16. Verse 1. In the beginning God created heaven and earth. The most ancient times of all are called 'the beginning', and are throughout the Prophets referred to as 'days of antiquity' and also 'days of eternity'. 'The beginning' also embodies within it that first Period when a person is being regenerated, for at that time he is being born anew and receiving life. Regeneration itself is therefore called a new creation of man. Almost everywhere in the prophetical sections 'to create', 'to form', and 'to make' mean to regenerate, though each of these verbs has a different shade of meaning, as in Isaiah,

Every one who is called by My name - I have created him for My glory, I have formed him, I have also made him. Isaiah 43:7

This is why the Lord is called Redeemer, One who forms from the womb, Maker, and also Creator, as in the same prophet,

I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. Isaiah 43:15.

In David,

A people to be created will praise Jah. Psalms 102:18.

In the same author,

You send forth Your Spirit; they are created; and You renewest the face ¹ of the ground. Psalms 104:30.

'Heaven' means the internal man, and 'earth' the external man prior to regeneration. This will be seen further on.

Footnotes:

7291. 'You shall say to Aaron' means influx and communication - of the law of God, represented by Moses, with the doctrinal teachings, represented by 'Aaron'. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying', when done by Moses to Aaron, as influx and communication, as in 6291. Here 'saying' is similar in meaning to 'speaking', namely both influx and communication, which is meant by 'speaking', see 7270. The only way that this influx and communication can be expressed in the historical narratives of the Word is by the words 'saying and 'speaking'. The reason why the law of God, represented by 'Moses', was to flow into the doctrinal teachings, represented by 'Aaron', is that the law of God is internal truth, while doctrinal teachings are external truth; and it is a general rule that internal things flow into external, not the other way round, for the reason that internal things are more refined than external, whereas external things are grosser, being generalized expressions of the internal ones.