The word baptism means immersion. People do not often consider that there are actually several baptisms contained within the scripture.
Despite what is taught by some today, early Bible students and writers did sometimes see the creation of Genesis 1:1 as a creation that preceded the six-day creation...
The gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 that is believed by myself and others for scriptural reasons is being erroneously labeled a grave heresy by some. One of the claims against such a belief is the purported foolishness of placing a gap of interminable length between two verses without any statement that there is this gap. I want to thank Walter Scott of Canada for providing several excellent examples of just this kind of gap in other scriptures. Here are some of his examples.
The phrase, "God said," occurs exactly ten (10) times in Genesis One. These ten sayings of God might be called the first Ten Commandments. They are the original declarations of God's word. The first Ten Commandments are creative. The second Ten Commandments are given to guide the highest creation on earth - man. Therefore, the second group of commandments continue where the first ten left off. The first set begins with the command of Genesis 1:3, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." The second group began with this command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). The first set ends with the provision of food for man (Genesis 1:29). The second set ends with the command not to covet (Exodus 20:17).
Much of God's creation is marked by the number three. This makes sense since God Himself is a trinity. There are three kinds of vegetation: grass, herbs and trees (Genesis 1:11). There are three kinds of lights in the sky: the sun, the moon and the stars (Genesis 1:16). There are three kinds of animals: fish, fowl and land animals. There are three kinds of land animals: cattle, creeping things and beasts (Genesis 1:24). Man has three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1Thessalonians 5:23). There are three basic colors and three states of matter (solid, liquid and gas). If you think about it, you can find other examples.
