THE EARTH'S MOLTEN CONDITION. PROOFS OF THE EARTH'S MOLTEN CONDITION. "WASTE AND EMPTY." THE DEEP AND ITS DARKNESS. THE CANOPY THEORY AS SHOWN IN SCRIPTURE AND NATURE. THE SPIRIT'S HOVERING OVER THE WATERS. A REVIEW OF THE GROUND SO FAR TRAVERSED.

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WE now come to Gen. 1:2, on which we will have decidedly less to say than on Gen. 1:1. How long a period elapsed from the time God started motion in the motionless gases, as the first step in the creation of our universe, if matter was eternal; or if it was not eternal, how long a period elapsed from the time God started to make the gases as the original materials from which our universe was made, until the pertinent spiral was transubstantiated into our universe in fulfilment of Gen. 1:1, we do not know. It may have been billions of years; it may have been many hundred million years it may have been a few million years. It is useless to guess; for we have no certain criteria on which to base a fairly sure guess, because many essential conditions connected with the creative process and operation are unknown, and many others are but little known to us. Therefore, remembering that the secret things belong to God, and that only the revealed things belong to us (Deut. 29:29), we will do well to refuse to speculate thereon, waiting patiently for God's good time to make these known to us—beyond the vail. Nor do we of a certainty know whether a long interval of time elapsed between the creation of the heavens and earth as set forth in Gen. 1:1 and the conditions described in v. 2. It seems reasonable and factual to assume that the condition described in the first sentence of v. 2—"The earth was waste and empty"—

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obtained even before our earth left the spiral from some of whose materials it was formed; for the friction of its condensing process, its hard contacts with other bodies and its capturing to its nucleus smaller bodies all made friction which, developing intense heat, produced the molten mass that, among other things, is covered by the  expression, "The earth was waste and empty." Moreover, since we can see by our telescopes that the suns as they leave the spirals are molten masses, proven so by their brightness, it is reasonable to assume that the planets, which are invisible to our best telescopes. (yea, apart from the planets of our solar system the planets of our universe's other solar systems are telescopically invisible), are in the same condition, since they are developed along the same lines and modes of operation as their suns. Accordingly, our earth was in this molten condition for a while also after it left the spiral. How long this molten condition from beginning to end lasted we do not know even approximately.

But if the above is true, as it seems to be, of course that theory invented and taught by Dr. Bullinger and accepted from him by Concordant Versionism, which claims that the earth was perfected by the creative works mentioned in Gen. 1:1, is false. The theory reasons that all God's work is perfect; that the creative work described in Gen. 1:1 is God's work; and that therefore the earth as described in Gen. 1:1 was perfect. Our reply is that all God's completed work is perfect (Deut. 32:4); but certainly an unfinished work of God is not perfect, as we can see from the condition of our earth and the human family, even as an incompleted house, statue, picture, machine, etc., are not perfect. An additional feature in the theory is that there were perfect conditions on this earth amid which various perfect intelligent beings lived for a while in perfect harmony, that they later sinned and that as a consequence God in displeasure turned the

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earth into the condition described in v. 2. The theory therefore assumes that these conditions and experience occurred in an assumed period between Gen. 1:1 and 2. This theory is a mere speculation without the slightest foundation in Scripture; for such a line of thought is nowhere mentioned, or hinted at in the Bible. It thus hangs suspended in the air—in a blank—the silence between Gen. 1:1 and 2. The Scriptures place the origin of sin shortly after Adam's and Eve's creation. Satan became the first liar and murderer and thus originated sin through deceiving Eve and bringing death upon the human family by Adam's sin, according to the combined statements of Jesus in John 8:44 and of St. Paul in Rom. 5:12-21 and 1 Tim. 2:14, and of St. John in 1 John 3:8. Moreover, Is. 14:12-14 describes Satan's fall into sin as starting in his ambition, first, to become the ruler of the human family and, secondly, to become a ruler of angels. Hence sin never was committed until after the creation of Adam and Eve, in whose procreative powers Satan recognized the possibility of a large race and of his gaining rulership over it. The Bible directly tells us that up to Eden Lucifer was perfect in all his ways and without sin (Ezek. 28:12-19). The further fact that God after the conditions described in Gen. 1:1, 2, is spoken of as engaged in creative work with the earth for yet six days (periods), proves that the heavens and earth were not perfected by the work mentioned in v. 1. Accordingly, the theory falls to the ground.

But upon what, beside the reasons given in the second paragraph above, do we base the thought that the earth was once in a molten condition during the later part of its stay in its spiral and during the first part of its stay outside of its spiral? We reply, there are factual reasons for this thought in the present condition of the earth; for the earth gives evidence that it is a body that has merely in its crust cooled off from a former molten condition. One of the strongest factual proofs

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for this is the molten matter that volcanoes from time to time discharge from the bowels of the earth, which proves that below the crust this molten matter exists and by pressure some of it is discharged through the craters of volcanoes. Again there are vast and widely separated territories covered by such discharged lava, e.g., the land of Bashan east of the Jordan, which proves that millenniums ago a vast amount of such lava was discharged by volcanoes. These issuing vast amounts of steam, smoke and fire corroborate this view. One of the causes of earthquakes, i.e., the steam generated by the ocean's water seeping through its bottom and coming in contact with intensely hot substances, causing these substances to strike violently against the inner crust of the earth, proves the same thing. Especially those earthquakes that occur just before, during and just after volcanic eruptions and in the vicinity of such eruptions are in line with this thought, for a volcanic eruption is caused by nothing more or less than this steam-driven molten matter seeking a vent. So violent is this steam power that it frequently opens new craters and breaks down long standing volcano cones. Last summer on Mt. Vesuvius we had the privilege of witnessing a number of the above-described phenomena. The rapid increase of temperature the deeper man tunnels his way into the bowels of the earth until the temperature becomes unbearably hot proves the same thing. Again, vast beds of granite, gneiss, basalt and other crystalline rocks are the first crust formed from the cooling molten mass of which this earth consisted. Finally, the hot springs and geysers of hot water and mud are a further evidence of the fact.

We understand therefore that this molten condition is the first thing meant in v. 2 by the Hebrew expression translated in the A.V. as "without form and void," but which is better translated, waste and empty. Every existing thing must have some form. Hence the A. V.'s

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rendering, "without form" is unhappy. The second thing that seems to be meant by this expression is the bottom of earth's crust. As geology shows, there are various layers in earth's crust. The bottom on which these rest was formed out of the materials that came to the top of the molten substance after it had discharged from itself certain of its materials; for after the molten mass had by its intense heat thrown off out of itself combustible substances, gases, acids, minerals and various of its other ingredients, it naturally began gradually to cool at its surface. These materials that remained on its surface after shooting off out of them all combustible substances, etc., cooled off as granite, gneiss, basalt and other crystalline rocks. These are the basis of the earth's crust and never left the earth; for they were, so to speak, the scum of the molten cauldron, while the substances that were by the intense heat driven out of the earth were, so to speak, the steam of this molten cauldron. These two conditions then, the molten mass first and its figurative scum secondly, we understand to be described by the terms, waste and empty. And certainly they were a vast waste; and certainly they were a vast emptiness. They were completely waste and empty of everything suggestive of order, life, cultivation and growth. No human eye ever saw it. God, however, the prehuman Christ and the angels saw it in all its waste and nakedness. (Prov. 8:22-30; Job 38:7.) Though not beautiful, yet the lurid sights, the thunderously explosive sounds, the restless boiling, the immense bubbles, first forming, then exploding, the black smoke, the bright flares, the black and white clouds of steam forming above it as the oxygen and hydrogen gases united, must one and all have been sublime! We know of these things, partly from revelation and partly from certain facts and principles.

The expressions, waste and empty, are meaningful. The Hebrew is tohu va bohu. This combined expression

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occurs in, but one other Scripture (Jer. 4:23), where the waste and emptiness of the second dispensation's earth— society—after the great tribulation are described. Only in one other passage does the word bohu occur (Is. 34:11), where the effect of the utter annihilation of the symbolic heavens and earth in the great tribulation is described in figurative language. The word tohu occurs 20 times in the Bible, and the A. V. renders it in eleven different ways, but the meaning waste, either literal or figurative, fits its every occurrence. The literal uses will first be quoted: "The earth was waste." (Gen. 1:2;Jer. 4:23.) "In a waste and howling wilderness." (Deut. 32:10.) "Stretch out upon it the line of a waste." (Is. 34:11.) "He created it not for waste." (Is. 45:18.) "A city of waste is broken down." (Is. 24:10.) "Out of the north over the waste." (Job 26:7.) "They go into a waste and perish." (Job 6:18.) "He causeth them to wander into a waste." (Job 12:24; Ps. 107:40.) The following passages use it in a figurative sense: speaking of the nothingness of idols the Bible says: "For then should ye go after a waste … for they are a waste." (1 Sam. 12:21.) "Their molten images are waste and confusion." (Is. 41:29.) "Graven images are all of them a waste." (Is. 44:9; 29:21.) "They trust in a waste [a falsehood]." (Is. 59:4.) "Less than nothing and a waste." (Is. 40:17.) "He maketh the judges of the earth a waste." (Is. 40:23.)." "Seek ye me in waste." (Is. 45:19.) "I have spent my strength as waste." (Is. 49:4.) These two expressions, waste and empty, describe chaos. Certainly if one could look down upon a huge crater of an active volcano and limit his view to the molten restless mass there, he would see a vast waste, which if in imagination he could enlarge until its limits would be out of sight, he would have a fair view of the waste and emptiness that covered this earth. If one could look down upon a huge crater of an extinct volcano whose molten mass had

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turned into cooled surface lava, somewhat like that which is in Vesuvius' crater all around and below its newly formed cone, and then in imagination would enlarge this sight until its limits would be invisible, he would get a fair idea of the waste and emptiness of the scum—like granite, gneiss, basalt, and other crystalline rock covering the red-hot molten mass underneath it, as the cooling surface of the earth appeared in utter waste and emptiness. Seemingly the waste and emptiness refer to the earth's condition when it was in its uncooled, hot, molten condition, as well as to the utter absence from the earth's surface of anything except the cooling granite, gneiss, basalt and crystalline rock surface covering the molten mass within.

Since no human being could have beheld the primeval chaotic condition just described, the knowledge of it must have come to man as a revelation from superhuman sources. Since all the ancient nations give accounts of a primeval chaos, the Lord very likely made this known to Adam before his fall, though it is possible that such a revelation was not made until Noah's time; for in giving Noah the knowledge of the coming flood it would have been quite in keeping with forecasting the downpour of the deluge waters to explain the other downpours that preceded that one and the earth's conditions previous to the first of these. There is another possibility, insofar as the subject affects the heathen records of a primeval chaos. Lucifer and the other fallen angels, who in their state of sinlessness saw the primeval chaos (Job 38:7), could have revealed the heathen myths on this subject, changing the facts from a monotheistic to a polytheistic cast to enslave into heathenism their dupes; for they either did this or they corrupted the Truth views of it that were brought over to this side of the deluge, and that were held awhile in their proper light until the days of Nimrod, when the demoniac misrepresentations began to set in on this and every other truth that was brought

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over the flood to the present order of affairs. That the Genesis record is the one that came from God by revelation is evident from the fact that it is so worded as to fit in with every attested fact that science after thousands of years of investigation has brought to light. It has not only anticipated by thousands of years the latest assured results of scientific research; but as always in the past, it is always found to be far in advance of science, which this side of the perfect revelations in the Ages to come will always be some steps behind the Mosaic account of creation. The marvelous simplicity and comprehensiveness of the story of Gen. 1:1 2:4 have proven to be a perfect framework within whose ample pigeon holes every fact of science finds its proper depository, where it is safely and harmoniously filed. The Mosaic account of the creation is one of the mightiest proofs of the Bible's inspiration, and is thus invaluable.

We might by way of contrast and yet by way of corroboration of the general fact of a chaos refer to some of the ancient heathen myths of the primeval chaos. The Egyptian chaos has some slight resemblances to the Hebrew account and more to the Greek myths on that subject. This heathen view differs in very important respects from the Mosaic account of chaos and the bringing of order out of it; for it makes their chaos an intermingling of the elements of heaven and earth. Their chaos they lead back to the conditions of things implied in Gen. 1:1, while Moses refers only to chaos as on earth. While Moses does not deny a chaotic condition such as the planetesimal hypothesis assures us was in the spiral from which our heavens and earth—our universe—were developed, he simply passes it by in silence, as unnecessary to describe in a brief story which concerns itself after Gen. 1:1 with this earth, and with other things only as they are related to this earth. Again, the Egyptian chaos fits in harmoniously with, and in part embodies, the Laplacean hypothesis,

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which has become scientifically disproven, as we have shown heretofore; but it does not contain the slightest hint as to the planetesimal theory. This myth makes order come out of confusion, due to the intermingling of heaven and earth, by a battle between various gods, which battle allegedly separated the heavens and earth. Then, this myth sets forth the theory of spontaneous generation, through the sole fecundity of the earth, i.e., without the intervention of superhuman agents. Thus it seeks to account for the start of plants, birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals and humans. Here again the relation of the ancient myths to materialism is brought out, a thing that the Mosaic account denies by tracing the beginning of all these to the agency of the one God. The Phoenician cosmogony is very similar to that of the Egyptians. Hence they also have a chaos, but similarly unlike that of the Hebrews. The same remark holds true of the Babylonians' chaos, whose creation story sets forth many monsters as existing subsequently to their chaos, which were allegedly destroyed in battle by their chief god Belus, Satan, who palmed himself off as supreme.

The tablets unearthed at Nineveh tell a very similar story, in which by the monster Tiamat is symbolized chaos, as the mother of all things. This personified chaos it presents as the principle of evil, the dragon and tempter of humanity to sin, which of course is the Satanic perversion of the Bible record of the origin of sin in angels and men. This same viewpoint appears in the principle of evil, Ahriman, in the Persian Avesta. In the Greek myths space is chaos and their cosmogony is an intermingling of personified fantasies more or less related to the Mosaic account of creation blended with legendary stories of deceased ancestors. The chaos of the Romans is like that of the Egyptians. Dr. Max Willer has translated a poem from one of the sacred books of India, from which we will quote a short section

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as giving a fair view of what Satan palmed off on heathen nations as chaos:

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"Nor aught nor nought existed; yon bright sky

Was not, nor heaven's broad roof outstretched above.

What covered all? What sheltered? What concealed?

Was it water's fathomless abyss? …

Darkness there was; and all at first was veiled.

In gloom profound—an ocean without light;

The germ that still lay covered in the husk

Burst forth, one nature, from the fervent heat"

These views of the various ancient heathen nations show that by chaos they meant the confused mass of original matter from which our universe was built, while Moses passes by this condition altogether and in Gen. 1:1 makes the simple statement that in a beginning God created the heaven and earth; and then describes the earth in a chaotic state by the first clause of Gen. 1:2: And the earth was tohu va bohu, waste and empty (literally, a waste and emptiness; for both of these Hebrew words are nouns and not adjectives, though English favors their being given here as adjectives).

Apart from slight hints the Bible gives us very little on the nature of our chaotic earth. It does in the first clause of Gen. 1:2 give us the idea of a universal chaos on earth, that, in the light gathered from science and conditions now prevailing in the earth's crust and from a few hints in the Bible, consisted of two stages—the waste and empty condition of the molten mass and of the granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rock condition of its surface as the earth was cooling off. Some of these hints we will discuss when we come to explain how the intense heat of the molten mass and of the above-mentioned basis of earth's layers of rock drove out of themselves rings of matter that hovered above the earth as canopies and that were kept in that condition for longer or shorter periods, according to their varying densities by the heat below, etc. Here we desire to call attention to some things set forth in Ps. 104

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Which beginning with v. 2 is a poetic description, as Gen. 1:1—2:4 is a prose description of creation. The reader will note that in v. 2 the words "thyself" and "with" before the words "a garment" are in italics, hence are interpolated to fill out what the translators thought to be the sense. The word with before light should also be in italics; for it has no corresponding word in the Hebrew. We think the following is a better rendering: "Who coveredst light as with a garment." In the words of this verse, "Who stretchest [stretchedst] out the heavens like a curtain," the creation of the heavens is set forth. While vs. 5, 6 refer to the ordering of the already created earth, they do not specifically refer to the creation of the earth. This leads us to the thought, since the creation of the earth should be referred to in this Psalm, which describes creation, that in the words, "Who  coveredst light as with a garment," the later stage of the process of earth's creation is referred to. It will be remembered that above we showed that the earth while in its later stage of development in its pertinent spiral and for a while after its leaving this spiral was a molten mass.

Of course, this molten mass was more or less bright with light before any covering came over it. This is not to be understood to contradict the statement, "Let there be light; and there was light"; for this latter light refers to that which was caused to penetrate through the earth's canopies or rings from without; for the light of the molten mass was covered up when the layer of granite, gneiss, basalt and crystalline rock covered this molten mass. The creation of this basal rock seems to be meant in Ps. 104:2, first clause, "Thou didst cover light as with a garment." Before this covering of rock set in the light of this molten mass, as is the case with our sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and probably Pluto, shone through its canopies and appeared to God and the angels somewhat as the sun and the above- mentioned self-luminous planets appear

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to us-bright and brilliant. This was all set aside when once the above-mentioned basal rock as the bottom of earth's crust covered this molten mass. So understood the first clause of Ps. 104:2 would be a reference to the creative process acting on the earth, and thus would be a reference to the creation of the earth as distinct from its ordering which was done during the six following days i.e., a long time after the crust of earth began to form over the molten mass. Hence this act of covering light would belong to the creative process as described in Gen. 1:1, 2 as prior to the ordering of the earth which began to set in on the first day. If this application of the first clause of Ps. 104:2 is true, as it seems to be, we have a hint in this passage of chaos in its first and second features, as indicated in the waste and emptiness referred to in the first clause of Gen. 1:2. But it is merely a hint that could scarcely be seen until one would first understand the earth originally to have been in a molten condition.

In Job 38:9 we find another such hint, "Made the cloud the garment thereof (the earth) and thick darkness a swaddling band for it." The cloud here referred to we understand to mean the canopies surrounding the earth as suggested above, for which later we will give proof, and by the swaddling band the darkness that the bottom of earth's crust over the molten mass first produced under these canopies and above that bottom. Again we remark, if we did not know of the molten mass condition of the earth as its original state and then of the "scum" that covered the surface of this caldron, as well as of the canopies above this, we would be unable to see such a reference in this passage, even as students of the Bible before these facts became matters of knowledge could not so apply it. At best it is but a hint that requires the background of the above- indicated knowledge to bring out its meaning. In our studies of creation how often do we come upon questions that we are unable to answer! This should make

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us very humble, and should greatly enhance in our estimation the wisdom and power of our God, and correspondingly should make us very meek toward Him who, if we be so disposed, will graciously supply us the needed knowledge, as it becomes due, and as we become ripe for it. Some of the knowledge of creation He has not disclosed to us either in His inspired book of revelation or in His book of nature, from both of which we are privileged to draw knowledge, only taking heed not to make the knowledge drawn from the book of nature a matter of faith, which we should make only of such things as we may get from God's inspired book of revelation. We desire to stress this thought with emphasis, because while we have the promise to be led, if faithful, into all Divinely-inspired, revealed Truth as due, we not only have no such promise as to knowledge gained from God's book of nature; but in Deut. 29:29 we are given a caution that should destroy all dogmatism from us as to our interpretation of God's revelation in nature, and should make us hold very tentative opinions on such knowledge, unless it is backed by sober observations examined without speculative thought, and by the inspired revelation given in the Bible.

The middle clause of Gen. 1:2 reads, "And darkness covered the face of the deep." Because some writers have misunderstood this term to mean the interplanetary and interstellar spaces, we will quote with brief comments all the passages in which the Hebrew word, tehom, here translated deep, occurs. We understand it to mean any deep body of water from a lake upward to a body of water covering the entire earth. Some of the occurrences that we will quote are very clear as compelling this meaning, others without being of such a character are nevertheless in harmony with our definition: "Darkness covered the face of the deep [the body of water that covered the whole earth before the waters during the third creative

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epoch were gathered together in a way to let the land appear (Gen. 1:9, 10), which before was covered by the water" (Gen. 1:2)]. "The fountains of the great deep were broken up [the waters above the firmament (expanse, Gen. 1:7) were the source of all the water on earth, except such as occupied the place of the expanse before it was formed; these waters, etc., came down in successive downpours when the earth had sufficiently cooled, etc., to permit their successive falls, each downpour from these fountains increasing the deep on earth until the last of these fountains fell in the days of Noah, making the deluge" (Gen. 7:11; 8:2)]. "The blessings of the deep that lieth under [the heavens, which proves that it is not the interplanetary and interstellar spaces, but is here the sea" (Gen. 49:25)]. "The depths have covered them … the depths were [as it were] congealed, [here the Red Sea covering the Egyptians and the Red Sea by turning, as it were, into a reef through the wind uncovering its bottom is meant" (Ex. 15:5, 8)]. "The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a land … of fountains and depths [these depths refer to the seas and lakes of and beside Palestine" (Deut. 8:7)]. "For the deep that croucheth beneath [the same thought as above in Gen. 49:25 is here given" (Deut. 33:13)]. "The depth saith, It is not in me [neither the literal sea nor the symbolic sea (the race in rebellion and unrestrained by religion) has the wisdom that rules the universe, as the parallel statement proves" (Job 28:14)]. "Hast thou walked in the search of the deep [again the parallel in this verse proves that the sea is thereby meant" (Job 38:16)]. "The face of the deep is frozen [here a lake frozen over is meant" (Job 38:30)]. "One [the unbelief class] would think the deep to be hoary [Leviathan, Satan, (vs. 1-34; Is. 27:1) has by the evolution theory convinced the unbelief class that the rebellious race, the sea, is millions of years old" (Job 41:32)].

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"He layeth up the depth in storehouses [earth's depressions wherein the sea lies are figurative storehouses to the sea" (Ps. 33:7)]. "Thy judgments [teachings] are a great deep [the profundity, of God's thoughts are here likened to the great depth of the sea" (Ps. 36:6)]. "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts; all Thy waves and billows are gone over me [one deep sorrow as a sea of trouble invites another through the tumult of distressing experiences that God gave him" (Ps. 42:7)]. "The depths [the Red Sea at the time of Israel's crossing] also were troubled" (Ps. 77:16). "Thou shalt bring me up again from the depths" [seas of trouble (Ps. 71:20)]. "'Drink as out of the great depths [the waters that poured out from the smitten rock were so abundant as to convey the thought that their source must have been a subterranean sea" (Ps. 78:15)]. "Thou coverdest it with the deep as with a garment [before the first and into the third creative day the waters covered the entire earth" (Ps. 104:6)]. "So He led them [Israel] through the depths [the Red Sea" (Ps. 106:9)]. "They mount up to the heavens; they go down again to the depths [after the troubles have removed the symbolic heavens in Armageddon, they will involve during anarchy the rebellious race, the symbolic sea whose waves are lashed into fury by the winds of anger" (Ps. 107:26)]. "In the seas and all [other] deep places [lakes, etc." (Ps. 135:6)]. "Ye dragons and all deeps [oceans, seas, lakes, etc." (Ps. 148:7)]. "By His [God's] knowledge the depths [the waters that covered the entire earth from before the first into the third creative day] were broken up [in separating these waters from the land and forming the seas from them" (Prov. 3:20, compared with Gen. 1:2, 7)]. "When there were no depths I was brought forth [when the Logos was created, among other things, neither the condition of Gen, 1:2 nor of v. 7 existed" (Prov. 8:24)]. "When He set a compass upon the

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face of the deep [when as by a figurative compass God assigned limits to the universal waters which would confine them to our present seas" (Prov. 8:27)]. "When He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep [when God by earth's heat, steam, etc., caused the canopies, which by their later breaking up became the fountains of the universal sea and later of our seas, to abide successively their seven thousand year periods" (Prov. 8:28)].

"He that hath dried the [Red] sea, the waters of the great deep [the Red Sea when Israel was about to cross" (Is. 51:10)]. "That led them [Israel] through the deep [the Red Sea" (Is. 63:13)]. "When I shall bring up the deep [sea] upon thee [Tyre] and great waters shall cover thee" (Ezek. 26:19). "The waters [peoples, (Rev. 17:15)] made him [papacy] great; the deep set him on high," [the symbolic sea, the rebellious people, (Ezek. 31:4.)]. "I covered the deep for him [for destroying the papacy God will give the revolutionists protection" (Ezek. 31:15)]. "It devoured the great deep [the fire of anarchy will consume the symbolic sea, the anarchistic race" (Amos 7:4)]. "The depth closed me round about [the sea covered Jonah when he was cast into it" (Jon. 2:5)]. "The deep uttered his voice [the rebellious, anarchistic race would make great propaganda and agitation" (Hab. 3:10)]. The above are all the Old Testament occurrences of the Hebrew word tehom, and all of them prove our definition of this word as meaning any literal or symbolic deep body of water from a lake to an ocean, also the universal waters of Gen. 1 and of the deluge to be meant. In Gen. 1:2 by this word, as a comparison of vs. 2, 7 proves, the waters that covered the entire earth are meant.

Whence came these waters? We reply, from the layers of steam, vapor, etc., that for miles high surrounded the earth, and that later condensed into

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water, as well as from the watery canopies. As the earth gradually cooled off these in successive installments dropped to its surface. Doubtless they repeatedly fell as a rain on the yet hot earth and were again and again thrown off as steam until in time the earth cooled, sufficiently to keep the water, still hot, as a covering of its surface. This steam and vapor were formed when, among other gases, acids, etc., the hydrogen and oxygen that were cast off from the molten mass met above the earth and united. Such vapors condensed as above stated and became the source of the waters that covered the earth, as is shown in our text. We are not to understand that all of the steam, vapors, etc., surrounding the earth fell to the earth before the first creative day; rather it was only the lower portions of these that so fell before the first creative day set in. The fact that it was only the lower parts of these that so fell is proven by the fact that the figurative garments and swaddling bands (Job 38:9) were so dense as to prevent the light of the sun, moon and stars from reaching the earth clearly until the fourth creative day. Accordingly, the surface of our earth was before the first and into the third creative day one vast sea, "the deep," tehom, an ocean that had no shores. This water for a long time, due to the heat of the earth, was boiling hot and of course was continually giving off steam, which as it cooled off would as rain fall back into the deep. This process continued long, but how long we do not know. Between it and the molten mass was the figurative scum of granite, gneiss, basalt and other crystalline rock. We have already seen that before the intense heat of the molten mass penetrating its figurative scum allowed any of the vapors above to descend and remain on the earth its scum had formed. Hence these waters lay upon this scum. We also have seen that before any of this steam could condense there was darkness over the face of the earth, because the scum hid the light in the

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molten mass, and because none could penetrate from the sun, etc., through the dense layers of various earth- expelled substances. This condition prevailed before the fact brought to our attention by the words "darkness was upon the face of the deep" set in. But that dark condition according to these words also prevailed after the deep was formed, and for the same reason as it prevailed before the deep was formed, which condition was re-enforced by the dirty, slimy water that covered the crust of the molten matter. That darkness must have been worse than that of Egypt, which itself was so dense as to be figuratively felt. It was a blessing that man was not there to experience its gloom—"Darkness was upon the face of the deep."

We are now ready to discuss the canopy theory, otherwise called the ring or annular theory, and sometimes the Vailian theory from its discoverer, Prof. Isaac N. Vail— the view that there were successive rings of matter, water, minerals, sand, slimy mud, acids, gases, etc., that surrounded our earth at varying distances. Their origin was from the molten matter of which this earth before it left its spiral consisted. This molten mass by its intense heat discharged from itself heavily-laden smoke, many gases, acids, minerals, pumice, sand, mud, etc., i.e., its more volatile, combustible substances. These substances varying in weight, the earliest and lightest were thrown up the highest from the earth, the latest and heaviest settled the nearest to the earth, all of them according to their weight forming rings or canopies with more or less clouds, steam, vapor, etc., between each ring, unable as later discharges from the earth to penetrate the canopies already formed above it before their pertinent discharges. Thus these intervening layers of steam formed a sort of a cushion, each holding in place the ring immediately above it, with heat doubtless aiding therewith, especially in the lower rings. This steam did not as steam leave the molten earth. It was formed

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by the union of the discharged hydrogen and oxygen so greatly heated as to form at first, not water, but steam. These rings not only held the heat below them, but they also shut out the cold that was in space beyond the outermost canopy, which resulted in the earth being in a hothouse condition of fairly uniform temperature under each of its successively nearest canopy. That such was the case can be shown from various statements scattered here and there in the Bible and from facts in nature. We will now proceed to set these proofs briefly before our readers. Among these proofs belong Ps. 104:2, "Thou didst cover light as with a garment," and the last clause of Job 38:9: "Who … made the cloud the garment [canopy] thereof [the earth], and thick darkness a swaddling band for it?" These having been sufficiently explained foregoing in two full paragraphs, we will pass them by here.

We will now discuss others, beginning with Gen. 1:6-9: "And God said, Let there be a firmament [expanse of atmosphere] in the midst of [between] the waters [those  that covered the earth and those that as water and as steam, for which there is no Hebrew word, and which is water in an attenuated, gaseous, state, were above this atmosphere] and let it divide the waters [below] and the waters [above it]. And God made the firmament [the expanse of atmosphere] and divided the waters which were under the firmament [those on the earth] from the waters which were above the firmament; and God called the firmament heaven [sky] … and God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place.'" That the flood was caused by the topmost canopy, which consisted of almost pure and translucent water, falling as very heavy rain and snow is shown in Gen. 7:11; 8:2: "In the 600th year of Noah's life, in the 2nd month, the 17th day of the month, the same day were all the [remaining] fountains [the canopies are called

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fountains of the great deep, because they were the source of earth's] great deep [the deep bodies of earth's waters] broken up [as the topmost canopy when it fell to the earth as rain in the temperate and torrid zones and as snow in the frigid zones]; and the windows of the heavens were opened [the translucent waters that formed the topmost canopy were figurative glass windows through which the people on earth could see the sun, moon and stars. These figurative windows of heavens, sky (Gen. 1:8), were figuratively opened by the breaking up and falling down of the topmost canopy whereby the flood was produced] … The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heavens were stopped [were made to cease because non-existent and as a result] the rain from heaven was restrained [ceased, because there was no more a watery canopy above the expanse]."

Ps. 104:3, 6: "Who laid the beams of His chambers [the steam and vapor that were cushions between the various canopies were figurative beams that rested on the canopy below, and that bore up the canopy above it, making the intervening space a figurative chamber or room which God used as a workshop, working creatively in each up to the time through its figurative floor, canopy, falling, it became merged into the expanse below] in the waters [in the midst of the heavy cushioning vapors and between the waters forming the canopy below and above], who made the clouds his chariots [this is true of the clouds of steam and vapor between the canopies and of the clouds that formed since the last canopy fell; for God used the former and has used the latter as instrumentalites of His creative and providential figurative rides] … who coveredst it [the earth] with the deep [the waters of Gen. 1:2] as with a garment [when before the first and into the third creative day the waters covered the entire earth]. The waters [both that which covered the whole earth into the third creative day and that in the

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steam and vapors and in the canopies above the earth] stood above the mountains [which formed in part in the scum of the boiling cauldron of the molten matter, whose boiling substance irregularly raised this scum in places into small mountains]." In the book of Proverbs we find several references to this same subject. This naturally comes in the description of the Logos, as the Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24, 30), partly before and partly after His pre-human existence, as we find it set forth in Prov. 8:14-36, particularly vs. 22-31, wherein His pre-existence is set forth. In this section Jesus is pointing out how He preceded various of the creative processes and their products.

Among other things, He speaks of matters as they were before the first creative day in vs. 27, 28, which we will now quote with comments: "I was there when He set a compass upon the face of the deep" (v. 27). This statement takes us back before the first creative day, and that to a  time between the times of the two facts stated in the first and second clauses of Gen. 1:2, i.e. between the time of the condition set forth by the words, "the earth was waste and empty," and the time of the condition set forth by the words, "and darkness covered the face of the deep." We know this, because the expression, setting a compass upon, rather for, the face of the deep, means that God adjusted by measure the spaces for this deep, and that forming our present seas. Hence, this was done before the deep was laid down upon those spaces. Whence came this deep? Surely not as such directly out of the molten mass, whose heat was too intense for water as such to exist therein. Doubtless the water that later formed it was produced first by the heat of the molten mass driving out of it, among others, hydrogen and oxygen gases, each separate and distinct as they were expelled from the heated substance of the earth; then by these gases uniting in proper proportions of weight and bulk to produce water formed steam which changed later

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into water; for as chemically demonstrated water is a certain weight and bulk combination of these two gases. The water as such and as steam, therefore, formed above and about the entire molten mass, which means that canopies cushioned as above described formed above and about the molten mass. The lower parts of the steam condensing into water would from time to time precipitate themselves on that mass, contributing to its cooling, yet being again and again dashed off as steam from the earth's hot surface, until after perhaps many thousands of years this process cooled off the earth sufficiently for ever increasing amounts of water less hot than the scum of our figurative cauldron remaining on the earth's surface. Thus the great deep was formed and the process of that formation, especially the process that preceded it, implies the prior creation of the cushioned canopies.

In v. 28 further proof is given: "I was there … when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep." The connection between vs. 27 and 28 indicated by the terms "established the clouds above" prove that the clouds that formed since the flood cannot be meant; for the connection shows that the word above applies to the expression of v. 27, "the face of the deep," which was the water which covered the entire earth before the first and into the third creative day. Hence, the clouds of v. 28 mean the steam that was as a cushion, "beams of His chambers," between each successive set of the canopies. That this interpretation is true is further proven by the rest of v. 28: "When He strengthened the fountains of the deep." We have seen above, when commenting on Gen. 7:11; 8:2, that the fountains of the great deep there referred to are the topmost of earth's canopies, the last one to fall, i.e., in the time of the deluge. That canopy was called the fountains of earth's lakes, seas, oceans, because it acted as a source whence waters for them came. For the same reason the

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rest of the canopies, those that fell before the Noachian canopy fell, were also fountains of the great deep. In v. 28 all of these are evidently meant, as the connection with the preceding clause and with the last clause of v. 27 proves. God strengthened these fountains of the deep by the intensely hot steam that acted as a ceiling for the lower and as a foundation for the upper parts—beams—cushions of Jehovah's workshops, inter-canopy spaces.

We will offer but one other passage, one from the New Testament, in proof of the canopy, ring, annular or Vailian theory, according to which the earth was clothed with figurative garments, 2 Pet. 3:5, which we will quote from the Improved Version: "The heavens were of old, and the earth [was] standing, harmoniously with the Word of God, separate from water [that in the canopies and in their cushions] and within water [that which covered the entire earth (Gen. 1:2, 6-10) which made the earth stand, exist, inside of the water that covered its entire surface]." This passage, rendered poorly in the A. V. and in the other versions whose translators did not understand the thought that St. Peter was expressing, is properly and literally rendered in the Improved Version, as given above. It teaches more clearly than any other of the passages that we have quoted that the earth was for ages encompassed by an annular system, as well as was entirely covered with water. Having finished our Scriptural proofs for this theory we will give a number of proofs found in God's book of nature.

Having finished the study of the Biblical proof in favor of the canopy theory, it would now be in order to consider the proofs for it found in the book of nature. And in the book of nature we find several proofs for it that are both interesting and cogent. The first of these is the fact that the molten mass (that the earth was while it was in its spiral and for sometime afterwards) created conditions out of which the canopies

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enveloping this earth were formed. Such a molten mass would automatically discharge from itself immense quantities of smoke, which would be heavily laden with thick charcoal—like soot and heavier solids consisting of chemical elements as well as many gases and acids. Out of these the canopies would naturally form. The heat as well as other forces of the molten mass caused these discharges. Sometimes the violence of the discharge caused mighty explosions which sometimes assumed immense volcanic proportions. Whoever has stood near an active volcano like Vesuvius, Etna, etc., can see how such conditions necessarily were in evidence in the molten mass. Various of the components of the charcoal—like soot, compounding, produced diamonds and crystals, and such soot combining with other elements produced certain precious stones. Chemical elements variously compounding produced gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and iron dust and larger examples of these. Much of the discharges from the molten mass consisted of various kinds of slime, sand, mud, clay-like fluids, etc. Some of these combinations occurred within the molten mass itself; and some of them occurred after the gases and acids had left the boiling caldron, which this earth then was. We know that oxygen and hydrogen gases combine and thus produce water, which is brought into existence by certain proportions of these in weight and bulk uniting. After these gases had left the boiling caldron such combination of them occurred, since water could not exist in such heat as permeated the molten mass. Other gases combined to produce other forms of matter and the same principle of combination of acids produced still other forms of matter.

These substances left the molten mass in very attenuated forms. This is evident, because the effect of such great heat would be to disintegrate and to attenuate the more or less solids of which the molten mass largely consisted. This is also evident from the fact that they

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left the molten mass in large part as soot, mineral dusts, gases and acids. Hence, under the influence of the heat and other expelling forces in the molten earth these expelled things were in more or less volatile condition and naturally would ascend, the lighter and more volatile and attenuated substances being thrown higher up and settling there and the heavier and less volatile and attenuated substances being thrown less high and thus settling nearer the earth. Hence, we may factually infer that the top layer or canopy was at first nothing but steam, which is first of all produced by the combination of oxygen and hydrogen, and which in its top parts as they cooled off more quickly, turned into water. It was this top layer that fell as the flood rains and snows in the days of Noah. Then next under this top layer was another of somewhat heavier substances than the one above kept in place by steam and the lighter acids and gases. Below this was a third layer, counting the layers from top to bottom, consisting of still heavier substances than the one above it and held in place by denser steam, acids and gases than the pillars of the next canopy above. And so on the density increased until the lowest of the canopies, the seventh from the top and the first from the bottom, was reached, the intense heat from below and other forces coming from the molten mass and the dense steam, acids and gases temporarily acting as pillars to keep it up. Evidently the highest canopy formed first, the lowest last.

We just said that there were seven of such canopies enveloping our earth. This was the condition before the first creative day set in (Gen. 1:3). By a variety of considerations we arrive at the conclusion that there were seven of such canopies surrounding the earth. The first of these is the layers of the earth, its strata, deposited one after another upon one another, and that upon the original foundation of granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rock; for there are exactly six of such

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strata or layers lying successively upon these. The seventh canopy, being pure water made no stratum deposit, hence there are not seven but six such strata to be found. These strata are not discernible everywhere in their chronological order; for due to the buckling of the earth and mighty explosions of the molten mass some of these layers, while those above them were yet soft, broke through some of the latter and forced their way between and above them; so that parts of earlier ones often overlap higher ones and lie between or above them. We saw the buckling process without any breaking through of the various layers of earth's strata illustrated at the Century of Progress Exhibition at Chicago in 1933 as follows: Six strips of as many different colored rubber were laid severally on top of one another in a specially constructed machine; then by ball bearings these were subjected to irregular pressure, which made the six layers of rubber buckle very irregularly  among one another. This produced a very uneven, interwoven series of layers of rubber. At places the lowest strip of rubber was higher than the highest layer was at other places, and that without breaking through any of the upper layers. This illustrates those irregular layers of earth's strata where they have not burst through those above them; but it does not illustrate those layers of earth's strata where such bursting has occurred, which is not an infrequent natural phenomenon. But there are places on the earth where neither the buckling nor the bursting process has acted, but where each stratum is regularly and fairly evenly laid one above the other; and in such cases there are exactly six of such strata above the granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rock "scum" that is immediately above the molten mass. These six strata prove that each of them was laid by the falling of the pertinent earth's canopy, which proves that there were six of such canopies as deposited solid matter, while the seventh, consisting of pure water, of course could not

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deposit a rock stratum. The Bible also implies this by its six symbolic creative days, ages, at the end of each of which a canopy fell to earth and deposited the matter that formed its pertinent stratum. These two proofs we offer for there having been seven canopies about our earth before the first creative day set in.

While giving in the preceding paragraph the proof that there were seven canopies or rings about our earth before the first creative day of Gen. 1 set in, we anticipated somewhat our second proof from the book of nature for the canopy or annular theory. It is this: The regular layers of earth's strata prove the annular theory; for each of these  was formed by the precipitation of such a ring on the earth, whereby it deposited its solid, liquid and gaseous contents on the earth. As we stated above and as one can see on many mountain and canyon sides, these layers are often not regular and often penetrate through one another; but there are places where these layers are almost as regular and even in their being deposited upon one another as though a gigantic mason had built these strata upon one another by placing a level upon each one, making it, generally speaking, level before depositing upon it the next stratum. In that part of the Grand Canyon of Arizona where the Bright Angel Trail leads from the Canyon's rim to the Colorado flowing on its way almost a full mile deeper than the canyon's rim, not only does the river plow its way in a course that it has made in the granite base, but it has also plowed its way through the six layers of vari-colored rocks almost as regularly and evenly laid down as though built to the test of a mason's level. This canyon with its many river- plowed-up and erosion-carved buttes, as varicolored and as regularly built up as the canyon's sides from which through the ages the mighty Colorado plowed them loose, is by world travelers universally considered the sublimest object on earth. It is such and more than such: It is God's clearest revelation in His

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book of nature of the six ages of Earth's creative ordering and of its prior sevenfold canopied condition. The walls there look like a huge flag made up of six stripes of unequal width, abutting rather evenly.

To give us this view God caused the plateau here to be on an average of over 7,000 feet above sea level, and has caused the Colorado to plow through this plateau a canyon nearly a mile deep—so deep that it has cut out a course about 150 feet deep in the basal granite and gneiss. We will quote from the Encyclopedia Americana a description of it

"The term Grand Canyon is applied to that portion of the canyon of the Colorado River which lies in northern Arizona. It is in the midst of a wilderness and is inaccessible from most directions, but the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad has a branch line to its southern rim at a locality where some of the finest features are visible. Here are hotels; and [here are] trails down to the river's edge. … The altitude here is 6,866 feet above sea- level; at the river just north it is 2,355 feet; on the farther rim to the north it is 8,000 feet. Few persons can realize on first view that the canyon is nearly a mile deep and from 8 to 10 miles wide. The cliffs descending from the rim form a succession of huge steps, each 300 to 500 feet high, with steep rocky slopes between. These cliffs are the edges of hard beds of limestone or sandstone, while the intervening slopes mark the outcrops of softer shale. These beds are more than 3,500 feet thick and they lie nearly horizontal. Far down in the canyon is a broad shelf caused by a basal hard sandstone; it is deeply trenched by the narrow inner canyon cut a thousand feet or more into the underlying Archaean 'granite.' The rocks of the canyon walls vary in color from white and buff to bright red and dull green. They present a marvelous variety of picturesque forms fashioned mainly from erosion by running water, the agent which has excavated the canyon. … The rocks exposed in the

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walls of the Grand Canyon underlie a wide area of the Arizona Plateau and most of them extend far beyond. The first 3,700 feet of beds, all of which lie nearly horizontal, are as follows:

‍

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These formations are readily recognized by their color or character as they are practically uniform in aspect and relative position from all points of view. … The top limestone, Kaibab, caps the plateaus on both sides and highest buttes. The outcropping edge of the Coconino sandstone is marked by a distinct band of light gray all along the canyon walls and capping some buttes 700 to 800 feet below the top. The red beds, of the Supai formation everywhere constitute the middle slopes and many buttes, usually presenting a series of relatively small terrace-like steps. The conspicuous cliff below these, and stained red by their wash, is the hard massive Redwall limestone. It projects in many flat topped spurs, buttresses and outliers isolated by erosion. The Tonto group, next below, forming slopes and platform, is recognized by its greenish color. For many miles the shelf of this sandstone of the Tonto group is cut through by a steep inner gorge which descends to the river 800 to 1,000 feet below, and exposes granite and gneiss of the original earth crust …"

This canyon is a veritable Rosetta Stone for geology. It will be noted that in the nearly even edges of these layers of stone as they rest upon one another in the Grand Canyon of Arizona, we have a decidedly different phenomenon from that which presents itself to

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view in the bent, twisted, knarled, interwoven, interlocked and interspersed strata that huge bulging and earth-tearing action and strata mixing on many a mountain and canyon side have brought to our view. On such twisted, broken, interspersed and interwoven formations the average geologist has based his calculations and inferences on Scripture-contradictory hypotheses. It seems never to have occurred to them to regard such formations as abnormal, and therefore as unsuitable examples on which to base logical conclusions as to scientific theories, while on the other hand the easily read and plain story graven in the generalized rocks of the Grand Canyon's walls they have most strangely overlooked as basic for general inductions as to the science of the earth's history as set forth in text books on geology. In this they resemble an imaginary Martian who, visiting the earth, and seeing only the Amazonian swamp lands with their vast poisonous insect life and their few, uncivilized and blood-thirsty Indians on a warpath of plunder and devastation, returning to Mars, told its imaginary inhabitants that earth was one vast miasmic swamp infested with disease-bearing insects and predatory savages without sense enough to enable them to seek one another's good. and with ferocity enough to make them more predatory than Mars' wildest imaginary beasts of prey. If our imaginary Martians would thus form their opinions of our earth and its insect and animal life, they would hardly have gone further wrong as to fact on the subject than the average geologist has on his theories of the earth's strata and its geological ages and history. Why form conclusions from abnormal and abstruse exceptions and ignore the orderly, simple and easily deciphered rule, especially since we have God's inspired revelation as a key that beautifully, harmoniously and simply opens the door to the geological ages' processes and history. The six strata of rocks in the Grand Canyon of Arizona are an irrefutable and factual proof

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of the six canopies of more or less mixtures of solids and liquids; and the ices and glaciers of the glacial age in the extreme north of the northern and in the extreme south of the southern hemisphere are good evidence that the seventh and highest canopy was of pure water.

The ices and glaciers of the glacial period with the geological evidences of a contemporaneous flood of water south of the ice and glacial fields of the northern and north of the same kind of fields in the southern hemisphere are a factual proof that the highest, the seventh canopy, was of pure water, which falling in the days of Noah produced the vast rains of the deluge, roughly speaking, in the middle half of the earth and the snows of the deluge in the extreme fourths of the earth. Geologists are practically a unit in the thought that, roughly speaking, north of the 50th degree of latitude North America was anciently covered by glaciers and that Europe and Asia in the same latitude was contemporaneously covered with ice, while, roughly speaking, south of that parallel the earth's surface points to a vast, ocean covering these continents. "This should be more than a Rosetta Stone in the path of the geologist." It should not only tell him of the universality of the Noachian deluge, but should point out to him the source of this deluge as having been a canopy of water about this earth acting as a figurative swaddling band, breaking up and falling in the northern and southern parts of the earth as vast cosmic snows and in the central part as torrential rains. Before it fell such a canopy of water would maintain evenness of temperature over the entire earth; for it would have produced a hot house condition of mild climate everywhere on this earth, accordingly making the temperature at the poles the same as at the equator and at all intervening places. This natural conclusion is corroborated by facts that are continuing in ever increasing numbers to come to light. But apart from these,

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other facts increasingly coming to light, and the facts of a universal deluge evidenced by the ice and glacial fields and the flood water deposits imply that the last canopy to drop to the earth was one of pure water, which as the seventh canopy left no rock stratum to make a seventh layer of rock upon the original granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rock that as vari-formed scum the molten mass threw out of its internals as a surface basal for the strata that were to fall upon it from the first six canopies above. Furthermore, the gradual and increasing recession northward and southward of the fields of ice and glaciers is a proof that such were not always on the earth, but came upon it by some external force suddenly in regions whose climate would melt them.

Animals of the kinds that now inhabit the tropics, as well as the temperate and frigid zones, have been found embedded in the ices of northern Siberia. Among these are mastodons, mammoths, elephants, lions, tigers, antelopes, etc. Certainly such tropical animals have never lived so far north since the dawn of secular human history; for those regions have ever since then been too inhospitably cold for a habitat of such animals. How did they get there and how did they become embedded in ice? Certainly the climate there must have been either tropical or semitropical when they lived there; for such is the climate suited to such animals; hence such ice fields did not there exist when they roamed those lands. And their being embedded in solid ice tells the story of a sudden downpour of water which drowned them and a quick freezing of such waters, which left them embedded in the ice. Whence came this rain, since we read that from man's creation to the flood no rain fell (Gen. 2:5, 6)? It evidently came during the deluge. And these facts are in harmony with the thought that the first rainbow came after the flood, since no clouds could form under the watery canopy; and hence no rain could fall; and

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hence no rainbow could form. This fact enables us also to see why the rainbow could be God's unchangeable pledge never again to destroy society with a flood; because there could not enough water become clouds to make a universal deluge. (Gen. 9:8-17.) Moreover the great climatic changes that immediately followed the flood (Gen. 8:22) must have had some competent cause, which we recognize to be the breaking up of earth's hothouse condition incident to the falling of the watery canopy. The process of fermentation, of which Noah was ignorant, and which occasioned his involuntary drunkenness was due to the climatic changes incidental to the same cause, the fall of the watery canopy that enveloped the earth (Gen. 9:20, 21.) So, too, the great and sudden shortening of the span of human life following the flood bespeaks the same story. And to cap the climax we need only say that several antelopes and other animals have been found embedded in Siberian ice with undigested grass in their stomachs, which betrays a sudden watery death immediately followed by freezing within solid ice in which as in a cold storage, the antelopes, etc., and the grass have been preserved intact for over 4,300 years. Not only do all these facts prove the reality of the deluge, but prove that there was a canopy of water that enveloped this earth, and that it fell after six others had fallen, composed of such solids, gases and acids as to form the six great strata of rocks whose best example is the Grand Canyon.

Another fact corroborates the canopy theory: the appearance of the sun, moon and stars only after the third creative day was over. Many mistake the Lord's Word in Gen. 1:14-18 to refer to the creation of the sun, moon and stars as occurring on the fourth creative day. These by such an interpretation, of course, make vs. 14-18 contradict v. 1, where the creation of the heavens, including as it does the creation of our sun, moon and the stars is set forth as occurring before

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the first creative day. It will be noted that vs. 14-18 do not state that God (on the fourth day) created (bara) the sun, moon and stars. These verses teach that they were on the fourth day made to shine on the earth. This is evident from two facts: (1) from v. 2 onward the creative work is described as respects this earth alone; hence in vs. 14-18 only the relations of the sun, moon and stars to this earth are taken into consideration and described; but their creation as heavenly bodies is not there taken into consideration and described; (2) in vs. 14-18 not the creation, but the work and uses of the sun, moon and stars are set forth, "let there be lights in the expanse of heaven to separate between day and night [nothing here is said of their creation, here their work as to day and night is described]. And let them be for signs [symbols, i.e., the sun symbolizes God, Christ, the New Testament, the glorified church, etc.; the moon, the law, the Old Testament, fleshly Israel; the stars, the Apostles and special teachers of the general Church, false teachers, religious systems, Ancient and Youthful Worthies]; for appointed times [like the four seasons designated by the sun, festivals and holidays designated usually by the moon and its phases] days [like literal 12 and 24 hour periods, 7 of these as a week of days and 30 of these as a month of days designated by both sun and moon, then these symbolically considered] and years [literal and symbolic designated by both sun and moon, the stars cooperating in designating these appointed times, days and years; here again we see that not the creation but the uses of these heavenly bodies are set forth].

"And let them be as lights in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth [here again in v. 15 the work and uses of these heavenly bodies are set forth, not their creation] and it was so." [In v. 16 again the mission of the sun, moon and stars are expressed]. God made two great lights [to shine on the

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earth], the greater light [the sun] to rule [by shining] the day, the lesser light [the moon] to rule [by shining] the night. In other words, this verse teaches, not the creation of these bodies, but that God caused the sun to shine on the earth by day, the moon and stars by night; hence the work and uses of these, not their creation are set forth in this verse. The same comment applies to vs. 17, 18. Since both Gen. 1:1 and science teach that the heavens [sun, moon, planets, asteroids, stars] were made before the first creative day, Gen. 1:14-18, which describes things done on the fourth day, cannot mean the creation of the sun, moon and stars, but their being made to shine upon the earth. How did this occur? Certainly not by making these bodies intrinsically brighter; for if any change in their brightness is to occur, it would be rather a diminishing than an increasing of their brightness that we should expect with the lapse of time. Accordingly, we should understand that something that hindered the light of these bodies from penetrating to the earth was removed and the hindrance being removed in sufficient degree, the light of these bodies penetrated through to the earth and thus these shone on the earth. What was this hindering thing? The four lowest of the canopies each one falling at the end of its pertinent age, day, gradually and increasingly let the light of these bodies in on the earth. Thus at the end of the first day the first canopy dropped and this allowed the first dim rays of light (Gen. 1:3-5) to penetrate the gloom described in v. 2. The end of the second day witnessed the dropping of the second canopy, which occasioned a slight increase of light; but this was so dim compared with our light that to us it would seem to be little difference between the darkness of its nights and the light of its days. The third day ended with the dropping of the third canopy with its still larger increase of light, whose nights, however, were perhaps as dark as a rather light moonless and

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starless night of ours, while its days were perhaps like a moon and starlit night of ours. But with the falling of the fourth canopy on the fourth creative day (age), it was light enough to distinguish very clearly between day and night, both being fairly light as such, but not so light as our day and night, since the other three canopies still dimmed for the earth the days and nights, when compared with ours. Thus we see that the canopy theory is implied in the gradual increase of light from the first up to and including the fourth day, and into and including the rest of the creative days.

As our final proof of the canopy or annular theory we offer the analogies found in our sun and in several of the planets of our system. Vulcan, Mercury and Venus, Earth and Mars do not now have such canopies. They have progressed so far in the creative process connected with their cooling off as to have advanced beyond the possession of these; for their possession is a sign of immaturity, a sign of earlier stages of development. But our sun has these as can be seen from photographs and from dark and telescopic observation and during eclipses. The rings about Saturn are clearly seen by telescopes slightly stronger than opera glasses. Uranus has them; and doubtless Neptune and Pluto have them. We desire in this connection to quote from Mr. Ackland's book the Story of Creation, pp. 173-179, the accounts of the discovery of Jupiter's topmost canopy as an analogous proof of the reality of canopies swaddling our earth in its pristine condition

"In 1828 a very remarkable phenomenon was observed simultaneously, but independently, by three astronomers, Admiral Smyth, Mr. Maclean, and Mr. Pearson, who were watching a transit of Jupiter's second satellite from stations several miles apart. Admiral Smyth's account of it is as follows: 'On Thursday, the 26th of June, 1828, the moon being nearly full, and the evening extremely fine, I was watching the second satellite of Jupiter as it gradually approached

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to transit the disc of the planet. My instrument was an excellent refractor of 3¾ inches aperture, and five feet focal length, with a power of one hundred. The satellite appeared in contact at about half past ten, and for some minutes remained on the edge of the limb, presenting an appearance not unlike that of the lunar mountains which come into view during the first quarter of the moon, until it finally disappeared on the body of the planet. At least twelve or thirteen minutes must have elapsed when, accidentally turning to Jupiter again, I perceived the same satellite outside the disc. It was in the same position as to being above a line with the lower belt, where it remained distinctly visible for at least four minutes, and then suddenly vanished. A somewhat similar phenomenon, but of shorter duration, was witnessed by Messrs. Gorton and Wray, during an occultation of the same satellite, April 26, 1863. In this case the satellite reappeared after passing behind the apparent disc of the planet. So lately as 1868 this phenomenon was regarded as inexplicable. (See Webb's Celestial Objects, p. 141.)

"In the winter of 1868-9 the attention of astronomers was called to the fact that rapid and extensive changes were taking place in the appearance of Jupiter's belts, and they have consequently been watched from that time with unremitting attention by astronomers furnished with telescopes of the best quality. The results of these observations are given in two very interesting papers, communicated to the Popular Science Review, by Mr. Webb. (Issues of April, 1870, and July, 1871.) Very curious markings and variations in the depth of shade have been seen, accompanied by equally curious changes of color.  Mr. Browning compares these changes to those which are seen when a cloud of steam of varying depth and density is illuminated from behind by a strong light, as when we look through the steam escaping from the safety valve of a locomotive at a gas-lamp immediately behind it.

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This appears to be the true explanation of the phenomenon. (Popular Science Review, 1871, p. 307.) These belts are probably due to vast masses of steam, poured forth with great force from the body of the planet. As the atmosphere of Jupiter is probably of enormous depth, the rotatory velocity of its upper portions would be much greater than that of the surface of the planet, hence the steam would arrange itself in belts [canopies] parallel to the equator of the planet. But this view leads us to wonderful conclusions with reference to the condition of the planet.

"Processes of the most amazing character are taking place beneath that cloudy envelope, which forms the visible surface of the planet as seen by the terrestrial observer. The real globe of the planet would seem to be intensely heated, perhaps molten, through the fierceness of the heat which pervades it. Masses of vapor streaming continually upward from the surface of this fiery globe would be gathered at once into zones [canopies] because of their rapid change of distance from the center. That which is wholly unintelligible when we regard the surface of Jupiter as swept like our earth by polar and equatorial winds, is readily interpreted when we recognize the existence of rapidly uprushing streams of vapor. (Mr. Proctor in Monthly Packet, October, 1870.)

"Supposing then that the atmosphere of Jupiter is of very great depth, and thus laden with masses of watery vapor, the effect of a sudden current of heated, but comparatively dry, air or gas would be the immediate absorption of the whole or a large portion of the vapor, and the consequent transparency of the portion of the atmosphere affected by it. We see this result continually on a small scale in our own atmosphere, when a heavy cloud comes in contact with a warm air current, and rapidly melts away. Many of the rapid changes which have been witnessed in Jupiter's appearance are readily explained, if this view is admitted.

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Supposing such a thing to have happened near the edge of the disc, the phenomenon recorded by Admiral Smyth is at once satisfactorily explained. When the satellite appeared to pass on to the disc, and to be lost in the light of the planet, it would for sometime, proportional to the depth of Jupiter's atmosphere, have behind it a background of clouds only, it would not have entered upon the actual disc of the planet. If then these clouds were suddenly absorbed, the atmosphere behind the satellite would become transparent and invisible, the background would be gone, and the satellite would reappear. In the case of the occultation witnessed by Messrs. Gorton and Wray, the satellite would at first be hidden by cloud only, and would reappear if the cloud were removed. Such seems to be the true explanation of these hitherto mysterious phenomena."

When Mr. Ackland wrote his book [1880] the canopy theory was in its infancy. Probably he knew nothing of its existence, though he described a phenomenon that by analogy proves that theory as to earth's infant swaddling bands. We believe that in the above subject matter we have submitted enough proof from the Bible and nature to demonstrate the truthfulness of the canopy or annular theory as correctly explaining our earth's pristine condition.

With the proof of the canopy theory from the Bible and from nature we have finished our discussion of the middle statement of Gen. 1:2, "and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Our investigations have given the two causes of this darkness: (1) the figurative scum that as granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rock gradually arose from, and covered the molten mass; and (2) the seven canopies with their figurative beams of steam, vapor, gases and acids. The former hid the light that was in the fiery molten mass; and the latter prevented the light of the sun, moon and stars from penetrating to the earth. Hence the dense darkness that covered the deep, the shoreless

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ocean that then covered and hid the entire basal earth. All of v. 2 treats of conditions on the earth before the first creative day, whose description begins with v. 3. Having with considerable detail discussed the first and second clauses of v. 2, we will now proceed to the discussion of the last clause of v. 2: "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The word waters in this clause is the equivalent of the word deep in the middle clause of v. 2. In this third clause of v. 2 the energizing activity of God's Spirit on the surface of the shoreless ocean that covered our earth before the first creative day is set forth. Both the expressions, "Spirit of God" and "moved upon" require some explanation in this connection in order to make the thought of this clause clear to our understandings.

The expression, "Spirit of God," will first receive our attention. In the Bible this expression may mean either one or the other of two things: (1) the power or influence of God; and (2) the disposition of God. The former is impersonal, the latter personal in its operation. Of course God in operating either acts as a person. But considered in themselves the former acts impersonally and the latter personally. In the Old Testament the second sense acted personally in God, the angels and in Adam and Eve before they sinned, as it did in Jesus up to the time of His baptism. Its personal action in Adam, Eve (before they sinned) and in Jesus before His baptism was that of human personality, not of spiritual personality, as in God and in angels. In the sense of spiritual personality the Spirit of God did not act in any human being during the entire Old Testament period, i.e., from Adam's creation to Jesus' baptism. First, at Jesus' baptism of the Spirit (Matt. 3:16, 17), then at the Church's baptism of the Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:1-4) did the Spirit of God act personally in any human being. This Jesus and John expressly state (John 7:38, 39)

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"for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified." Is. 11:2; 61:1 prophesy this of Jesus and the Church. Hence whenever the Spirit of God is referred to as acting in fallen humans in the Old Testament (Num. 11:17, 25, 26, 29; Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 13:25;14:6, 19; 15:14;

1Sam. 10:6, 10; 11:6; 16:13, 14; etc., etc.) the action is to be understood as impersonal, i.e., in the first sense of the word, power of influence. The reason is very clear. Until Jesus with the atoning merit of His sacrifice appeared in God's presence and imputed it for the Gospel Church, He could not be invested with the official powers of the glorified High Priest, i.e., be glorified, and until such investiture with garments of Beauty and Glory, He could not pour out the Holy Spirit upon the Church to act in it personally. Hence we see the clear cut distinction between the Lord's Spirit working with the Ancient Worthies and the Lord's Spirit working in the Church. In the former case it was God's power working with servants as distinct from sons; in the latter case it was God's disposition working in sons as distinct from servants, hence impersonally in the former and personally in the latter; for we are never to forget that so far the personality of the Spirit is the Father, the Son, the good angels and the Church, but will later extend to others.

We will now offer only a few proofs for the second sense, because it is not the sense of the expression in v. 2, and then many proofs of the first sense, because it is its sense in v. 2. Plainly the Lord's disposition in Christ and the Church is meant in Is. 11:2; 61:1. The same is proven by the contrast between the disposition of the flesh, of slaves, of the world, of fear, on the one hand, and of God's Spirit, spirit of sonship, of power, of love and of a sound mind, etc., on the other hand, in the following passages: Rom. 8:9, 15; 1 Cor. 2:12; Gal. 4:6, 29; 5:17; 2 Tim. 1:7.

Sometime we trust to discuss this subject in detail, but since it bears

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only indirectly on our present subject, we leave it with but the above briefly given explanation. But as connected with our subject it is desirable to have more details on the sense of the expression, "the Spirit of God," as it occurs in v. 2.  In Luke 1:35, in the poetic form of parallelism, in which Gabriel explained to Mary how without a human father she would become the mother of Jesus, he defines the term Holy Spirit to mean the power of the Most High: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee; even the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee." The Hebrews had a variety of ways to express thought in poetry. Instead of rhythming and rhyming the words, as we do in English poetry, the Hebrews made poetry by rhythming or contrasting the thought. The rhythm of thought is exemplified in parallelisms, in which the same or a very similar thought is repeated in different words. Such an example of poetry Gabriel used in Luke 1:35. Hence he uses the words, Holy Spirit, to mean the same as the words, the power of the Most High. This is a very clear proof of the first meaning of the expression, the Spirit of God.

Another clear case, somewhat hidden by the mistranslation the holy spirit instead of the correct rendering a holy spirit we find in John 20:22, 23. "Receive ye a holy spirit [power]: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." The connection between the first clause of the quotation and the rest of the quotation clearly proves that the expression, a holy spirit, is the holy power given the Apostles as God's mouthpieces to declare God's forgiveness to those who repent and believe and God's non- forgiveness to those who do not so do. In other words, Jesus was giving them the power of the ministry of the Word (2 Cor. 5:18-21) based upon the merit of His finished sacrifice. The right translation of Luke 1:17 proves the same thing: "He [John the Baptist] himself shall go

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before Him in the spirit, even power, of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers unto children." Here the power given John as Jesus' forerunner is described. In Gen. 6:3 God tells us that His power (spirit) exercised through the ministry of good angels would not eternally put up with the resistance of the wicked antediluvians. God's power coming upon Balaam enabling him to prophesy is described as God's Spirit coming upon him (Num. 24:2). We have already given similar examples in verses cited above, connected with Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Saul and David. There are remarkable examples of this same exhibition of God's Spirit as power in the case of the two sets of messengers sent by Saul to capture David and later of Saul himself (1 Sam. 19:18-24). Good illustrations of the same use of the word are found in the case of Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16), Azariah (2 Chro. 15:1), Zechariah (2

Chro. 24:20), David (Ps. 139:7), Ezekiel (Ezek. 11:5, 24), Israel (Mic. 2:7) and of Micah (Mic. 3:8). How do we know this? As the personal aspects of the Spirit did not come until at Jordan and Pentecost, these cases must be illustrations of the impersonal use of the term, Spirit of God, being all Old Testament examples. Hence we know that the expression the Spirit of God means in all of them the power or influence of God. The context of the term, "Spirit of God," in v. 2 proves the same; for no persons are at all referred to as objects of its activity; for the activity was as respects the surface of earth; its pristine covering and shoreless ocean; hence it could not have acted personally in this case, which requires persons to be acted on.

Having seen the meaning of the term, Spirit of God, in our text, it would be well for us to study the meaning of the term moved upon, as it occurs in our text. The Hebrew word here is rachaph. It occurs but three times in the Bible. Beside here it is found in Jer. 23:9 (All my bones shake), and Deut. 32:11 (As an eagle

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… fluttereth over her young). In Jer. 23:9 the relaxation of one's bones under appalling experiences seems to be meant. Lexicographers think the occurrence in Jer. 23:9 is that of another word than in Gen. 1:2 and Deut. 32:11, but spelled the same way, like, e.g., our possessive pronoun mine and a mine where, e.g., coal is gotten. We think this is correct. To hover over is undoubtedly the thought in Deut. 32:11; and the same seems to be the thought in v. 2. The Syriac translates it brooding, as of a hen warming eggs that she seeks to hatch. There is nothing in the Hebrew to suggest such a thought. But God's power hovering over the face of the waters seems to suggest an active energizing function  of such power. This activity seems to have had to do with reducing the heat of the water that was condensed from the steam and vapor above and that fell upon the earth, basal rock, as rain. This activity would in time prevent all of this water from evaporating and keep increasing quantities of it remaining on earth's surface through ever-increasing re- enforcing rains from above i.e., condensed from parts of the steam and vapor in "the beams" of the lowest canopy. This power worked several ways: First, it fell as rain condensed from such steam and vapor upon the basal crust of the earth. For a long time such rain was by the intense heat of earth's crust immediately shunted off as steam. The Divine energy continued at these two things until after the lapse of a long time the earth's crust cooled off sufficiently to allow some of the rain to remain without evaporation on its surface. But this water was boiling hot and doubtless emitted dense clouds of steam, as beams of the lowest canopy.

As time went on the cooling of the crust continued as increased amounts of less hot water lay upon it. Thus there was a long-drawn-out cooling off of both the earth's crust and its covering water. But at this stage of creation the intense darkness that preceded

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the first creative day continued; for the molten mass was not only entirely covered by its figurative scum, but the latter was everywhere covered with slowly cooling water; and, of course, the seven canopies and their beams shut out the light from above. The beams of the lowest canopy evidently came down to the water's surface during this time, thus preventing an atmosphere from forming, which did not set in until the second creative day (v. 6-8). The above-described working of Divine energy seems to be meant by the last clause of v. 2, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. What roaring noises, like explosions, must the earlier fallings of the rain on the blistering hot scum have made, when that scum, like an inhospitable host ejecting an unwelcome guest from his home, immediately dashed the rain off its surface as steam that ascended some distance amid the beams of the first canopy. And such noises only gradually were lessened as the repeated rains falling on the basal granite, etc., gradually decreased their heat. It must have taken centuries for God's power to have accomplished God's design for which His power hovered over the surface of the water. And when the first creative day opened the waters over earth's surface were still hot; for before the first canopy fell at the end of the first day the heat below must have been intense to keep with the assistance of the "beams" that canopy with all its weight in its place for the 7000 years of that day. Thus did God's power hover in creative activity for many more millennia over the surface of the waters— during the seven of the first creative day, and who knows how many before these began. With these remarks we have finished our study of Gen. 1:2. But before beginning a discussion of the first creative day, we wish to sum up the preceding discussion of our subject, make a few remarks on creation as presented in Geology, and then give a comparative

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summary of the six creative days as presented in Gen. 1:3- 31.

We have above indicated, both on scientific as well as on Scripture lines, why we accept the Bible account of our earth as true and reliable rather than the guesses and reasonings of Geology—wherever the strata of the earth has remained comparatively undisturbed the stages of stratification bear out the account of the Bible and contradict those of Geologists whenever these contradict the Bible's story. We instanced the stratification process and product as seen in the Grand Canyon of Arizona as one, among others, as demonstrating this. We also showed that the theory of many Geologists on many more strata was unscientific, inasmuch as it ignored the fact that they have counted doubly and at times even trebly a number of strata which through mighty convulsions of this earth were made to break through higher and softer ones and spread themselves over the surfaces of these, as well as at times forcing themselves between two layers of strata. Ignoring this fact they have counted such a stratum twice and sometimes even thrice and thus they get more than the Bible's six. Again, the Bible begins earth's history earlier than Geology, i.e., while the Bible begins with the earth as a molten mass, carries us through the stage of basic rock, the scum of the molten mass as these are found in the granite, basalt, gneiss and crystalline rocks, advances through the darkness and the watery stage of Gen. 1:2, and the first and second day stages of Gen. 1:3-8 and into the separation of land and water stage of Gen. 1:9, 10 before Geology begins. In other words, Geology does not begin its theory of earth's strata until after the second stratum had been entirely laid, and earth was ready to receive the third stratum atop the second above the original basic rocks. From this we see that the first and second strata were deposited in the shoreless

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ocean that covered this earth from before the first creative day began.

This fact made possible in many places several overlappings of strata before Geology makes its beginning. Others of such overlappings occurred with strata after Geology begins with its first stratum. Hence Geology has many more courses of strata than the Bible calls for; but blunders on the subject by counting these interlapping strata as independent ones. And thus Geological theories come into conflict with the Bible, a thing that the majority of geologists, being unbelievers in the Bible, are glad to effect. But the above-given explanation shows how unscientific they are and how truly scientific, factual, and reasonable the Bible Geology is. Hence as we proceed we will usually ignore Geology, though we will from time to time point out how to harmonize some of its findings with the accurate teachings of the Bible. The Bible account of creation does not go into details. It states creation's general course in broad comprehensive terms, leaving much to be read between the lines; and in these gives us pigeon-holes that will accommodate every real fact of nature and assured finding of real science, as distinct from science falsely so called (1 Tim. 6:20). Certainly the progress of creation as given in Gen. 1 is scientific in its truest sense. There are wonderful groupings of the creative work, dividing the account thrice into periods of two creative days each, and twice into periods of three creative days, and six times with one creative day in each division, each division having from the standpoint of its character scientific proof and justification. In the twofold division we may speak of the first three days respectively as related and preparatory to the second three days respectively. Thus the first appearance of light on the earth in the first day (vs. 3-5) is related to the appearance three days later of the sun, moon and stars on the fourth creative day (vs. 14-18). Thus the creation of the

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atmosphere on the second day is related to the creation of breathing beings three days later, on the fifth creative day (vs. 20-24); and thus the appearance of land on the third day (vs. 9-13) is related to the appearance of dry land animals three days later on the sixth creative day. In each case the relation is that of preparation and fulfilment. Then the threefold division of the creative days into twos is also scientific. Light and air came respectively in the first and second days; the appearance of earth and heaven came respectively on the third and fourth days; and the appearance of non-mammals and mammals came respectively on the fifth and sixth days. Thus there are relation and preparation brought out in the twofold division into three days each, and progress brought out in the threefold division into two days each. All the facts of  nature agree with this order in the two methods of dividing the six creative days. Then the relation of each successive day of the entire six shows a logical and progressive development, each day making advance on its predecessor and at the same time preparing for its successor, and that in a way corroborated by every scientific fact that has come to light.

Having now come to the end of the first part of our subject, creation before the six creative days, it would be well for us to review the ground already traversed as a means of refreshing our minds on the salient features of the subject so far discussed. We began the subject by going over some general considerations on creation in a fairly detailed discussion, first distinguishing between the Bible and creedal view of creation, citing many Scriptures under seven heads on the two senses of creation, process and product, refuting the view that creation means to make something out of nothing, and proving it to mean to make new things out of previously existing things. This last thought was shown by passages in the Old Testament in which the Hebrew word bara occurs and from the

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New Testament by passages in which the words ktizo and ktisis occur. Then the spheres of creation, the world of spirit and the world of matter and the laws of nature were set forth in their relations to God's creative work. Then the nature and duration of the creative days were discussed as ages, and in this connection the creedal view that the creative days were periods of 24 hours was refuted. At the fitting place a more detailed discussion of the laws of nature as God's creative tools was undertaken. Thereupon the Greek and Hebrew words for the English word, beginning, were studied and were shown to refer to periods of time, not eternity. With this our general remarks on creation were brought to an end. Details were then taken up and that first as to the world of spirit. Naturally a discussion of the pre-human Christ was here first in order, since He was the first and greatest of all creatures. This discussion entered into the pertinent details. Then followed a study of the good angels as creatures of the realm of spirit. Next we discussed the evil angels, especially Satan, and then his fallen angel accomplices.

This brought us to the discussion of God's creative works in the world of matter. After some general remarks on the source and materials of creation as a product, seven of its qualities were discussed in Chapter III—unity, immensity, beauty, sublimity, order, wondrousness and complexity: The completion of the discussion of this phase of creation as a product, to which we will later return for other features of it, brought us to a consideration of creation as a process, which we began with the proof of its origin from gases, as proven by the Bible and nature. This process was by a variety of proofs from the Bible and nature proven to be that of condensation, especially along chemical lines. Thereafter we took up a discussion of the methods that operated the creative process. This led to an examination and refutation of the nebular

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hypothesis, which reigned for a hundred years in the materialistic world of science falsely so called. Then we unfolded as the product, partly of Biblical hints, partly of theory and partly of observation the planetesimal or capture hypothesis as quite likely the true method of the process whereby all suns and some of the planets came into existence; and after presenting certain points against the tidal theory of planetary origin we supplemented the capture theory with the hypothesis that some of the planets were by great explosions probably cast off from their suns, a fact that many observations connected with the novae seem to corroborate. This completed our study of Gen. 1:1;. and thereafter we took up the study of Gen. 1:2, which in Chapter V we have just completed. Its first line of thought, the waste and empty condition of the molten mass, was first discussed. Then we discussed the second line of thought in Gen. 1:2, "darkness covered the face of the deep," wherein we described earth's basal "scum" formed from the molten mass as the first cause of the darkness of Gen. 1:2 and the seven canopies of earth as taught in the Bible and nature as the second cause of this darkness. And, finally, we discussed the third thought of Gen. 1:2, "the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters."

This brings to an end the summary of our discussion so far in this book—Creation. We trust the study so far has blessed our readers in head and heart, and pray the Lord to bless our discussion of the rest of our subject. It has uplifted the writer in head and heart. The wonders of the heavenly and earthly creations so far brought before our view in this study have enhanced God's glorious being, holy character, wondrous word and great works in our esteem, and filled our hearts with gratitude and appreciation. Surely the words of the sweet singer of Israel have repeatedly welled up in our minds: "The heavens declare the glory of God and the expanse showeth His handiwork

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Day unto day uttereth speech; and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their rule [that of nature's laws] is gone out through all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world. By them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (Ps. 19:1- 6). And repeatedly during this study there have welled up in our hearts the words of the same sweet singer of Israel: "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy Truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1)!

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