holler. “Wahoo!”

“Who has the comparison?” King asked.

Shiva raised his hand. “I do.”

“Go ahead, then.”

Shiva nodded. “Revelation 21:23. ‘And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’”

King smiled. “Now that says it all to me. Genesis talks about the sun ruling over the day and the moon ruling over the night. But Revelation says there will be no need for the sun or the moon for the Lamb will be the light! That is a mighty comparison indeed. Isn’t it?”

The group offered their agreement.

“Amen! Well, now…we are almost out of the first chapter of Genesis. We have driven along the very beginning of Route 66 and we finally come to the fifth day. Michael…? Please read to us about the fifth day of creation.”

Lenox nodded. “With pleasure.” And so he read…

Lenox pulled his Bible from the table and found the verses he was to read. “Genesis 1:20 - 23. The fifth day of creation.” He paused. “‘And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.’”

King nodded thoughtfully. “Well, obviously, we come to God creating birds and sea creatures. Isn’t it amazing? God commanded even the fish and the fowl to be produced. This command He Himself executed. Some say that God created insects as well during this fifth day.”

“I hate bugs,” Erin replied with a shudder. She made a face. “Eww.”

“But God created the little bug. How can you not help but wonder just how amazing this small creation of God is? He put so much into everything He created. Very much detail, I do say. And He certainly must have cared for even these bugs for He commanded Noah to place them on the ark as well as any other living creature.” He flipped a few pages forward in his Bible. “Here we are. Genesis 8:17. ‘Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.’ Insects creep, do they not?”

“Yes, they do creep,” Erin agreed. “They creep me out.”

Fronk leaned toward her. “Well, I’ve seen insects that slither.”

“Whether they slither or creep or climb or crawl,” King began with a smile, “God is the one who created them all.”

Barrington laughed. “That’s good, David.”

“Thank you, my brother. Yes, it is good, because it is also quite true.” He glanced at Staci. “So we have seen God creating the fowl of the air and sea creatures, now we will see land animals as well. And, of course, we will see the creation of man. I also believe we will come across another comparison. So watch for it as our dear sister in Christ reads to us the rest of Genesis chapter one.”

All eyes turned expectantly to Staci.

Staci glanced at everyone as she prepared to read. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “I…I have a lot of verses to read.”

Fuller pulled his Bible close. “Would you like me to read them?”

“No, no. I can read them.” And so she did. She read from Genesis 1:24 - 31, concluding the chapter. “‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’”

King regarded each of the members of the Gatherers seated at the table with him. He smiled at them. Softly, he said, “Let us take a moment to be awed by everything our God has done. I don’t know about you, but we have not yet truly begun our journey through Route 66 and yet, I have goose bumps. I am simply completely amazed by our Lord. There is no one like Him. Look what He has done. He has created us and given us life…and not just life! But abundant life. I say to you, my brothers and sisters, that it is Jesus Christ who is that abundant life offered to us freely.” He shook his head. “It’s…so amazing. Let us give thanks to Him.”

The Bible Study group offered their thanks unto the Lord, for it was the Lord who was good. They prayed, they sang songs and lifted their hands to the Lord. They offered thanks to Him in hymns and songs.

Finally, King raised his arms toward heaven. “The blessing of God is the cause of our…doing well. On Him we depend, to Him we should be ever thankful. He has created everything. Even the wild beasts of the earth. ‘And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hands are they delivered.’ 44 God is mighty indeed. But not only has He created land animals, He has also created…?” He glanced at the others.

Staci raised her hand, even though she didn’t have to. “Man.”

“Yes, of course! Man. ‘This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.’ 45 In the likeness of God. You see - and we must grab the importance of this - Adam was created in the image of God, but…when he fell, he begat a son in his own image, sinful and defiled, frail, wretched and mortal, like himself. Not only a man like himself, consisting of body and soul, but a sinner like himself. This was the reverse of that Divine likeness in which Adam was made. Now having lost it, he could not convey it to his seed. Yet how amazing to have been created in God’s image. Unfortunately, it is the Devil, that old serpent, which came along to pervert something God has created. Cain had a taste of this perversion when he tried to do things his way instead of God’s way and when he was confronted by his brother, Abel, he slew him. ‘Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.’ 46”

Fuller nodded thoughtfully. “We’ve all seen the depravity of mankind. Whether we want to admit it or not, we’re all capable of such depravity ourselves…at least we were until Jesus came to redeem us.”

“He saves us from depravity,” King replied. “He saves us…completely. Praise God!”

“Amen,” Shiva agreed.

“God made us. He loves us. He keeps us. Sometimes we seem to forget that we are not just created and saved and now His children. But that our Father loves us and is very mindful of us. He wants us to know we are loved. It is a great thing to be loved by an Almighty God. There is nothing on this earth which can ever compare with such love. He even gave man the earth to inhabit and not just the earth. ‘Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.’ 47 Isn’t that marvelous?”

“Yes, it is,” Barrington said with a nod of agreement.

Fronk waved his hands in the air and pretended he was Arnold Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter. “Oh! Ohohoh! Pick me…Pick me, pick me, pick me!”

Fuller shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

Lenox grinned.

King smiled. “Yes, my brother?”

“I found a verse here in Psalms about the image of God.” Fronk held up his Bible and peered at the page through his thick lenses. “I am a-gonna read Psalm 100:3.” He cleared his throat. “‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.’ And I just think that is so uber cool, dude! ‘Cause, like, just read between the lines, man. It’s like the Psalmist dude here is saying, ‘Hey, do you know the Lord? Huh? ‘Cause, like, if you don’t know Him, you really really really should, man. I ain’t kidding. ‘Cause He’s the One who made us. We didn’t make us, man. I can attest to that!’” Fronk bounced enthusiastically in his seat. “Oh, and here is the best part. The Psalmist dude then says something like this. ‘Dude, if you know the Lord…I mean, really really really know the Lord, then, you’re one of His children! Man, you belong to Him.’ Ha! Now isn’t that heavy?”

“I’d say that’s very heavy,” Shiva replied. “You’re really really really out there, my man, but you do know how to drive home a point.”

“Indeed.” King smiled. “We are indeed the offspring of God. Listen to these verses written in the book of Acts. Acts 17:26 - 29. ‘And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us…’ I really like that! ‘…For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we also are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.’ God is no mere idol but a living, breathing, mighty God. And He made us and we are His.”

Staci clapped her hands together. “I’m so glad to be His.”

“As am I.”

“I found a verse, too. It’s in one of the reference notes in Genesis.”

King encouraged her to continue.

“It is Ecclesiastes 7:29. ‘Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.’” She looked up. “I don’t understand the ‘inventions’ part, but God has made man upright. Kinda defeats the old Evolution theory, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does.”

There were chuckles around the room.

“I have a verse,” Erin said.

King laughed. “My brothers and sisters, please. If you have any verses which are referring to the Sixth Day of creation, just read on. This isn’t a classroom…well, perhaps in some instances, it is. What I mean to say is that it isn’t necessary to raise your hands. Just read.”

Erin smiled. “I Corinthians 11:7... ‘For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of man.’”

Lenox grinned. “Sounds like that verse also has another topic for further study at another time.”

Staci looked at him suspiciously. “Don’t go there, Mister.”

He chuckled.

“Does that mean men aren’t supposed to wear hats? Q5” Erin asked.

“I’m sure it doesn’t mean that,” Fuller replied. “William, make sure you add that question to the list.”

Fronk nodded, anxiously writing down the question with his tongue protruding from his mouth like a child eagerly studying. In more ways than one, that was what he was.

“I found a couple of verses,” Fuller continued. “The first one I have is Ephesians 4:24 and it’s about being a new man. ‘And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’” He looked up. “Sounds to me like God not only created man, but obviously creates a new man when man is saved. So apparently, He is still in the business of creation. It is still happening today. Colossians 3:10 goes along with this same theme…” He flipped through the pages of his Bible until he found what he was looking for.

Erin said, “Todd…I have that if you would like me to read it…”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

She nodded. “Okay…It says, ‘And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.’”

“We are certainly flipping through the pages of our Bibles today,” King commented happily. “That is always so nice to see.” He held up a finger. “I have an interesting verse and I will quote it to you now…‘Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.’ 48” He smiled. “I believe there is much more than that about His creation of man and any part of His creation. Genesis 5:2 talks about who He created as well. ‘Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.’ That shows to me how personally involved God becomes in our lives. There is a verse I am thinking about now which may even have a special meaning to both of you…Staci and Michael.”

Lenox looked at him with interest. “Really?” He exchanged looks with Staci. “What verse is that and why would it interest us?”

“The two of you have…begun a journey together, have you not? The journey as a couple and both of you has said to me that you believe God has made each of you for the other. Well, this verse I will quote may fit you well for, without going into great detail, some suggest it is meant to remind us that God intended one woman to be for one man. The quote is this…‘And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.’ 49”

Lenox smiled at Staci. “I like that.”

Staci returned his smile. “So do I.”

King clapped his hands together. “Good. Because the Bible continues to show us about the creation of Man and Woman. Consider Matthew 19:4. ‘And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female…’ And also consider Mark 10:6. ‘But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.’ And then I simply think this is so amazing how God can tie this in together, for not only has He made male and female, but now He gives them a command. Consider Genesis 9:1 and 7. ‘And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth…And you, be ye fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.’ And then Leviticus 26:9. ‘For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.’”

Once more, Staci and Lenox exchanged glances.

“Uhm,” Staci began hesitantly, “you…you’re not trying to tell us something, are you?”

Fuller couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. This was followed by the others laughing as well and Staci turned a little red.

King smiled at Staci. “I’m only sharing with you what is in His Word, my dear sister. It is also in my heart. Each of us in this room know how the two of you feel and we know what is on your hearts. I can not be any happier for you and look forward to marrying you as Husband and Wife. Until then, perhaps this part of the study is to re-affirm to you what God had intended for a man and his wife. Psalm 127:3 says, ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.’ We know Jesus loved children. God loves children. We are His children. ‘Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ 50 It is so easy now to see how God created man and woman and intended them to be one…To be as one. To have children, an act of God’s continual creation. To start a family and be blessed with a home. This is what we see in these verses. This is what God had intended for mankind, but it was perverted and now it is almost extinct.”

Silence descended upon the group as they exchanged looks.

King smiled. “God continued with what He had made, however. For we find in Genesis 9:3, ‘Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.’ God now provides for the man, his wife…and their family. It is completely ordered by the Lord. Ordained. Sanctified. Holy. It was how it was meant to be and one day will be again. God not only creates, but He provides. ‘For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.’ 51 ‘Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ 52 Our God is so good. ‘Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.’ 53 ‘The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing.’ 54 He provides for everything and everyone. ‘He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.’ 55” He raised his hands toward heaven and proclaimed loudly Psalm 104:24. “‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.’” He paused as he regarded everyone at the table. “Finally…I believe it would be appropriate to end the study of Genesis chapter one with a quote from I Timothy 4:4. ‘For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.’ God created land animals and man…and saw that it was good.”

“Amen, brother!” Barrington exclaimed.

King held up a hand. “But, wait! There is one other thing we must go over before we go into chapter two. Who has the fourth comparison?”

Erin glanced at her notes. “Oh, I have Genesis 1:27.”

“And I’ve got Revelation 21:3,” Fuller replied.

“Excellent!” King exclaimed. “Erin, please begin with the fourth comparison.”

Erin nodded. She tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear. “Genesis 1:27 says, ‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’”

“And…Darren?”

Fuller cleared his throat. “Revelation 21:3. ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.’”

King smiled. “What then, is the comparison here?”

There was silence.

“Well…in the created world, man is created in God’s image.” King clapped his hands together with glee. “I assure you, there is no better way to conclude this part of our study together than to discover what the comparison is here. If man is created in God’s image in the created world…then what is man in the eternal world?”

“We have new bodies?” Barrington inquired.

“We’ll be with our loved ones who has gone before us?” Staci asked, thinking of her son, David, and her sister, Nichole.

“These may be true, but not the answer I seek.” King paused. “In the created world, man is made in the image of God, but in the eternal world…” He paused for affect. “…Man is in God’s presence.”

“God spoke all things into existence,” King expounded as the study group prepared to continue their journey of Route 66 into Genesis 2. “He created the heavens and the earth. He created light, air, water, land, birds, sea and land animals. He created the sun, the moon and the stars. He divided the night from the day. He created man. And the creation was orderly and every detail was considered by the Creator. After God created, He saw that it was all good. When I see this in His Word, I picture God as being content with the work of His hands and so He rested to enjoy His creation. Isn’t that profound?”

Fuller nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, it is.”

“Amen, brother,” Barrington agreed.

King regarded the group at the table with him. “Before we get into the seventh day of creation, I believe the Lord has placed on my heart to say something here about something equally profound. Something we must take into consideration when we study His Word.” He leaned forward, fully aware that he had everyone’s attention. “We just completed our study on the first chapter of Genesis, but the reality is we may never actually ever be able to completely study Genesis 1 for there is still so much to learn. One of the things I believe we will be doing in heaven when we are in the presence of our Lord is further study. It will be a much deeper study and, my brothers and sisters, the wonderful joy of it all will be when the Greatest Teacher of them all will personally guide us in these enriching studies.”

“That will be amazing,” Lenox said with a nod.

“Yes, it will. Now what I want to talk about briefly is prophecy, for Creation is the very foundation of prophecy.”

Fronk blinked at him, sitting up straighter in his chair. “How so?”

“The control and planning demonstrated by God at creation, when He spoke all things out of nothing, is a necessary prerequisite for predictive prophecy. We’ve seen this in our study of the first chapter. We will continue to see it as we move deeper into the Word.”

Staci frowned in thought. “Wait…” She shook her head. “I…I don’t understand. Are you saying there is prophecy written in Genesis 1? I…I didn’t see anything about prophecy.” She smiled sheepishly. “Prophecy is too hard for me to follow, David. I had a hard time understanding the Rapture of His Bride, but when it happened, it caused me to search it out. 56 And I understand that now. But…where is the prophecy in Genesis 1?”

King smiled at her. “I so love it when you ask questions. You are precious.”

Staci blushed. “I am not!”

Lenox leaned toward her. “Yes, you are.”

“Stop it.” She turned to King. “And you just give me a straight answer, Mister!”

There were chuckles and laughter around the table.

Finally, King nodded. “Alright, my sister. Please look up Hebrews 11:3 and when you have found it, read it out loud for us.”

Staci flipped through the pages of her Bible. When she came to Hebrews 11:3, she read it. “‘Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.’” She looked up. “I’m not seeing the connection with prophecy.”

“Does anyone else not see it as well?” King asked.

“Yeah.” Staci looked at the others. “Someone else please raise their hand. I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t see it.”

Erin raised her hand. “You’re not alone, Staci. I don’t see it either.”

“Nor do I,” Shiva replied, shaking his head.

Fronk looked at King and in a perfect imitation of Scooby Doo declared, “Me either, Shaggy!”

Fuller regarded the others. “I have to admit, I don’t see it either, but a scholar I’m not. How about you guys?” He indicated Lenox and Barrington. “What’s your take on it?”

Barrington grinned. “We love prophecy.”

“Then, you see the connection?” King inquired.

Lenox paused. “Maybe. We might not see what you see, but we’re thinking that this predictive prophecy you mentioned has to do with God speaking and then, whatever He has spoken comes to pass.”

King nodded. “Exactly! You see, Hebrews 11:3 indicates to us that God creates history, which is preplanned and predicted. Now God’s pattern of prophecy and fulfillment is introduced in the very first chapter of Genesis. For example, Genesis 1:3, God speaks a predictive prophecy. ‘Let there be light.’ And then, it happens, becoming a fulfillment of prophecy. ‘And there was light.’” He smiled at Staci. “Do you see it? This pattern of prophecy is followed throughout all of Genesis 1.”

Staci nodded. “Yes. Thank you, David. I see it now.” She turned to Lenox. “How’d you get to be so smart?”

Lenox chuckled. “I just love prophecy.”

“You’re a showoff,” she teased.

King smiled at them. “This is only the tip of the iceberg. Do you see what I mean when I say there is so much to learn about His Word? We have only just begun to scratch the surface.” He picked up His Bible. “So let us then move on to Genesis 2 and if you will allow it, I desire to read the first three verses.”

Fuller nodded. “Of course, we allow it, David.”

“Read on, brother,” Erin encouraged.

So King read on.

1 - Luke 23:34
2 - Psalm 8:3 - 4
3 - Psalm 33:6
4 - Psalm 89:11 - 12
5 - Psalm 102:25
6 - Psalm 136:5
7 - Psalm 146:6
8 - Isaiah 44:24
9 - Jeremiah 10:12
10 - Jeremiah 51:15
11 - Zechariah 12:1
12 - John 1:1 - 2
13 - Acts 14:13 - 15
14 - Acts 17:24 - 25
15 - Colossians 1:16 - 17
16 - Hebrews 1:10
17 - Hebrews 11:3
18 - Revelation 4:11
19 - Revelation 10:6
20 - Isaiah 40:13 - 14
21 - Luke 24:35
22 - Matthew 4:4
23 - Psalm 33:9
24 - II Corinthians 4:6
25 - Psalm 74:16
26 - Psalm 104:20
27 - Job 37:18
28 - Psalm 136:5
29 - Psalm 148:4
30 - Matthew 19:30
31 - Job 26:10
32 - John 19:30
33 - John MacArthur
34 - Job 38:6
35 - Psalm 33:7
36 - Psalm 95:5
37 - Psalm 136:6
38 - Proverbs 8:29
39 - Jeremiah 5:22
40 - Hebrews 6:7
41 - Deuteronomy 4:19
42 - Psalm 74:16 - 17
43 - Psalm 104:19
44 - Genesis 9:2
45 - Genesis 5:1
46 - Genesis 9:6
47 - Psalm 8:6
48 - James 3:9
49 - Malachi 2:15
50 - Psalm 128:3 - 4
51 - Job 36:31
52 - Acts 14:17
53 - Job 38:41
54 - Psalm 145:15 - 16
55 - Psalm 147:9
56 - The Gatherers Year 1 Episode #2 - The Beginning of Sorrows

Questions For Follow-Up

Q1 - Who are Tabor and Hermon referred to in Psalm 89:11-12?

Q2 - In Acts 14:13 - 15, when the priest of Jupiter would have done sacrifice with the people, who would he have made the sacrifice for? Who is the priest of Jupiter?

Q3 - Jesus said in John 19:30, “It is finished.” What did Jesus finish at the cross?

Q4 - According to Revelation 21:1, there will be no more sea in heaven. Why is this? Is this verse literally referring to the seas of the earth?

Q5 - What does I Corinthians 11:7 mean when it mentions that man should not cover his head?