The very first message in the Bible is about God and the fact that He “created the heavens and the earth.” This is most significant because the holy scriptures begin with God and with God as Creator. Also, establishing the fact of His existence as God. The text clearly shows that no “creation” existed before God began creating the heavens and the earth. The Bible states “The earth was formless and empty with darkness all over” (Genesis 1:2)
Note: God created the “heavens” (plural) and the “earth” (one earth). Psalm 100:25 says. “In the beginning [God] laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens (plural) are the work of [His] hands.” Nehemiah recorded this about God as Creator, “You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them” (Nehemiah 9:6).
We know that there are three heavens. The first heaven is earth’s atmosphere, which is a mass of air and gasses above the earth. The second heaven is outer space, consisting of the sun, moon, and stars. The third heaven is God’s abode, which is beyond space. The Apostle wrote, “I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. 3) And I know that this man – whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows – was caught up to paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:2-3). This is most significant because Paradise is definitely heaven. Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Also, Paradise is promised to “over comers.” Jesus said, “To him that overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).
When Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan, we read, “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove” (Mark 1:10). Stephen (the first martyr) full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts7:55). These statements prove that the third heaven is God’s abode, and not the “earth’s atmosphere” nor “outer space.”
Since the Bible declares, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the question then arises, “the beginning of what?” Beginning here refers to the beginning of time and space to which all life on earth is subject to. For example, God said, “Let there be light, and there was light. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning the first day” (Genesis 1:3-5). Then there are the four seasons, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.
It stands to reason that God existed before creation. Psalm 90:2 reads, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever, God had formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2). This explicitly means God is eternal and because He is eternal, He does not exist in time and space. Time, space, and matter belong to all living creatures.
The profound truth is that in creation, things exist because of a Sovereign God’s will, plan, and purpose. There are many references to God’s creation throughout the Bible.