Can we know
the very day?
In Genesis
2:1 we read:
“Thus the
heavens <08064> and the earth were finished, and all the host
of them <06635>.”
Christians sometimes
associate “the host of the heaven(s)” as directly referring to the angels who
were created as spirits and use the verse above to support the belief that the
angels were created at the same time as the heavens which were finished on the
second day of creation:
Gen 1: 6 ¶ And God said, Let
there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters
from the waters. 7 And
God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament
Heaven. And the
evening and the morning were the second day.
Yes, the
term “host of heaven” does include the angels:
Luke 2:13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.
However, it
includes much more than just the angels. In the Addendum of this study I have
listed all the verses that speak of the host of heaven using a combination
search on the Hebrew Strongs numbers for heaven (<08064>) and host
(<06635>). You will see that none of them identify directly with angels.
I had to go to the New Testament to see definitively that angels were included
in the term as illustrated earlier.
Now, Genesis
2:1 is merely summing up the whole creative works of God. It is not saying that
the host (including angels) was created at the very same time as the heavens,
it is merely stating that the heavens were created, the earth was created, and
also the host that are in the heavens but not saying that they were created at
the same time. Notice, it says the “host of them”. The “them” is plural and
refers only to the “heavens” not to the “earth” because there are no verses
anywhere that speak of the “host of the earth” but the following passages
demonstrate that it is only the heavens that is in view:
Ne 9:6 Thou, even
thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with
all their host <06635>, the earth <0776>, and all things
that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host <06635> of heaven worshippeth thee.
Isa 45:12 I
have made the earth <0776>, and created man upon it: I, even my
hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host <06635> have I
commanded.
Next,
Genesis 2 is giving us a recap of creation without the specific daily timing as
was given in Genesis 1. God makes general reference to the time for creating
the heavens and the earth and the plant and herbs as if they were all created
in one day:
Gen 2:4 ¶ These are
the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the
day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in
the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew:
However, we
know from Genesis 1 that the heavens were finished from the second day of 24
hours and that the earth and the plants and herbs were created the third day of
24 hours. So we know that “the day”, used in Genesis 2:4 (the only time
reference in Genesis 2 that pertains to God’s creative works), was not
referring to a literal day of 24 hours! Rather it should have been translated
“time” as the original Hebrew word (Strongs # 03117 Mwy
yowm yome) is
translated in 64 other places in Holy Writ based on the following “Online
Bible” extract:
03117 Mwy yowm yome
from an unused root meaning to be hot; n m; {See TWOT on
852}
AV-day 2008,
time 64,
So, we can conclude
that Genesis 2:1, by itself, does not permit us to assume that the host was
created at the same time as the heavens on the second day. Rather the verse is
merely summing up the works of creation but not giving any chronological
information. For chronology of when the host was created we have to find this
answer elsewhere in scriptures if available. We do however know from the study
“When did Satan
sin?” that the angelic portion of the host was created either on the
second day with the heavens or early on the third day before the foundation of
the earth was laid! The beginning of the third day has more credibility because
Satan’s title was Lucifer:
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen
from heaven, O Lucifer, son <01121> of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations! {O Lucifer: or, O day star}
And his
titles “Lucifer--the shining one or day star” and “the son <01121> of morning or dawn” could have been given in
reference to the time of the day that he, an angel, was created which would
indicate that it was in the dawn of the day which would be the dawn of the
third day! Here are verses where the Strongs # “<01121>” is translated “born” or
“firstborn”, again indicating that Satan could well have been the firstborn or
first created of the angels in the morning of the third day of creation:
Ge 15:3 And
Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born <01121> in my house
is mine heir.
1Sa 8:2 Now the name of
his firstborn <01121> was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in
As stated
earlier in this study the following are all the verses (except Gen 2:1) that
combine “heavens” and “host” and none of them in their immediate context use
the word “angel” and where we find the word “spirit” in the near context of any
of these verses we need to be aware that all heavenly beings including God are
spirits and not all spirits are angels. For simplicity, I have grouped the
verses into the two created groups included in the term “host of heaven” -- 1. Natural constellations of galaxies; and 2. Angels, cherubims, four spirits of Heaven; and of course there are
verses that incorporate both created groups:
The
natural constellations of galaxies:
1. De 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven <08064>, and when
thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even
all the host <06635> of heaven <08064>, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which
the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven <08064>.
2. De 17:3 And hath gone
and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of
the host <06635> of heaven <08064>, which I
have not commanded;
3. 2Ki 17:16 And they left all the
commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even
two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host <06635> of heaven <08064>, and served
Baal.
4. 2Ki 21:3 For he built up again the high
places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for
Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host
<06635> of heaven <08064>, and served
them.
5. 2Ki 21:5 And he built
altars for all the host <06635> of heaven <08064> in the two
courts of the house of the LORD.
6. 2Ki 23:4 And the king
commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of
the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple
of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for
all the host <06635> of heaven <08064>: and he
burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron,
and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
7. 2Ki 23:5 And he put down
the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in
the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about
Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the
moon, and to the planets, and to all the host <06635> of heaven <08064>. {put…: Heb. caused to cease} {idolatrous…: Heb. Chemarim} {planets: or, twelve signs or, constellations}
8. 2Ch 33:3 For he built again the
high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars
for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the
host <06635> of heaven <08064>, and served
them. {he built…: Heb. he returned and built}
9. 2Ch 33:5 And he built
altars for all the host <06635> of heaven <08064> in the two
courts of the house of the LORD.
10. Isa 34:4 And all the
host <06635> of heaven <08064> shall be
dissolved, and the heavens <08064> shall be rolled together as
a scroll: and all their host <06635> shall fall
down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a
falling fig from the fig tree.
11. Jer 8:2 And they shall
spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host <06635> of heaven <08064>, whom they
have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and
whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be
gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
12. Jer 19:13 And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses
of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet,
because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all
the host <06635> of heaven <08064>, and have
poured out drink offerings unto other gods.
13. Zep 1:5 And them that
worship the host <06635> of heaven <08064> upon the
housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that
swear by Malcham; {by the…: or, to the LORD}
14: Ac 7:42 Then God turned, and gave
them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is
written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to
me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the
wilderness?
Created spirits (including angels-Ps 104:4; four
living creatures-cherubims-Eze 1:5-25, 10:1-22; four
spirits of heaven-Zec 6:1-8) which are in the heaven
of heavens:
1. 1Ki 22:19 And he said,
Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne,
and all the host <06635> of heaven <08064> standing by
him on his right hand and on his left.
2. 2Ch 18:18 Again he said,
Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne,
and all the host <06635> of heaven <08064> standing on
his right hand and on his left.
3. Da 8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host <06635> of heaven <08064>; and it
cast down some of the host <06635> and of the
stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. {to
the host: or, against the host}
4. Lu 2:13 And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone
away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us.
Verses that incorporate both the created spirits
and the natural constellations of galaxies:
1. Ne 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD
alone; thou hast made heaven <08064>, the heaven
<08064> of heavens <08064>, with all
their host <06635>, the earth, and all things that are
therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest
them all; and the host <06635> of heaven <08064> worshippeth thee.
2. Ps 33:6 By the word of
the LORD were the heavens <08064> made; and all the host <06635> of them by
the breath of his mouth.
3. Isa 45:12 I have made
the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out
the heavens <08064>, and all their host <06635> have I
commanded.
4. Jer 33:22 As the host <06635> of heaven <08064> cannot be
numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of
David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
Note: While I have separated the “host
of heaven” into its spiritual creation and it natural creation, the Bible does
use the natural creation as depicting spiritual things:
Ro 1:20 For the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
The End