The Light of Torah
Messianic Congregation
Faith of Our Fathers Series
Article Eight
Prepared by P. R. Reid
July 11, 2022
“Are There Two Creations?”
- We will employ the following hermeneutical tools in this article:
- The Rule of First mention (the first mention of any word establishes the precedent for its use in Scripture)
- The Rule of Complete mention
- Covenant language i.e. “keep my commandments”
- His perfect will for creation
- PaRDeS (THE RULES OF PARDES INTERPRETATION *
- Ancient Hebrew pictograph
- Simple gematria
The four levels of interpretation are called: Pashat, Remez, D’rash & Sud. The first letter of each word P-R-D-S is taken, and vowels are added for pronunciation, giving the word PARDES (meaning “garden” or “orchard”). Each layer is deeper and more intense than the last, like the layers of an onion. (http://www.yashanet.com)
PART ONE
The title of this article is, “Are There Two Creations?” In order to answer this question we must examine the Hebrew text in its original language. We will begin this study with the first line of Scripture:
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ
The first three letters of Scripture, bara (בָּרָא ) form the word for create, and speak to the first creation.
The second word in Scripture is also bara, (בָּרָא ). This shows us there is a second creation.
The first creation, bara, is the creation of the heavens.
The second creation, bara, is the creation of the earth.
The heavens represent the spiritual realm.
The earth represents the physical realm.
All Scriptures can have an application to both the spiritual and physical realms.
Ge. 1:1 – 5: “In the beginning God created (bara) the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”
The Hebrew word “bara” means to cut or carve out. In its ancient form “bara” would read: “His family would be first in strength.” The very definition of “bara” speaks to the “cut” covenant represented in the first word of Scripture, Bereshit. See Article One for a more comprehensive study of Bereshit. The numerical value of “bara” is 203; 2 + 3 =5. The fifth letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet is the Hey, which means to behold or to reveal. We could look at the word “bara” and say The Fathers’ plan is to reveal something through His creation.
The letter Hey is comprised of two other Hebrew letters. The first letter is the Resh which means first, beginning or head. The Resh’s numerical value is 200. The second letter is the Yud which means to work, make or throw. The numerical value is 10. Added together, 200 + 10 = 210; reducing to a single digit, 2 + 1 = 3. Since all seed bearing vegetation is a creation of day three, The Father is telling us to behold His Son, the “Pure Seed,” who is the One to be revealed.
The number five can also direct our attention to the first five books of Scripture, commonly referred to as the Torah. Within the perimeters of the first five books are the Rules of the Kingdom, which is found in the Book of the Covenant (Ex. 24:7). After the golden calf incident the Book of the Law, the testimony against the people, was instituted (Dt. 29:20.)
Ge. 1:6 – 10: “Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear;’ and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”
Ge. 1:11 – 13: “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth;’ and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.”
Ge. 1:14 – 19: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth;’ and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” **It’s important to note that the luminaries were created for the purpose of telling time. The telling of time was specific for The Fathers’ seven appointed festivals.
Now, we have come to the second word being used in the creative act, the word asa, עָשָׂה . Thus far, two words performing the creative act, bara and asa.
Asa, עָשָׂה , is spelled with an Ayin, Sin and Hey. Asa means to do, fashion, accomplish or make. In its ancient form “asa” would read “watch for the one to be revealed, who will try to destroy, the One we are to behold.” Keep in mind there is the Messiah and the anti-messiah which will be revealed at the end of days.
The numerical value of “asa” is 375; 3 + 7 + 5 = 15. The 15th letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet is the Samech which means to support, twist or turn. Its numerical value is 60.
In reducing the 15, 1 + 5 = 6; we can say that the number six is referring to the 6th day of creation. This would be the very block of Scripture we are discussing.
Ge. 14:20 – 23: “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.”
Ge. 14:24 – 31: “Then God said, ‘let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind;’ and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, ‘let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘see, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.’ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
Who is the us?
This is a great time to talk about who the us is mentioned in this act of creation. The third word of Scripture is Elohim, אֱלֹהִים. The “im” ending to this word means it is in a masculine plural form. This tells us that The Father did not create alone. Scripture tells us in Ps. 82:1 that decisions were made via a “divine council.”
Ps. 82:1: “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” (ESV)
These gods (the fallen angels) are being judged for their corrupt administration of the nations of the earth, having been granted that authority at the division of the nations at Babel according to Deut. 32:8-9 (LXX)
Ps. 89:5 – 7: “Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?” (ESV)
1 Ki. 22:19: “Then Micaiah said, ‘therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.”
Scripture shows us that YaHaVah isn’t acting as a dictator of sorts, rather He considers the opinions of His assembly, those of the “divine council.” It is my opinion, the us and our being spoken of is The Father, YaHaVah, His Son, Yeshua, and the small g gods, the fallen angels.
Ge. 2:1 – 2: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created (bara) and made (asa).”
This is the account of the seventh day when God ENDED His work and rested. Everything He created and made has been completed. The second creation will begin on the eighth day. It is important to note that every living being has been given a “nefesh” particular to their own species.
It is appropriate then, that Article Eight should be all about the eighth day.
PART TWO
A Recap of Part One is as follows:
A study of the two creations, the heavens/spiritual and the earth/physical.
A study of the first two creative verbs, bara and asa.
A discussion of “who is the us?
The first creation is completed.
Many of us were taught that the Ge. 2:7 account of the formed man was a retelling of the male and female from day six. Again, in my opinion and armed with a very small amount of Hebrew understanding, I see this differently.
Ge. 2:3 – 5: “This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground….Wait what?
We just read that the male and female were created and made. Why then, is there no man to till the ground?
The Hebrew word used for man in the day six account, in my opinion, is incorrect. My Hebrew dictionary tells me the Hebrew word for man is “ish.” Instead of “ish,” the word used for man was the word Adam. This creates a question?
How then, can Scripture tells us there was no man to till the ground? Because…the word used in this Scripture is correct, it is “adamah” (אֲדָמָה ) which means ground or land. The man to be formed “from the “adamah,” from the dust of the earth, isn’t formed until Ge. 2:7. The man formed in Ge. 2:7 cannot be the same man that was created and made on the 6th day.
Ge. 2:6 – 7: “But a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the LORD God formed (יָצַר ) man of the dust of the ground (מִן־הָאֲדָמָה ) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Ge. 2:7 records events that occurred on the day AFTER the first Sabbath, the eighth day. These events speak to a second creation. Consider the male and female were created and made to be fruitful and multiply in the physical realm. The man formed on the 8th day had a different purpose which was to guard and keep the garden, which is the spiritual application.
The creative word used for this action is “yātzar,” יָצַר. “Yatzar” is composed of a Yud, Tsade and Resh. The numerical value is 300. The zeros have no value, so we are back to the number 3. “Yatzar” is the same word used in Jer. 1:5: ““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” ** This unique purpose can be linked to both Jeremiah and Adam.
This word is defined as to form, fashion or frame. This “adamah” being formed on the 8th day opens for us, the concept of a covenant relationship with YaHaVah.
Why you ask? Because…….
Recall every Hebrew letter has a numeric equivalent. I’m suggesting to you that if numbers are important to YaHaVah, then they should also be important to us.
For example, the number one relates to The Father, the Supreme Being. The number one also relates to the first letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet, the Aleph. The Aleph is comprised two other Hebrew letters, one Vav and two Yuds. The numerical value of the Vav is 6 and each Yud is 10. Therefore, the combined value is 26; 2 + 6 = 8.
Eight is the number of covenant. How do we know that? I’m so glad you asked!
Ge. 15:9: “So He said to him, ‘bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.”
The number of pieces in this covenant are eight, hence, eight is the number of covenant. Can we find another witness to this conclusion?
Yes!
At least one answer can be found in the eighth letter of the Aleph Bet, which is the letter Chet. The eighth letter is a fence or wall and means to divide, separate or private. This letter is the definition of Yahs’ garden. The Garden of Eden, Gan Eden, means just that, a walled garden.
This letter will divide or separate those believers who have chosen to walk in covenant or to not walk in covenant.
Ge. 2:8 – 9: “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Ge. 2:15: “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”
This man has a mandate other than to be fruitful and multiply. His mandate was to tend and keep the garden. Consider that the creation of the physical realm, that is, everything that dwells within the earthly perimeters, has been finished. There is yet to be formed those who will operate within the Rules of His Kingdom in the spirit realm.
Circumcision
Ge. 17:9 – 14: “Then God said to Abraham, ‘as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.’” (NIV) **The eighth day and His covenant are forever linked together!
Noah
If eight is so significant, there should be other references to this number. There is only one man descending from the line of Seth, Adam and Chava’s’ third son, who walked within the covenant boundaries. That man was Noach. Noach was a tenth generation descendant of Seth.
Ge. 6:8 – 10: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth all had wives which total eight souls. Eight souls entered the Ark and eight souls emerged from the Ark. Everyone else alive, those descendants from the day six male and female, as well as those that descended from the eighth day perished in the great flood. Only eight souls survived to repopulate the physical realm.
David, the first king from the line of Judah, was the eighth son of Jesse. 1 Sam. 17:12: “Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.”
Kind David is the first king from the tribe of Judah. Ge. 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”
Perhaps another witness is the 7th festival of Sukkot, i.e. the Sukkot the year of Messiah Yeshuas’ birth in particular. Sukkot is the only festival that has 8 days. In my opinion. Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot and had his circumcision on the 8th day of that same Sukkot.
The distinction between the two creations, i.e. the spirit realm and the physical realm, is the covenant connection we choose to make with YaHaVah. There is a secondary circumcision which is the circumcision of the heart.
Dt. 30:6: ““And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live.”
Jere. 4:4: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”
The Aleph and the Tav
את
In the Revelation of Yeshua HaMashiach to John, Yeshua identifies himself as the Aleph and the Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew Aleph Bet; these references are found in Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6 and 22:13.
Our modern translations read “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.” However, the words Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. Since Messiah Yeshua is a Hebrew man and not a Greek man He would have said “I am the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the ending.”
This is the Aleph, א , and the Tav,ת . In its ancient form the Aleph Tav would read “strength of the covenant.”
In conclusion, each creation has its own mandate. The male and female from day six were to be fruitful and multiply on the earth. The man formed in Ge. 2:7 was mandated to “keep” the walled garden which was a representation of heaven on earth.
Yeshua is the connector of heaven, the spiritual, and earth, the physical. He accomplishes this task by the virtue of seed. Yeshua, born on earth, descended from heaven. Within Himself, He contained the “pure seed.” The “pure seed,” will operate within the boundaries of the Rules of the Kingdom. It will generate like kind seed. Since Yeshua walked in covenant obedience, His like kind seed will likewise walk in covenant obedience.
At the end of the appointed days of earth, the spiritual will be collected to The Fathers barn while those who have chosen the wide path will be collected to everlasting torment.