A layman's commentary on Matthew 24 verses 29 through 31 _ Immediately after the tribulation of those days.

 

Praise the Lord; He is coming.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” 
Matthew 24:29 NKJV

If this portrays the end of the seven years, what has the world been enduring?

• The catching away of the church has come, and we are gone.

• The departure of the church opened the door for the antichrist to come onto the scene.

  This is pointing to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and a few more verses. I will explain.

  “Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition;.” 
  2 Thessalonians 2:3 Darby

  With his earned Doctorate in Theology, Pastor Andy Woods tells us in a book he wrote several years ago that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 should read departure instead of apostasy. To conserve space, I am not detailing the whys involved. Regardless, you should ask if we are waiting for this falling away to get worse.

  How much further do we as a church need to fall?

  I think we have gone too far, but that is just me.

  If the church, in general, has adequately fallen, then what are we waiting for - that last person that God needs to be brought into the kingdom?

  On the other hand, if a departure must happen, as we are frequently told, there is nothing to prevent Jesus from collecting His church.

• And the seven years of God’s wrath have been poured out.

The seven years is not quite done yet, and we can know this based on the language used.

“immediately after the tribulation of those days.”

"I beheld therefore, because of the voice of the great words that the horn spoke; I beheld till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given up to be burned with fire."
Daniel 7:11 Darby

After the seven years the beast will be slain, and its body destroyed, and it will be burned with fire.

Will the beast - the antichrist, die? 

Not in a spiritual sense. 

So, what then is death? 

Death, no matter who we are talking about, is a complete separation from God. The fact that the beast is tossed into the lake of fire merely helps to establish the eternal judgment and separation from God.

The Word Study Dictionary discusses the Hebrew word ḥēywāh, indicating that it means a beast (of the field), but it goes on to say that the word, in general, is used to refer to all beasts of the field.

Isn't it interesting that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was made to crawl on his hands and knees, in the grass, like a beast of the field, for seven years, until he turned his heart toward God.

“As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”
Daniel 7:12 NKJV

Even though the beast – antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire, there are others, that hold positions almost as deadly as the beast. How long their season lasts we are not told, but consider that the millennial reign is just moments away and it is not a land where bullies run rampant.

Daniel saw something that horrified him.

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:7-8 NKJV

Still, Daniel wanted to know what these beasts were.

'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.

Daniel 7:17 NKJV

What happens next?

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”
Mark 13:24-27 NKJV

• “The sun will be darkened.”

  Illustration 1: The town at noon. May 18, 1980.

  An interesting article on Space.com talks more in terms of the sun expanding as it enters the red giant phase. This is projected to happen in about 5 billion years. So it would only be conjecture on my part to guess how this will happen. Although a picture from noonday after Mt. Saint Helens blew in the early 80s may help you to understand.

• “The moon will not give its light,”

  As most of you know, the moon only reflects the light of other light sources, so we probably not be able to figure how it works. However, darkness is intimidating and representative of evil.

• “the stars of heaven will fall,”

  Stars are effectively suns in distant galaxies. Held in place by the Word of God who put them there, there is only one thing that can make them fall, God.

• “the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

  Here is a fascinating piece of information from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus.

  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the . Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
  Ephesians 6:12-13 NASB

  The word power is the same word dunamis that we see in Matthew 24:29, but in Ephesians, it is distinctly connected with forces of darkness—spiritual forces of wickedness “in the heavenly places.” 

   Perhaps a way to understand this is to ask, where did this all begin?

   In the heavenlies. If you were raised in the church, as I was, then you were given the idea that Satan, along with his crew of followers, were cast to earth, never to be heard from again. The reality is we are pestered by his demonic followers on a daily basis, and they all still have access to the heavenlies. If you must question that, then look at the opening passages of Job; there, you will find Satan mingling with the angels (the sons of God) and responding to God's questioning.

  Shaken is the Greek word saleuō and means to waver, agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy.

  Consider this. The seven years are coming to an end; I say that because Jesus told us immediately after and then described some additional things that begin to happen, and they don't sound good. One might assume that the grief associated with the wrath would end immediately. A couple of ways to look at this moment in time. 1. Is that any additional grief is only coming against those who chose to fight against Jesus, who is riding on the white horse. 2. All those who chose Jesus during this ugly time will, in all likelihood, be martyred. Scripture tells us that this is the first resurrection. Note that there is a third group of people and you will see that highlighted in yellow below.

  Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
  Revelation 20:4-5 NASB

• “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

  When I first read Revelation 19:11, I might have said, finally, it is done, and yet the church has lived in peace for seven years. Now, with my eyes wide open, I see that the finish will take a few more minutes, to say the least. All of this shaking of the heavens can only be meant to demonstrate the awesomeness of God, the one who is in charge even now. Still, with all that, the heavens and the earth will be remade after being burned with fire after the thousand years and the white throne judgment.

  The fire will NOT touch those who belong to God, and I can assure you that this will all be sorted out by this time.

• “He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”

  The Dake's bible notes say this about the elect. “He is talking about the Jews, not the Church because”:
  (My thoughts are in italics.)

1. Jesus is answering a Jewish question (Mat_24:3; Mat_25:31-46; Act_1:6)

   Matthew 24:3 tells us that Jesus was talking, exclusively, to His disciples. “the disciples came to Him privately.”

   Matthew 25:31-46, unlike Matthew 24:3, does not affirm that these are Jews, nor does it convey that this is related to the seven years. Verse 37 makes a reference to the righteous, which we might assume is a reference to Jews; it is not. This scenario happens at the end of the thousand years and is associated with the white throne judgment. Our scriptural definition merely informs us that these are from the nations (Gentiles) who have died and did not previously go up in the rapture of the church, and it includes people from among the nations who have been born and raised during the thousand years and have died for various reasons.

   And the last reference is from Acts 1:6.

   Here, Jesus has risen from the dead, walked with the disciples, and is about to return to the Father. It is the disciples, once again, who are asking Him if this is the time in which He will restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus' answer to them went like this, “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” This statement does place a time frame or a nationality on the hearer, although we know they were Jews.

2. False Messiahs primarily concern Israel (Mat_24:5, Mat_24:23-26)

Think in terms of location and context. The location is centered on Israel in the majority of instances. The context is the seven year period, often referred to as God's wrath.

3. Anti-antisemitism proves it (Mat_24:9)

   The obvious point here is that the church cannot be the recipient of anti-antisemitism because we Gentiles are not Jewish. We fall under the category of the nations, as far as the Jewish people are concerned. Should they give their lives to Christ, they can freely be with us in our church bodies, but it does not impact their Jewishness except to remove the stigma of their religious upbringing.

4. The travail of Israel (note, Mat_24:8)

   Matthew 24:8 NKJV: tells us that “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” 

   The context is everything related to Jesus's Jewish answer to their Jewish question.

   The first eight signs of Mat_24:4-7 are the beginning of sorrows against Israel and the Jews, not the end. It will have an impact on the nations/gentiles as well. (UCRT)

   Dake goes on to explain “sorrows.” The Greek word: odin (G5604), birth pangs (Gal_4:19, Gal_4:27; 1Th_5:3; Rev_12:2). This refers to the troubles of Israel in the tribulation (Mat_24:15-21; Isa_66:7-8; Jer_30:4-7; Dan_7:21; Dan_8:9-14, Dan_8:24; Dan_9:27; Rev_12:1-17).

5. The abomination of desolation concerns Israel only. (note, Mat_24:15)

   From Dake's notes: “When—this marks the starting point of the middle of Daniel’s 70th week when the Antichrist will break his 7-year covenant with Israel and enter Judea to take over Jerusalem as his capital and the Jewish temple as his capital building (Dan_9:27;

   Dan 9:27  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;

   Dan_11:40-45;

   Daniel 11:41-42 NKJV  He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.  42  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

   Yes, it does mention the glorious land, which we understand to be Israel, but it does not tell us when this happens.

   Dan_12:1 NKJV reads like this.

   "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.”

   The problem with using Daniel 12:1 is that you lose focus on the context, and it makes no sense without it. It becomes quite obvious that Daniel 12:1 is speaking about the minute transition between the seven years and the millennial reign. You should be aware that many of the Jews who make it to this point—we know that 1/3 of Israel does survive—will come to a knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah.

   Dan_12:7 (NKJV): “Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”

   When will all things be finished? Two points of view on this. 1. Is when the tribulation ends; and 2. At the end of the thousand years. Regardless, this is NOT speaking of the time of Jacob's troubles.

   2Th_2:4. Let's look specifically at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NKJV 

   “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  4  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

   Some will appropriately tell you that the falling away or departure of the church is the event that triggers the time of God's wrath (“the tribulation.”) Does it make sense that the apostasy or falling away is the trigger when the process of falling away has been an ongoing event for a long time. The departure will be a soon coming, one time, event. If 2 Thessalonians 2:4 doesn't seem to answer your questions, well, you are not alone, but continue reading because 2 Thessalonians 2:7 expounds on the fact that the Holy Spirit, working through us, is restraining the advent of the antichrist and will continue to do so until the day we are removed from the earth.

   “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” NKJV 

   Rev_11:1-2; Verse two indicates that the Gentiles will trample the temple underfoot. Here is the verse to prove my point.

   “But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” Revelation 11:2 NKJV

   You should know that 42 months equal three and one half years on the Jewish, 360 day calendar. The Gentiles/ the Assyrians have been trampling all over the temple mount already. What is the difference? No temple, so keep your eyes on the Holy Land because things are happening so rapidly.

   We can definitely say that Revelation 11 talks about the time of wrath.

   Rev_12:1-17; The signs/stars transpired just a few years ago. I did not follow this phenomenon that closely. And, by the way, we are still here—bummer. But it alerts us that time is drawing to a close. This theme carries through to verse 17.

   Rev_13:1-18). Gives us an overview of the beasts that comes to a conclusion with the antichrist. One that gives so many a problem is this:

   “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.” Revelation 13:3 NKJV.

   Far too many portray this head as a human; it is NOT. The Revelation explains that all these, until the last one, are kingdoms and empires, so why change the pattern now.

   I believe that the head that appeared to sustain a mortal wound was the Ottoman Caliphate, a Muslim empire. Taken down in 1924 by the British, they immediately began rebuilding through the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

   The Islamic Revolution in 1979 seemed to awaken a sleeping giant, that has become a thorn in all our flesh. Look around you, we are surrounded by Muslims on every side, and they are a people that live by passages in the Quran and teachings of Imams that tell them to kill the infidel where ever you can find them. For your information, those who do not adhere to the Quran are infidels.

Dake states that “All this prophecy from Mat_24:15 on must be fulfilled the last 3 1/2 years of this age.”

There were 9 more scripture references from Dake's Bible notes, but I have already overwhelmed many of you.

If you read the narratives about the antichrist and this covenant, you will find that Israel is not mentioned. In all of them. Can we make logical assumptions? Yes, but to say they are all talking about Israel is pure conjecture and something that we need to be cautious about.

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.