A DISCUSSION OF THE "DEEPS" All right, we'll go. This will be all for tonight. All right, Genesis 1. This is what is known as the doctrine of the Great Deeps. Genesis 1, verse 1. This is what is known as the "deeper things," you know, in the original, Elizabethan English. Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." The deep. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." The question comes up, What's "the deep"? Job says the face of the deep is frozen--whatever the "deep" is. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters..." plural "...and let it divide the waters from the waters. 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. And God called the firmament..." capital "H" "...Heaven." Over there in 14, 15, and 16, it has the universe in it--the stars, sun and moon--with water above it and water below it. Now, Scofield didn't believe that. Neither did Gaebelein nor Morris nor the Christian Research Foundation out in Los Angeles and San Francisco and San Diego and the rest of them. When Henry Morris wrote his book on the flood, he just pretended 2Peter 3 had to do with the flood. It had nothing to do with the flood at all. Turn to 2Peter chapter 3. Wherever a man begins to correct the King James Bible, he stops revelation. Second Peter 3. That water above and below the heavens had nothing to do with anything that you have ever seen in your life. And I'll show you why in a minute. Second Peter chapter 3, verse 5. You see, some of the most brilliant scholars in the world who are saved and love the Lord are scared to death somebody's going to think they're stupid. It bugs them. And they're good men, and they're godly men, but they're scared to death somebody's going to think they're dumb. So they compromise here and compromise there with science, so people will think they're scientific. You'll notice I never do it. I just stick my neck out and make a perfect fool out of myself, and I could care less. I don't care nothing about them, what they think. I could care less, brother. Do you know what Billy Sunday said? Billy Sunday said, "Where scholarship says one thing, and the Bible says another, scholarship can go plumb to the devil." And when Billy said that he wasn't talking about liberals or neo-orthodox or neo-evangelicals. He was talking about scholarship. That's where I stand. All right, 2Peter 3, verse 4: "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue..." watch it "...as they were from the beginning of the creation." Genesis 1:1. "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens..." plural "...were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." That's not a reference to Noah's flood. It's the heavens in the beginning, Genesis 1, verses 1-3. There isn't a fundamental, premillennial scholar in America who believes that. So, if you're going to take the side of godly scholarship, you'll have to stand against the word of God. Now, people get me wrong. They think, "Well, he's against this, and he's attacking so-and-so, and he's down on this, and down on that." I'm not that way. I appreciate what Brother Rice is doing; I think he's doing a good job. I appreciate him; I recommend The Sword of the Lord to our students; I think it's got good sermons in it. Now, of course he won't recommend my stuff. I appreciate Jack Hyles. I appreciate what he's doing. I think he's doing a good job. He's got a real Sunday school. If I wanted to know how to build a big Sunday school, I'd go up and hear Hyles. I appreciate him. He wouldn't have anybody come to my Sunday school. I think Bob Jones has got a good university. I recommended three girls to go there last year for Christian education. I think it's a good place for a Christian educator to get grounded. They wouldn't recommend anybody coming down to my school at all. And you say, "Why is that?" Well, the reason why that is, is because the Lord has given me more grace than He's given some of the brethren. A fellow said to me recently, "I would like to have you and so-and-so" (and he named a bunch of preachers) "for a conference. Would you come in and have one with them?" I said, "Sure. It wouldn't bother me a bit." He said, "Well, aren't you mad at those fellows?" I said, "No, I'm not mad at them. I've got nothing against them. They stick to their work; I stick to mine." I wouldn't tell Rice how to run a paper, and I wouldn't tell Bob Jones how to run a university, and I wouldn't tell Hyles how to run a Sunday school. And they aren't going to tell me anything about the Bible. They're not even going to make a suggestion. My "bag" is this Book. And when they step on this Book, they step on my toes. And I stomp back sometimes. Second Peter chapter 3, verse 6, watch it: "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." Watch it: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now,..." Verse 13: "We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth." Now, there are three heavens and earth. There were the heavens and earth that were (Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2). There are the heavens and earth that are (Genesis 1, verses 3 to now). And the heavens and earth that will be after the Millennium (Revelation 20, 21, and 22). Then the original earth was overflowed with water, standing in water and out of water. And it was in some kind of a Heaven that had water above it and water below. The Scofield note says it's not water; the Scofield note said it's vapor. So, when you go six verses into the Bible, why, your premillennial, fundamental soul-winners all defect. Verse 6: "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters." Marginal footnote: "Waters beneath, of vapour above." He didn't say "vapour above." He said "water above." You know what water means? It means "water"! You know how you know it's not "vapor"? Because it's spelled different! Water and vapor. Now, let me show you another way you know that it was waters above, and not vapor. Take your Bible and turn to Psalm 148. But the trouble is, you see, if you believe what I'm getting ready to show you--and I'll go up here and draw it out in a minute--if you believe this thing, then all scientists will think you're crazy. Because they haven't found this yet. And so they'll think you're crazy, and you're a crackpot, fanatic, troublemaker, and all this stuff and nonsense. "But let God be true and every man a liar." Psalm 148, verse 1: "Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens..." plural! "...praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light." Watch it: "Praise him, ye heavens..." plural "...of heavens, and ye waters..." plural! "...that be above the heavens..." plural! There is water above the second heaven! "Waters above the heavens." And they're not "vapor"--they're waters. All right, let's go to Job chapter 38. Now, this question is going to take a little time, now. He asked a question when he asked that one. I'll try to draw it out for you in a minute. Job 38:30: "The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen." That's not "vapor" over your head! But he said, "The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep," Genesis 1. The face of the deep is frozen! So these fellows invent an "ice-cap canopy," you know, that was over the earth. And the flood and the thing busted up. Which is interesting. But Job is long after the flood. Job said the face of the deep is frozen, two thousand years after Noah was dead and gone. All right, let's turn to Job chapter 26. Bible cosmology and metaphysics is always beyond any "Christian research" bureau. Because the "Christian researchers" are constantly altering the King James text to prove what they already know. I'm not just interested in what we know; I'm interested in what God wants to show us. Job 26, verse 5: "Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it." That's not a cloud over your head; that's a cloud under the throne. And there's water under it. And it's north. Verse 10: "He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end." You don't know of any place where there's water where there's no day and no night! Every place you know of where there is any water, there is day and night. Not that place there! Verse 12: "He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the HEAVENS" plural... ...And look who's out in de watah: "His hand hath formed the crooked serpent." There's something out there swimming. Job chapter 41. Ah, the unsearchable riches of the English! How infallible are its judgments on the original Greek! Job 41. Verse 1: "Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?" Sea animal. He's in the water. Verse 31: "He maketh the deep to boil like a pot." Verse 32: "One would think the deep to be hoary." A water animal. "Leviathan." Anybody got a New Scofield Bible here? Job 41:1: "Canst thou draw out leviathan...?" Footnote: "Perhaps the crocodile." Now, you understand, we're talking about Gaebelein, McClain, Pettingill, we're talking about every great, godly, dedicated, recognized, accredited scholar in this country. And, don't you get me wrong. I don't say they're not godly. See, I'm not saying they're not good men. I don't say that. But, you know, every saved man has an old nature. And the most godly fellow you ever met in your life has an old nature. And the old nature in a scholar will rise up and say, "Ahem! I'm able to correct this Book." You know, if that's a crocodile there, that's the wildest crocodile you ever saw in all your life. Turn to Psalm 74. You talk about a crocodile, that's a crock! You turn to Psalm 74, and look at verse 13. You say, "Well, all of them agree!" If they all agree, then they're wrong; throw them out. Now, don't you get me wrong, now, see? When I say something, people just drive me clear out to left field someplace. I think a Scofield Reference Bible is the best reference Bible you can get. I really do. If I was going to recommend a reference Bible, I'd recommend a Scofield reference Bible. And, I'm not telling you to throw out your Bible, just because the fellow doesn't hit it right all the time. But, I'm warning you, where the Bible says one thing, and scholarship says another, just put it in File Thirteen and go with the Book. Amen? I think that's "Amen!" If it isn't, I don't know where I'm at! Psalm 74:13: "Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads {plural} of the dragons in the waters. Thou brakest the HEADS of leviathan." See that plural? Did you ever see a crocodile with more than one head? Well, why do you suppose that Gaebelein and Pettingill and Scofield and McClain and E. Shuyler English said, "Perhaps a crocodile"? Do you reckon they knew of a two-headed crocodile someplace? Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 27 and see what it is. There is nothing that sheds light on the Bible like the Bible--when scholarship can't find it. Isaiah 27:1: "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." OK, folks, what's "leviathan"? It's the devil! How many of you see that? Do you see that? Now how do you explain that you see that without the benefit of Greek or Hebrew or seminary education, and the major Christian leaders in America don't see it and try to mislead you on it? How do you explain that? Revelation chapter 12: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan..." How could you miss it? Let's go back to Job 41 and see where the cigarettes come from. Job chapter 41. Now, this is a description of a sea animal--an aquatic animal. I'm not through with your question yet. Job chapter 41, verse 1: "Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?" He's aquatic; he's marine; he's reptile. Verse 9: "Behold, the hope of him is in vain." The devil has no hope. "Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?" Why, people aren't cast down at the sight of a crocodile! Why would any fool think that was a crocodile? There are people who jump in the swamps and wrestle crocodiles, down where I'm from. But, if you could see that being there, you'd fall flat on your face! It would drop you if you could see him! "None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts..." You can see him. "...nor his power..." You can understand him. "...nor his comely proportion." You can know the size and shape of the devil. The Lord said, "I'm gonna show you!" So, when he shows you, all the premillennial, fundamental, independent missionaries, so forth and so on, just blot it out so you can't find it. You know what that is? That's the old nature in the scholar rising up in rebellion against the authority of the word of God. Verse 15, he's got scales. Verse 19, "Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke...His breath kindleth coals." See that? When that thing inhales, it kindles that coals and blows the smoke out of his mouth. Christ said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." Did you ever stop to think about what an unnatural thing smoking is? How unnatural it is? I mean, unless you go in the lake of fire to breathe smoke, why get into practice now? All right, keep on reading. Verse 31: "He maketh the deep..." It can't be the Pacific. It can't be vapors. "He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea..." It's not the Mediterranean. "...to shine after him." "He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary." Now, watch it: "Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear." A crocodile? You can scare the tar out of a crocodile, or an alligator! They have a law down now, where I think you can't even buy or sell shoes made out of an alligator's skin. You have to go down to Mexico to get them. People aren't afraid of crocodiles or alligators. Verse 34: "He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride." Is there any doubt about who he is? No doubt if you can read. All right, now, I'm going to try to draw this thing out. I never could talk without drawing anyway. And I'm going to try to draw a diagram here, and take what we've learned, with some other verses, and put them together. Now, brethren, I know this is wild. And it's things like this that give me a bad name, because a lot of Christians get ahold of a thing like this, and spend all the rest of their life, you know, on "the great deep," so the "blood-sucking angels from Jupiter," you know, or "Cain's wife on the back side of the moon." And those aren't fundamentals of the faith. Now, you folks have heard me preach long enough to know I don't waste my time defending the King James Bible. I've got four hundred sermons--three of them are on the King James Bible. I've got four hundred sermons--five of them are against Roman Catholicism. And they say, "Ruckman, Ruckman, Ruckman, Ruckman--" just lying like a dog, and they don't know what they're talking about. But, when you get down to these things that we're talking about tonight, specifically we should know what we're talking about. All right, now lookie here. "Beautiful for situation is Mount Zion, the city of the great King, located upon the sides of the north." "Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is judge." All right, somewhere in this universe there's a shape like that. Maybe that is the shape of the universe--I don't know. Now, I know the "sides of the north" don't have any reference to anything on the ground. Take your Bible and turn to Isaiah chapter 14. Verse 11: "Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." All right, now, he says he'll put his throne above the stars of God. "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." The mount in the sides of the north. Do you think the devil is talking about Jerusalem down on the ground? Now, wherever that thing is, it's above the stars. And, you read in the book of Hebrews, and you'll come to a heavenly mount Zion, and new Jerusalem. Maybe that is the shape of the universe. I know Einstein had a lot of stuff on parallel lines meeting in infinity, and all that bunk. And, I think he's just as full of bunk as he could be. But, if I understand my Bible correctly, everything is a manifestation of God-- and God's a trinity. I read a book one time by a Lutheran called The Answer to Everything. And I've got some notes on it there in one of my notebooks. And what that fellow was saying was, if you find anything that doesn't make sense, it's because one part is missing--and there are always three parts. That thing is hot...cold...or lukewarm. It's up...down...or level. It's right...left...or in the middle. You have a body...soul...and spirit. One of those things. Time has past...present...future. Dimension has breadth...width...height. He busted energy down into three, busted time into three--everything came into three. Your Bible is written in three languages--Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. And the New Testament is the Gospels and the Epistles and the book of Acts. The Old Testament is the law, and the prophets, and the Psalms. It all comes down to three. So, if that thing is shaped, it's probably shaped out three, just like that. Now, for goodness' sake, don't go out of here and say, "Well, Ruckman teaches this." What I'm going to show you. Because I don't teach this. I'm just showing you what the verses we've read suggest. And I don't know enough about it to teach it. Now, here's what they suggest. That earth was up there--like that. This element here was water. And, when you read those old Greek philosophers, Anaximandes and Anaximander and Pythagoras, they all believed the basic element was water. Now, some of them were pantheistic and identified it with God. It's the most common element on the earth. Your body is eighty-five percent water. And there is four times as much water on the earth as there is land. All right, something was up here where the throne was, and something went wrong. When that thing went wrong, that thing sank. Overflowed with water. Perished. This earth has been completely immersed twice. And, one of the ways you know that, is you study Noah as a type of Adam. That's a great study. Noah was naked; Adam was naked. Noah had three sons; Adam had three sons. Noah messed up when he was naked; Adam messed up when he was naked. God told Noah to be fruitful; that's what He told Adam. "Multiply"; that's what He told Adam. "Replenish the earth"; that's what He told Adam. One of Noah's boys is a type of Christ; so is one of Adam's. One of his boys is under a curse; so is one of Adam's. Noah is a type of Adam. If Noah was a type of Adam, then whatever happened right before Noah happened right before Adam. And right before Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth--is the flood. So, right before Adam, there's a flood. All right, it goes down. I believe the scientists say it's exploding outward. Or, the "Big Bang" theory, you know--something real jazzy. And so it comes off down through here. And God says, "Let there be light." And the light's up there. And He divided the light from the darkness and called the light Day--CAPITAL--ABSOLUTE. The Land of the Cloudless Day. And He called the darkness Night. So the universe is a black hole. You know what Paul prayed one time? Paul got to praying in Ephesians, and he said, "I want to have all you Christians pray, and I want to have you learn the length, and the height, and the depth." And every commentary you pick up--I've got twenty-two of them at home--every one of them said it's the "height and depth" of the love of Christ. That's the biggest lie you ever read in your life! That passage didn't say the height and depth and breadth of the love of Christ; it said, "You might comprehend with all saints what is the height, and the breadth, and the depth...AND to know the love of Christ, which passeth all understanding." There's something real practical about what I'm going to show you. You can't see it yet, but it's real practical. All right, it comes on down like this, and it gets down here. And then God divided the firmament, and put water above the firmament, and water below the firmament, and called the firmament Heaven, and put the greater light and the lesser light in the firmament to give light upon earth. He made the stars also. You have a universe there--with water above it, and water below it. Going up and down through here, you have leviathan. Seven heads. Up and down through the water. When ol' Columbus sailed off in 1492 to sail the ocean blue, somebody said, "Chris, you better watch your step, because when you get to the end of the dropping off place, there's a dragon out there!" The scientists never could get it right. And so he got out there and found out that there wasn't any dragon out there. And the scientists said, "Oh, that Bible is just full of nonsense. That old fool Bible! There's no dragon out there! Let's go up!" Now you're going right into his domain! There is a dragon out there. They got the wrong piece of water. That's right, brother, that's right! Oh, yeah, man! Now, if you ever doubt that, you ought to hear this fellow sing tonight. He said, "My soul in sad exile was out on life's sea, So burdened with sin and distress. And, at the haven of rest, on Jordan's stormy banks I stand and cast a wishful eye, May there be no weeping when I put off across the bar, Jesus, Saviour, pilot me over life's tempestuous sea, We have heard the joyful sound echo'd back ye ocean waves--" You see that stuff? That isn't accident. It isn't an accident that people like to build along the coast, by a lake, by an ocean. That isn't an accident. You're looking across water. That old King James Bible sure has a lot in it, doesn't it? Have you noticed I haven't made any reference to the Greek or Hebrew yet? And I'm not going to. All right, you know what David said? When he got in trouble, he said, "All that waves and billows have gone over me." It's a picture of the wrath of God. God drowned out that earth in Genesis 1:2, and He drowned it out in Genesis 6--so it's a picture of the judgment of God on a sinner. So, when Jesus Christ shows up, He comes down into the water, and He says, "Hey, John, put me under the water." And somebody said, "Well, what was John doing out there immersing people?" Showing you that thing right there. Somebody said, "Jewish proselyte baptism." That isn't in the Bible; that's Edersheim. That's rabbinical nonsense. Ol' John taking them and putting them into that water and bringing them back up, and when Christ comes up out of that water, He says, "Follow me, boys, and I'll make you fishers of men." And the first four fellows He picked were fishermen. You know why? Because you're under the water. And when you get saved, you get landed on the beach! Yeah, man! And, listen. One of these days, lookie here. I don't have time for all, but He came down here, and came under this water, and He went back up. Then He came down, and went back up again in Acts chapter 1. That thing must have had to part four times. Some day He's going to come for you, and you're going to go out. Seven years later, you're going to come back. It's got to part six times. Did you ever study that in the Old Testament? It parted when Moses went across, when Joshua went across, when Elijah went across, when Elisha came--did you ever study those things? All right, that's water there, and you go up and down through that water. Now, at the rapture, there will be a hole open from there to there, and you'll go right out through it--like that. And, when you go out through it, you know what you're like? You're like somebody drowning under the wrath of God down here in the water, inside the belly of a sea monster. "The whole earth lieth in the wicked one." It's almost like he kind of opened his mouth and spewed you out. Christ said, "There shall no sign be given this generation, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so must the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth"--and that is no more a sign of the Christian as it is a sign of your Aunt Sally's house cat. That fish in that Bible is never a picture of Jesus Christ. It's a picture of the devil, or a saved sinner, or an unsaved sinner--never Jesus Christ. Folks get the wildest ideas. All right, come down--go back up. That's water. You get in the Old Testament, and you find that figure over and over again. The devil moves up and down in that water. It probably used to be a pretty good place to move up and down in until Christ died. When Christ died, the life of the flesh is in the blood, and God's blood was in Christ. So, when the blood comes out, it's eternal blood, because the life of the flesh is in the blood. And this stuff up here becomes a "Red Sea." Not the "sea of reeds." That's some more of that superstition. It's a "red" sea. And you'll go through it. Just like they went through it in Exodus 15 when it opens. Wouldn't it be something to be in the tail end of the Rapture, and see the devil trying to get in there after you? What if the Rapture comes, and you're the last one in the column going up, and looking behind you, and you see that thing coming up after you? Boy, you'll move, won't you? That fellow at the tail end of that column in Exodus 15 looking back there could see Pharaoh coming. But you know what the Lord did to Pharaoh. He'll haul you out and slam that door. "And the devil comes down to the earth, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time." I know you're in pretty deep now. That was a deep question about "the deeps." But I'm going to say this in closing. Some people think this kind of stuff is real impractical, and 'way out and far in left field. But I'm going to tell you something. If you Christians could grab that thing to where you knew where you were, it would affect your life as a child of God in this church and this community. If people see me doing something kind of nutty sometimes, it's because I never walk up and down on this earth without a sense of direction. When I walk up and down on this earth, I know I'm in the sinkhole of the universe, in the back of an S-shaped nebula, on a peanut planet. And I know the throne is north, where my Saviour is--and that's where I'm going. I know I'm in foreign territory and have no business being here. So, my job is to get on home. And my job is to get as many people to go on home with me as I can get. Now, that's where it gets practical, brother. And, if you know anything about modern Christianity, you'd be amazed how much of it is all built on just what's right here, right now. I mean, modern fundamental Christianity--it all has to do with right now, right here. Well, this world is not my home; I'm just passing through. I'm in foreign territory, and it's a long way home. And some day I'm going. When I go, I'm going to swim. The light that comes out of that opening up there is so bright, they say our sun alongside it would look like a fly speck on a curtain. And, if there is any doubt in your mind about it, go down to a dime store and buy you a compass. And that blue needle will swing right around and show you right how to get home. There isn't an unsaved man in this world who doesn't know where Jesus Christ is. The compass needle points right to him. Somebody said, "It's magnetism." You couldn't get a guy to explain magnetism if you stayed up all night!