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rriitted the killing of animals for food (Gen. 9:1-4). Sin disrupted the origi nal divine, order, and it will not be righted until all sin and rebellion is put down. Then both man and ani mals will return to vegetarianism (ef. Isa. 11:7). Having made all thing?, God saw that all was very good, fitted for both man and beast (v. 31). “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished” (2:1). It is impossible for us sinners to haVe an adequate appreciation of the absolute perfection o f . all the Lord’s work. We shall see that nothing except the incoming of sin disturbed the perfection of that original earth and its inhabitants. Points and Problems There are two widely different in terpretations of the Genesis account •of creation, and they are held by two groups of scholars equally devout in their attitude toward the Word of God. The first may, be called the "Progres sive" view, which holds that the origi nal creation was unformed and nebu lous matter, and that God by progres sive steps brought this chaotic matter into the ordered world that we know. The second has been called the "Catastrophe" interpretation. T h i s holds that the original creation was perfect, but for some reason that original creation fell under the judg ment of God, thus becoming “without form and void,” and. that the six days of creation which followed describe not the original creation but a recon structive pérlod. This second view seems the most plausible for the fol lowing reasons: , 1. The first verse of Genesis does not say -that God created “ unformed matter," but “the heaven and the earth:” These very terms imply form and order. 2. The second verse declares only that “the earth was without form.” Nothing is said, to imply that the “heaven” was included. If the e’ntire universe originally was “without form and Void,” why should the writer of Genesis limit hfs assertion to the earth? 3. The general teaching o'f the Bible as to the nature of God’s work sup- ports_ the idea of an original perfect creation. As an example of this teach ing we have Deuteronomy *32:3, 4: “Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect/' ■Such a View as this would leave room, of course, for progressive stages in God’s work as are indicated in the work of the six days. But’ it would deny imperfection to any of these stages, such as seems to be suggested by the words of verse 2. (See next point.)
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