A layman's commentary on Matthew 24. Chapter 24 verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world

 Our last post on Matthew 24 opened with “Because Iniquity will abound.” Jesus equated this iniquity to false prophets and lawlessness. 

There are two prominent translations of the Greek word anomia, and the King James gives us this. 

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” 
Matthew 24:12 KJV

A common alternative reads like this.

“And because lawlessness shall abound, the charity of many shall wax cold.” 
Matthew 24:12 JUB

Lawlessness in Greek means the condition of (being) without law, choosing to be ignorant of it, violating it (the law;), or contempt for the law. It also means iniquity.

Shall abound is the Greek word plēthunō and also means to increase or multiply.

Here it is, February 20, 2024, and I just read how, in one of the Northern African nations, a young couple was recently beheaded for rejecting Islam and turning to God. So, where there is NO COMMON law, a twisted religious belief gives you the freedom to chop people’s heads off?

Can you not see how the war that Israel is having with Hamas in Gaza is turning our hearts to cold stones?

Jesus was addressing His Jewish disciples about their questions: 

“What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” 

• Get this straight in your thinking. His coming pertains to the physical return of Jesus as the warring Messiah that the Jews are looking for. 

• The end of the age will be in part His wrath (the wrath of God being poured out upon the Jews and the nations during the seven years) and includes the few extra moments that we associate with the transition into the millennial kingdom, where Jesus will sit as the Judge over the earth.

Some think Jesus’ return in the clouds for His church - His bride, is the end. Well, yes, but only for His church. At this point, He only comes in the clouds and gathers His bride to Himself in the clouds. We, the church, will be with Him forever from this point on. 

We received this admonition from Jesus.

“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
Matthew 24:13 NASB: 

“But he that endures unto the end.” 

Endure is the Greek word hupomenō  and means to stay under (behind), to remain; figuratively, to undergo, bear up under (trials), have fortitude, persevere: endure, take patiently, suffer.

Considering the anguish and pain coming upon the world, who would sign up to bear the trials to come? 

No one, so this is speaking to those who (1) have missed the rapture and decided to give their lives to Christ. And (2) it speaks to those who will now have to give their necks to the sword, become saints in God’s eyes, and eventually enter into the kingdom of God; and (3), therefore undergo, stay under this torment, and have fortitude; because God, who is faithful, will bring these “saints” into His kingdom.

Have you ever asked, even facetiously, what it means to be saved? 

Safe is the Greek word sōzō  and means to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, and make whole.

If you survived the time of God’s wrath, then I would think you were delivered, protected, and preserved. On the other hand, if you had your head lopped off, then words like healing and made whole would be in order. 

After all that, I want you to look at a scripture passage.

“Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.” Revelation 2:25-26 BSB

Pay attention to the words “hold fast to what you have until I come.” Seriously, what do you have?

Some people don't have much, but I can confidently assure you this has nothing to do with money.

“But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— “
Revelation 2:25-26 NKJV

An alternate version that may make more sense.

“Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come. And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.”
Revelation 2:25-26 BSB

People often ask, what will the martyred saints do during the 1000 year reign?

If you have read the Revelation, you know that the martyred saints sit on thrones and rule over the nations. Since authority and rule will be dealt out swiftly, then it seems appropriate that these people who brutally lost their lives would be the ones who meet swift punishment.

Hold fast or hold on is the Greek word kratéō (G2902) and means to use strength, seize, or retain. It also means to keep, lay hold of, obtain, retain, take, cleave to, apprehend, and guard.

So what, then, are we holding on to?

Some are clinging to their survival bunkers, but that will not help them, for God will find them no matter where they hide. Some hold fast to their great wealth, but their money will not save them, and the digital monetary system may take of that. 

This overcoming is accomplished by holding on to the Lamb (Jesus) and expressing their renewed affection for Christ for the rest of their lives, however short that may be.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” 
Revelation 12:11 NKJV

Who are the “they” in verse 11? 

Revelation 12:10 tells us they are the brethren; whether they came to know Jesus Christ during the age of grace or came to Jesus through the seven years of God’s wrath is irrelevant. Verse 11 explains that these people were killed while here on earth. 

In light of the context, which we have been chewing over, where does this next statement take place?

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Matthew 24:14 NKJV

I had been rebuked by a man who was undoubtedly intelligent (he ran the public works department of a large city), but when it came to the Bible, it might as well have been a foreign language to him. He told me that Jesus could not come back because the gospel had not been given to every living person – at least, that was the implication of what he said. 

Yet, verse 14 conveys that after the church’s catching away, those who come to accept Jesus will preach the gospel (the gospel is simply the good news of the kingdom) will be preached (proclaimed, declared) in all the world. 

Think about this statement, “in all the world.” We are rapidly watching attitudes change to hostility against those who stand up for scripture and the name of Jesus Christ. You have heard the saying, no doubt, that the squeaky wheel gets the grease; they get attention because that minority is making the loud, obnoxious noise and, therefore, getting their way and being appeased; all the while, the church remains silent. 

I am part of a very proactive church, and my pastor was recently invited to open the US Senate in prayer. He had to submit a prayer, in which many standard terms among the Christian community were banned. He tore up that prayer, wrote a quick one-page prayer, and said what the Holy Spirit wanted him to say. He is now taking tremendous flak, mainly from Senate Atheists, over what he did. You might accuse him of sabotaging himself by making those changes and, therefore, making himself susceptible to whatever they dish out upon him; I happen to think it was a demonstration of great strength by choosing to do what God has asked us to do, and that is to stand up for what is morally right. 

Did you notice that Matthew 24:14 tells us that the actions of these “tribulation” saints would be considered to be preaching to all the world as a witness to all the nations?

“This gospel of the kingdom,” is the Greek word kērussō and means to herald, proclaim, or publish.

“Be a witness” is the Greek word marturion and means evidence given and something that defines your current actions.

The nations, to a Jew, are anybody that is not a Jew and as loathsome as eating bacon.

God, it seems, doesn't concern Himself on whether you come to Him before the wrath or after, you are still His. Allow me to show you something.

“So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:4-8 NKJV

“They” points to those who have chosen not to come to Jesus since the catching away of the church. 

This event will be so dramatic it is hard to understand why they would have continued to turn their back to God. A bizarre and stunning explanation has been erupting on the news for several years now, and that is what the government calls aliens and unexplained aerial vehicles. For many years, I have been trying to tell people that these fallen angels are demonic manifestations. They, being God-created beings, are not subject to gravity, our limitations of time, or the limitations of a dimensional understanding.

This next one is hard to understand. “They worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast.”

The dragon is Satan, and it tells us that they worshiped him. 

Worshiped is the Greek word proskuneō, meaning to kiss like a dog licking the master’s hand. Prostrating oneself.

So these lunatics are worshiping Satan because he gives power to the antichrist, otherwise known as the beast. 

We have never seen Satan, although many of you base your impressions of his appearance on a characterization they saw in a movie. So, let me give you a clue that will explain what he looks like. 

The (Amplified Bible) in looking at Isaiah 14:12, says this about Satan. 

“How have you fallen from heaven, O light-bringer and daystar, son of the morning!...”

The King James version calls him Lucifer.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! ...”

And finally, the English Standard Version.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!...”

Lucifer is the Hebrew word hêylêl, and it also means morning star.

According to The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, Lucifer is his original name and was or is a bright and eminent star that ushered in the sun and the morning. Still, here, it is metaphorically taken for the high and mighty king of Babylon.

Ezekiel 28:12 refers to him as the king of Tyre and tells us that he was “the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”

“You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, ...” Ezekiel 28:13 ESV 

“You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.” Ezekiel 28:14 ESV

“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:15 ESV

But in that day when the nations shall see Satan get judged.

“Those who see you will gaze at you and consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms?-- “
Isaiah 14:16 AMP

An interuption of the laymans commentary of Matthew 24. Let's talk about the age of the earth from a Biblical point of view.

We had a house guest recently, and I try not to overwhelm them with my deep dives into scripture. But a family member had also stopped in, and that person instigated this conversation under the pretense of pointing out the lack of understanding in someone else. This explosive delivery on the age of the earth was clearly directed at several of us because we do not adhere to the to a young earth orientation. Amid raised voices and argumentation, I want to take a moment for sanity and present a, not so familiar view of the creation; this point of view, which I am sure clashes with the beliefs of many, allows me to see creation in a larger time frame and a magnificence in God that I rarely saw when I was younger. 

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1 AFV (A Faithful Version)

If you wish to challenge the italicized word “the,” then perhaps you should sharpen up on your Septuagint Greek, and we can do just that. 

enG1722 PREP archeG746 N-...Genesis 1:1 LXX-BYZ

“en” transliterates to in, and “arche” transliterates to beginning. We can, therefore, read verse one as “in beginning.”

The Septuagint (LXX/Greek Old Testament) 

The Romans banned the Hebrew language and all written forms, forcing the Jews to learn Greek around 200 BC. This initiated the secretive process of documenting the Torah and the Tanakh - the Old Testament to us rookies- into the Greek language. 

Imagine the difficulties in transliteration where the original language - Hebrew, which does not transliterate well into English - must now be turned into Greek, Aramaic, and back to Hebrew. The difficulty level increases as Hebrew, which for a long time was a dead language. 

It was not until the 1500s that we were introduced to the King James Version - a product of Roman Catholic influence upon King James’s royal throne. They pushed this change to influence those leaving the State Church and the Catholic church and going to Protestantism and Martin Luther. All this was done even though an English version of the Bible was published almost a year before this effort.

If you were to argue that most translations read “In the beginning,” you would be correct, but merely mimicking incorrect translations because of tradition does not make it a good idea. A few translations put the word “the” in italics to indicate that the word the is added to enhance clarity. 

I am not a grammarian, but I perceive that a read like this conveys alternatives, such as:

• The phrase “in the beginning “attempts to force the reader to understand this creation process as beginning and possibly completing at a specific moment in time. 

• A reading of verse one without the added word the, suggests that the Genesis creation took place over a period of time. 

The time frame of verse one, lacking other descriptive words, could have been more precise and may have transpired over billions of years. 

Genesis 1:2 intelligibly informs us that something cataclysmic transpired; the question is, what? 

“and the earth was formless and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was fluttering on the face of the waters,” 
Genesis 1:2 LSV.

Accepting verses one and two as a chronological description is far too elementary. Are we expected to take it for face value? Verses one and two need to make more sense. The implications are that God created all creation through some swirling mass technique. This technique still allows for an undefined period, or else it was a quick creation and something tumultuous intervened. 

Regardless, I lean toward an intervention, and here is why. 

“For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” 
Isaiah 45:18 NKJV

Notice the words “Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited.” 

Genesis 1:2 tells us that all of creation was now:

• Formless - is the Hebrew word tôhû. The meanings include: confusion, unreality, emptiness, nothingness, wasteland, wilderness, or a place of chaos. 

Vain is a word we saw in Isaiah 45:18. It means Empty, worthless, having no substance, value, or importance.

• And Void. Void is the Hebrew word bôhû and means to be empty, an undistinguishable ruin.

What seems obvious to me is that creation was once distinguishable, and at this moment in time, it is no longer.

What could have caused such damage? 

Don’t say the fall of man because man has yet to be spoken into existence; even though there is an inference of man and woman in Genesis 1:26, it is only spiritual. Man's physical presence on earth does not show up until Genesis 2:7.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” 
Genesis 2:7 NKJV

And, we don't see the woman until Genesis 2:20-25. 

There is, however, a character who may have contributed to this chaos. 

Jesus told the disciples: 

“...I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Luke 10:18 NKJV

Consider the physics of lightning for a moment.

“While the flashes we see as a result of a lightning strike travel at the speed of light (670,000,000 mph) an actual lightning strike travels at a comparatively gentle 270,000 mph.” (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/thunder-and-lightning/facts-about-lightning)

At least two known meteorite strikes were large enough to affect the atmosphere globally. Strangely, both struck in the vicinity of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Genesis 1:2 goes on to say:

• “and darkness was on the face of the deep.”

Darkness is the Hebrew word chôshek, which also means misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, and wickedness. 

So, it is safe to assume that this has gone far beyond merely not having light. Everything about this sounds like Satan inflicting death and misery.

If, as Isaiah 45:18 states, the creation was habitable before Genesis 1:2, then there was adequate light for plant life, and one of the arguments that was thrown out at us that day.

“Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.” 
Genesis 1:3 NKJV

Obviously, the light was taken away.

Go back to the definitions of darkness I just gave. You will find misery, destruction, death, sorrow, and wickedness here.

Is there any place in God's creation where He installs such grief?

The answer is no. 

Light, as used here in verse three, is the Hebrew word 'ôr. While one of the definitions implies the light of day, we have yet to see that defined. As its primary usage, Strong's concordance defines the word as illumination. That could be provided by any number of sources, such as stars, typically suns much larger than ours, or reflective bodies, like Jupiter and Saturn. The Word Study Dictionary defines light in this manner, “In a literal sense, it is used primarily to refer to light from heavenly bodies.”

Nope, no Sun, as we know it, yet.

“And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4 NKJV

Having just covered light, the thing that grabs my attention is this, “God divided the light from the darkness.” Without any additional definitions, my mind noticed that if a disruptive entity put out the lights, God did not destroy that entity.

Good is the Hebrew word ṭôb. Its meanings include pleasant, agreeable, and having value. But those terms also include welfare, benefit, and prosperity. 

So far, this speaks to mental welfare as well. 

Divided is the Hebrew word bâdal, which means to separate, partition, set apart, and make a distinction.

Making a distinction makes more sense when a Sun is involved, but we don't have that yet.

The last word I want to talk about is darkness. 

Darkness is the Hebrew word chôshek  and can also mean obscurity. The Word Study Dictionary tells us that chôshek  is associated with disorder, and in subsequent uses, whether used in a physical or a symbolic sense, it describes confusion and uncertainty (Job_12:25; Job_37:19); evil done in secret (Job_24:16; Proverbs_2:13; Ezekiel_8:12).

“God called the light Day and the darkness He called night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” 
Genesis 1:5 NKJV

“God called the light day,” 

Light is the Hebrew word 'ôr, which we already covered, but I will repeat, illumination (used primarily to refer to light from heavenly bodies.) (See Jeremiah_31:35; Ezekiel_32:7.)

Day is the Hebrew word yôm. The Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions tell us that the word can mean day, time, year, a lifetime, or an undefined period of time.

 “So the evening and the morning were the first day.” And still no sun.

Lacking a sun, I think that most can see how ridiculous it is to try and assign a twenty-four hour time frame to what appears to be God's second creation event.

“Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.”
Genesis 1:6-8 NLT

And still no sun.

“Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.” 
Genesis 1:9-13 NLT

Plants and trees, but no sun and no weeds.

“Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.”
Genesis 1:14-19 NLT

Finally, the Sun, the moon, and the stars govern their skies alongside His creation; it is the end of the fourth day.

If this is the first place we see stars, what were the luminaries that filled the skies and brought light to the world? 

Here is some interesting food for thought about Satan and light.

“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” 
2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV

The word transform is the Greek word metaschēmatízō and can also mean disguise, change the figure of, or change the outward form.

If Satan is changing his outward form into an angel of light, then there must be other, more noble, angels of light, and based upon what we have seen in scripture, these angelic beings may have been the light or at least added to the light.

At this point, I want you to pay attention to the emphasis on the “day” in which a thing or aspect is created. (Remember how this conversation started with God creating a habitable, perfect earth on the day He spoke it into existence.) Obviously, to me, all of it got corrupted.

“Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its 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 birds multiply on the earth." So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” 
Genesis 1:20-23 NKJV

Notice how we are focused upon the waters, which are abounding with abundant living creatures. I have had my moments where I understood that the waters produced birds. There are certain birds that are well adapted to water and can fly, dive, and swim to feed themselves. By looking at other translations, which some people would wholeheartedly reject, I understand that God merely spoke the birds into existence. 

“And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24-25 BSB

Here, the passage speaks of land creatures according to their kinds. Keep in mind that the curse that came with Satan is here and has been since Genesis 1:1.5. I know there is no 1.5. Since Jesus witnessed Satan being thrown to earth, and it appears that Satan had a destructive goal, it is easy to understand that the chance to annihilate God's perfect creation was just waiting for its opportunity. Since humanity is not yet on earth, this means that the evil and destructive plans Satan had for humanity and the land have yet to occur. 

Now, how can I say this? 

All you have to do is go forward in scripture to where we find Adam and Eve in the garden, where the four-legged serpent, which speaks, is already there hanging around in that tree – the only tree for which they have a restriction of NOT eating. 

When did Satan get here on earth? 

"Long before the events in the Garden." I already pointed out that Jesus told the disciples that He beheld Satan fall like lightning from the sky. The precise date associated with that date is NOT given to us. But Genesis 1:1 tells us that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." While that does not define how He went about creating or how long it took. 

Hebrews 11:3 can be rather eye opening for some as their is a little weight put back on us as we are required to apply some faith.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen did not come from anything visible. 

Hebrews 11:3 TLV

And, as  I have pointed out in this post,

For thus says Adonai—He is God who fashioned the heavens, who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it desolate but formed it to be inhabited—“I am Adonai—there is no other!” Isaiah 45:18 TLV

I see no room for a void and formless creation. If I wanted you to take anything away from this, it would be verse Genesis 1:25, where it states, “And God saw that it was good.” Considering the damage that is to come at the hand of Satan, I would not have said it was good considering all his treasonous actions imply.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.” Genesis 1:26-30 BSB

“Let Us make man in Our image.”

Who is doing the talking? 

Here are two versions of an answer: 

“In the beginning 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, and without Him, nothing was made that has been made.” 
John 1:1-3 BSB

So, here, all three were talking, but primarily, Jesus, the living Word. 

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.” 
John 1:1-3 NLT

Saying that Jesus was the Word is as good as saying Jesus has been here for a long time. Remember, we really don't know how long ago the world was spoken into existence. So, the NLT merely tells us that “the Word,” Jesus, already existed. The narrative was not waiting for God to send Jesus to the earth so He could become the physical expression of the Word. Note that God created everything through him (the Son.)

What is the image of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? 

Well, before the Father sent the Son, as a human, to recover His creation, they were all Spirit beings. Consider the possibility that God is more like a ball of energy. I got this idea from Moses, who asked to see God. 

God's response:

“Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.” “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face must not be seen.” 
Exodus 33:18-23 BSB

“ but My face must not be seen.” 

We are not told why, but there is the potential that God is nuclear energy that burns brighter than the sun.

Oh, but wait, didn't Adam hear God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day, after the fall? 

Yes, that is what we are told, but why is it necessary for God to define, in great detail, all the pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ. 

Do massive balls of boiling hot energy make footstep sounds? 

The answer is NO, but you should realize I am being facetious, for we have evidence that Jesus showed Himself repeatedly throughout the Old Testament. He did so as the Angel of the Lord in most of these occurrences.

Ah, there it is, the sixth day.

“And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” 
Genesis 1:31 BSB

Lacking the physical existence of the man on the earth, God called it quits in terms of restoration. He was done, and it was done right, once again.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.” 
Genesis 2:1-3 BSB

“He rested from all His work.”

Did He rest because He was exhausted? 

“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.” 
Isaiah 40:26 NLT

Seriously, could such a being get tired?  

Try this verse on for size. 

“Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!” 
Isaiah 51:6 NLT

Rested is the Hebrew word shâbath. 

Who would have thought that this Hebrew word was the basis for the word Sabbath? 

It means to repose, that is, desist from exertion. It also means to celebrate or rest. The Word Study Dictionary conveys that “this example of rest by God at creation set the requirement of rest that He desires for His people in order that they may live lives pleasing to Him, full of worship and adoration (Exodus_31:17).”

“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, “
Genesis 2:4 KJV

Created is the Hebrew word bârâ‘, and it also means shape or form. 

Do you realize that God, who initially spoke the world perfectly into place, now has to reshape and reform all of creation? 

This may explain why the moon and Mars have oddities on them that cannot be explained by any human means. Verse four is also curious, for it speaks of generations (in the KJV) when they were created and associates these generations with the “day” that the Lord made the earth and the heavens. Reminder: day, according to Strong’s concordance, can mean “pace of time defined by an associated term.” In this case, the relational phrase is “in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” We make no assumption that God created man on that day, so I have to presume that this refers to the entirety of the time, most of which is unconstrained by a Timex watch, which is what He is talking about.

With two potential beginnings of the earth, where would the men be that could be considered in these generations?

Generations is the Hebrew word tôledâh and means descendants, results, proceedings, and genealogies. Brown-Driver-Briggs says it is an “account of men and their descendants.”

It becomes evident that men get most of the acknowledgments in the Old Testament; however, when we get to the New Testament, we see Jesus lifting women up and giving them dignity.

So, here we are in verse four, talking about generations. Still, we will not yet see the physical manifestation of a human via the handmade version of Adam for several verses. All this makes this conversation about generations even more peculiar.

The earth means just that, but the heavens open a can of worms. 

Heavens are the Hebrew word shâmayim, and it implies sky, heaven, abode, firmament, air, and stars. The Word Study Dictionary explains that there is a singular or a plural version. “The word describes everything God made besides the earth: God made the heavens of the universe (Genesis_1:1; Genesis_14:19); the firmament or expanse which He created around the earth was named sky or heaven as well (and this is what we see in Genesis_1:8). Isaiah the prophet tells us that He stretched out the heavens (and we find this in Isaiah_40:22.)”

I have already covered this, but Genesis 1:2 tells us that the heavens were void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Take a deep dive into those two words, void and darkness, and you will come to find out that the destruction that Satan brought with him turned the lights out through his associated devastation.

“And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.” 
Genesis 2:5 KJV

The NLT states, "neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth.” I am assuming this is after the destruction that Satan brought with him, and God is now having to replace him. So God reseeds the earth, but perhaps without weeds. (Free information: According to my Horticulture teacher at the college, weeds are any plant growing where it is NOT needed or wanted.)

There was a point to this: we make massive assumptions based on tradition, which are unfounded and non-biblical.

Do you want an example? Well, you are going to get one. 

A brother in Christ asked the men’s group, one evening, how tall do you think David was when he killed Goliath? No one responded, so I threw in my two cents. I said, about six foot seven inches tall. After the angered tones had settled, I said, I can prove it. Remember King Saul? He was head and shoulders above every man in Israel when he was anointed to be King. I told them that I had a contractor come to the door, and in short order, I found out that he was an Israeli, taller than me, and I was 6’4” tall. In a short period of time David came to work for Saul. He not only played soothing music but he was asked by Saul to be the armor bearer. The man who asked the question that night strongly suggested that David was about four feet tall and tried to demonstrate how ridiculous David would have looked with Saul’s armor clattering on the ground around his feet. I stated how absurd it would be to suggest such a thing or to even propose that Saul would do that. Still, it wasn’t unusual because David, a young man, happened to be large enough to wear Saul's armor and test the straps and buckles before Saul put it on.  

Time seems irrelevant to a God that made time and yet lives outside of it. 

Nothing here in the creation narrative tells me that God is restricted by our traditions and misconceptions, and He is fully capable, without harm, of using any method of His choosing to create this planet and the heavenly lights that we used to enjoy. I said we used to enjoy because of smog and light pollution, which prevents our ability to see stars.

The word yôm, transliterated as day, has multiple meanings covering vast and extensive periods. 

Does it matter to me? 

Not at all, nor does it diminish who my God is or how He made the earth.

Since I know that Satan was thrown out of heaven, then it makes far too much sense that Satan would try to destroy all of creation and may give us clues as to why God had to make a specific garden of beauty in Eden.