‘Once Upon A Time….’                                                                are often the first words to a made up story. In many ways the end for us as believers is simply, the beginning.

We are at the Beginning of the annual scripture readings followed throughout Israel. They start following the last of the Biblical 7 Appointed Times of God / 7 Feasts of Israel, looked at in previous post.

https://www.minimannamoments.com/sheltering-presence-god/This is a perfect time to remember the first word of our real HIStory is B’RESHITE, or the more familiar GENESIS.It is Pronounced be-re-sheet and means,

In The Beginning.However, it means much more than beginning it means at the start of or ‘at the head of all things’ in the sense that it is the beginning, but also infers

that

the Head Creator planned each step

which

began as a

THOUGHT. 

Here the Mystery of The Gospel is within Genesis.

Also spelled Bereshit, Bereishit, Bereishis, B’reshith, Beresheet, or Bereishees.It is most appropriately the title of the first weekly Bible scripture reading or Torah Portion, which in Hebrew it is called, The Parashah.

Sometimes titled Sefer Rishon – the First Book or Sefer Ben’at Ha’olam – The Book of the Creation of the world.

For readers convenience all the scripture references (Torah Portions) to follow through the Bible in a year are listed on a single page and can be accessed from MMM Homepage or https://www.minimannamoments.com/weekly-readings-to-take-us-through-the-bible-in-a-year/

The first letter B at the Beginning of this word gives revelation.Literally: Son God Destroy Hand Cross!B in the Hebrew alphabet (aleph-bet) is the letter BetBet means house and its shape is composed of three Vav’swhich add up to the number 18 (Every Hebrew letter also has a numerical value see charts and information also available on Home page or click on the links below:)

https://www.minimannamoments.com/alef-bet-alphabet/ 

https://www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/

the same value for the word chai or life.Chai, (living / ḥay) is a Hebrew word that figures prominently in the culture of modern Israel; the Hebrew letters of the word are often used as a visual symbol.

The word is made up of two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet –  forming the word chai –  ח  Chet  and  י Yod , meaning: life, alive, or living.

The most common spelling in Latin script is Chai. (Tea lovers may notice the name of their favorite drink!)

In Hebrew, the related word chaya means living thing or animal, and is derived from the Hebrew word chai (חי), meaning life.

The Jewish toast is l’chaim, to life.

Chaya feminine, Chayim masculine
The house of creation is then the life of the universe. Bet also has a pre-fixative function meaning ‘in’.

Suggesting God’s intention of abiding within the realm of creation.In this first weeks schedule, the portion opens with this statement about the creative activity of God.In the beginning God created the heavens and earth Genesis 1:1

The Scriptures actually begin not from the 1st person perspective of some man’s understanding of God but from an omniscient 3rd person perspective, a voice (קול) (sound, voice, noise pronounced Kol),
that reveals the glorious power that created the entire cosmos by means of His Word. דבריו

John 1:1-3 In the Genesis was the WORD and the Word was with God and the Word was God He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:14 The Word Became Flesh and dwelt among us.

Proverbs 3:19  By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place;

 The very 1st verse reveals the nature of God as being triune, which is also indicated where the plural form of The Name is used as Elohim with the singular verb used bara. Meaning, He, (God), created.Later in verse 26 we read (Hebrew reads from right to left)and it’s a direct quotation from Elohim that uses plural personal pronouns.

26. Va•yo•mer Elohim na•a•se a•dam be•tzal•me•noo kid•moo•te•noo ve•yir•doo vid•gat ha•yam oov•of ha•sha•ma•yim oo•va•be•he•ma oov•chol-ha•a•retz oov•chol-ha•re•mes ha•ro•mes al-ha•a•retz.

27. 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

    

Stopping for a moment to realize what a breathtaking statement this is in the opening line of the Scripture. We also see it is shrouded in mystery as the Bible describes how Elohim created the universeyesh me’ayin יש מעיין    

(ex nililo-) לשעבר

(over a 6 day period,)out of מתוך nothingness האין .Who else can create out of nothingness?
The end of this action was a stunning creation of a human being–

betzelem elohim in the image of Elohim אלוקים Himself.

בצלם אלוקים

The introduction to the 1st day of creation is with a vision of the Earth as להם זכויות tohu vavohu     ווהו טוהו   without form and void,

and the spirit of Elohim is seen hovering over the waters.

Following this we read the first direct quotation of Elohim:– Yehi Or!Let there be light!  We are then told that Elohim saw that the light was good (tuv טוב), and He separated it from the darkness (חושך choshekh), adding that Elohim called the light (אור or), day (יום Yom la or) and the darkness (חושך choshekh), night (לילה lay’lah).This was the ending of the 1st day.

Here is another great mystery – the mystery of the 1st day. It suggests some sort of divine designation of good and evil, light and darkness, connected to the creation and division of time.Before He created the specific Light/Or,
 it was the Shekinah Glory of God The criteria for determining the start of each day is at Sundown / erev rather than at sunrise / boker. In Israel today and everything to do with the Hebraic Jewish calendar is based on this scripture that Elohim declared.

And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Vaihi erev vaihi voker yom echad. 
It should give us pause to question why it was ever changed, especially if we believe that God always knows best!

A brief overview of the following days:

Genesis 1:1–2:3 

Dividing the upper waters from the lower waters Elohim formed the canopy (חופה) above the Earth.

Some scholars believe that the waters above were in the form of solid ice! We know outer space is freezing cold and even from a commercial plane at 36,000 feet and the outside temperature at that height is -57° C (-71° F)!This may also explain another suggestion that before the flood, the sky above looked more pink than blue from earths surface. The thick layer of ice may have caused the suns rays to reflect through it as a prism altering it.

On the 2nd day and called the physical canopy heaven (שָׁמַיִם Sha•ma•yim).

Va•yik•ra Elohim la•ra•kia Sha•ma•yimOn day 3, He set the boundaries of the land (ארץ eretz) and seas (יםמי Yahm) and called forth trees and seed bearing vegetation from the earth.

Elohim fixed the position of the Sun, Moon and stars on the 4th day as a way to establish both the times and seasons (יםדענמ), (including His 7 Appointed Times/Feasts), and to be a source of illumination to the earth.On the 5th day, the fish birds and reptiles were created and received the first personal blessing from Elohim.
On day 6 Elohim created land animals and finally a human being (betzelem elohim בצלם אלוקים) from the dust of the earth.  Dust (ah-vahk   קבא)His sanctified the 7th day as He ceased His work and designated it as a day of rest.

2. Vay•chal Elohim ba•yom hash•vi•ee me•lach•to asher asa va•yish•bot ba•yom hash•vi•ee mi•kol-me•lach•to asher asa.

3. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.

The word Shabbat is derived from this word.

In Genesis 2: we are given a closer look at the creation of Adam and that Elohim also has a personal nameYHVH  הוהי yod hay vav hay  the sacred name of God, that is, the Lord.Literally: Son  God  Destroy  Hand  Cross!

For many scholars it is generally believed that Elohim is the name given as the creator of the universe. This name implies justice and power where as His personal name expresses the idea of the Creator’s closeness to us.
This can be better explained where we read that it is YHVH who breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life to become a living soul, (betzelem elohim) formed him from the dust of the earth. 

 Va•yi•tzer Adonai Elohim et-ha•adam afar min-ha•ada•ma va•yi•pach be•a•pav nish•mat cha•yim vay•hi ha•adam le•ne•fesh cha•ya.And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils (מ ש) the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The life-force is not a result of organic material, it is from God. Neshemah chayim = breath of life.

Chayyim is plural (literally lives, not life) Elohim is plural.

Are Soul and Spirit the same thing?

Chayyim hints that God put into Humans more than one kind of life.

From Mary’s physical body she put forth a song of Praise in Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

Nephesh = breath. This cannot be the plural of majesty – it must be the plural man? God breathed lives into Adam? Breath and being are a supernatural thing, and they come from God, outside our three dimensional realm. Evolution teaches against this concept, that life is an accident. Microbes, germs, etc – are not included with animals in the animal kingdom.  Food for thought!

Va•yi•ta Adonai Elohim gan-be•Eden mi•ke•dem va•ya•sem sham et-ha•adam asher ya•tzar 

and the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

 In the Garden of Eden (Gan Eden)was 
the tree of life (etz ha-chayim)as well as the tree  of knowledge of good and evil(etz ha-da’at tov vara).Adam’s first responsibility before the Lord, was to work and guard the garden and to refrain from eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

He was originally created as a single individual however the Lord, (YHVH הוהי yod hay vav hay /The Name/ Hashem), decided it was not good for him to be alone, so He had all of the animals pass before Adam to see what he would call them. Adam’s ability to name them was by divine inspiration, as he incorporated in their name a subtle description of their very essence, characteristics and functions. Example below: 

Genesis 2:19-20 “And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them:

and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;” … (KJV)

This all happens before the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:22 and before the fall as described in Genesis 3:6

Looking in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary at a few Biblical Hebrew names for common animals we find;

Thus we see that the names derive from observable physical characteristics of the animals or their observable behaviors. The cormorant is named due to its diving into the water in pursuit of its prey.

Following this amazing feat, none of the animals were a match for Adam so the Lord put him into a very deep sleep
and built a woman from his side so that she would be a helper in front of him. Ezer kenegdo.

According to scripture when he woke up, Adam was very happy and called her Ishah and they became one flesh basar echad as the very first marriage ceremony took place on earth.Shortly after 3:1 we are introduced to the serpent na•chash נָחָשׁ as the shrewdest of animals which the Lord created.The Scripture tells us the first thing the serpent said, was by way of hissing at eve the haunting question –  did God really say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?

Tree of Life – Etz ChaimShe answered correctly.  Omitting the deadly consequences concerning the fruit of the tree of the knowledge good and evil, the hissing serpent implied that the Lord was keeping from them special insight that would cause them to be as gods.

So began the downward spiral into evil… (which is interesting if spelt backwards, is live! The word evil means literally, out of harmony with God.)

The tactics he used on her have not changed in 6000+ years. First she believed the lie, which involves our mind and our thinking. Second by looking at the fruit, she used her sight and then the action, as she took it from the tree. Lastly, in eating the fruit it resulted in the sin, which was a direct violation of God’s instruction to them. She was not alone as the Scriptures tell, Adam was with her at this time and knowingly ate the fruit offered to him. We often hear this action called the fall of man. It was in fact of enormous consequence, being an act of treason against God’s will, it resulted in them being expelled from the garden immediately and mankind came under God’s curse with the ultimate judgment being – death.The entrance to the garden and access to the tree of life was guarded by Cherubim with flaming swords so they would not eat and live forever in a fallen state.The serpent also had judgment pronounced upon him.  In doing so, the Lord prophesied that a struggle for the fate of the human race would follow. Being represented by the serpent, Satan שטן (from the Hebrew word adversary) now had illegal rights to humanity as they were now under a divine curse. But God had promised to reverse the curse by means of the seed זרע Zera the Messiah משיח the Anointed One who would crush the head of the serpent and restore mankind to his original position. The Bible comprises the complete story of redemption and describes the cosmic war to reverse the curse by means of the seed of the woman who would come and to deliver humanity from the clutches of sin and death.

The story continues citing some of the consequences of sin. How Cain murders his younger brother Abel הבל in a fit of jealous anger and is banished from his family.Abel is a biblical forename which may derive from the Hebrew Hebel, itself derived from hevel (breath or vapour), or from the Assyrian for son.

We are told of some of the descendants of Cain (קין Kayin) who followed in his evil ways, (evil = out of harmony with God), that we also hear of Adam and Eve’s third son Seth, סת meaning, compensation. Their descendants began to call on the name of the Lord and Seth had a son named Enosh ענוסה which means man, and is a clear reference of the coming bar enash / בן אדם or son of man. Daniel 7:13

Notably the 10^th generation descendant of Seth was Noah נח Noe or Noach = rest

John 1:1–14  reminds us again that it is very clearly a reference to the opening words of Genesis and John identifies Jesus/Yeshua as the Word (devar מִלָּה ) of God Elohim. (Word of God מילת אלוהים) and points to the fact that He was the creative power whose command cause the entire universe to come into existence. He Jesus/Yeshua is the true light from God,  אור אמיתי מאלוהים

the Promised One who would bring truth to all the nations of the Earth and would be the fulfillment of the mission of Israel by giving birth to the seed of promise. The person of Jesus/Yeshua was the promised seed Jesus/Yeshua ben Yosef /Joseph עישו בן יוסף the Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth, and even though His own people rejected Him… it is only a temporary situation which will end and all Israel will turn to Him and be saved. Romans 9:11.This is the secret plan of YHVH.

Jesus is the mystery of the ages that God set in place, the secret plan and seed He planted in genesis (the first beginning) that He would send Himself as the Redeemer as the seed of the woman Who would crush satans head. The plan of redemption both began and ended when Jesus died over 2000 years ago, the mystery of the gospel, the Word of God, became flesh and died in our place to redeem all mankind from Adams sin, the fall. And as scripture records, if satan had known the outcome he would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. He is outwitted and defeated.Before that happens the opportunity remains for all people to become the children of God by ילדים של אלוהים personally receiving Jesus as their Savior Lord and King. Make sure we and our families have made this important decision, for once an individual accepts this invitation they become grafted into the original covenant blessing that was given to Israel.Another fascinating revelation can be seen in the letters YHVH and their meanings from the paleo Hebrew letters and a prophetic connection to Messiahs future death.because evenWe have been given the Word/Torah of Truth and the life of eternity He has implanted within us. Eternity is in our hearts in the very essence of the spirit He breathed into the red dirt that He had formed into a human soul.

There are many genesis, not just one beginning, and as one phase comes to a conclusion it simply makes way for the new beginning.

The end of His story is the (genesis) beginning, for He is the beginning (genesis) and the end… Are we ready for our next GENESIS?