(Actually Part I) - They are kinda posted "backwards".
Explanation of Creation / good and evil in this world
Genesis:
In His first task God set the format for the universe. He decided the structure of the matter the planets would be made up of and set the frame work of the "space" they would take up. (Sort of like formatting a hard drive for a computer - nothing is on the hard drive but the spaces are set up for what information will go where.)
We are discovering in science that all matter has a basic structure in which it's framed upon. In outer space there is "stuff" in the "space". We can't measure it, but it keeps the objects in the universe where they "are suppose to be". This is God's format. With in God's format came the basic elemental structures that would come to make up planets and suns. This could be the protons, neutrons and electrons that would eventually make up elements such as hydrogen, oxygen etc.
Before God came along and decided to put His creation in this "spot", what was already here was a perpetually destructive evil existence. The "personification" or the spirit of that evil is what the Scripture calls Satan. Where that evil came from - I would like to know myself! Is Satan a fallen angel? I know churches teach that; I haven't found enough in Scriptures to be convinced that is actually true though. Reason would have it that if this evil predated the creation it's-self than the origins of evil could not be of some fallen angel God had made. Since nothing God would create was even in existence yet. Any ways; God was greater than that evil though, so He was able to put in that evil's existence a creation that the perpetually destructive evil could not pollute. That is until Adam sinned.
In science fiction writing, we see the concept of "anti-matter". Whether or not there is an actual scientific theory behind it - I don't know. "Anti-matter" though is the perpetually destructive counter force to the matter of the material world. In physics we have "the law of entropy" Entropy is things going from a state of order to a state of chaos. This decay is the work of this perpetually destructive evil existence that God superseded with His creative work. This evil got it's foot hold in God's creation when Adam transgressed. The destruction this evil brings upon the creation ultimately manifests as death.
In the Hebrew the words "heaven" and "earth" are definite articles. This means they are speaking of a certain heavens and a certain earth. Even though these words are not plural, we know God created more than one set of solar systems. The universe is filled with galaxies, composed of solar systems, which are composed of stars, planets, moons etc. The nature of the definitive article of the Hebrew here could be just referring to our planet and our solar system.
This universe that God created is immense! There is a reference in one of the epistles to "the worlds" (plural) God has created and the "world" (singular) He has redeemed. It is of my opinion that there is probability life on other planets. If the world God has redeemed is singular (meaning our world), reason would have it that what ever life may be elsewhere either is not prone to sin or does not hold the capacity to be redeemed.
We do know there are entities that God created that are aware of Him (angels, beasts) that are not created in His image, yet appear to have been affected by the fall. Apparently, the entire universe was affected by the fall, for it will all be destroyed and recreated an incorruptible universe. And the perpetually destructive evil existence (and it's spirit - Satan) that God put His creation into will be cast into the lake of fire.
The earth was without form and void. It existed as a desolate wasteland and was vacant. At this point what was here was basically the "skeleton" of the universe. The elements that would come to make up living structures didn't exist yet. This fact made the "big bang" impossible. There were no elements present to create life with.
And darkness was upon the face of the deep. This pervasive evil existence so permeated the "skeleton" of the universe that God had created that it tried to withhold the light of truth. This "light" was the fact that God was stronger than the evil. This evil was agitated and it continuously revolted against God's creative power. The "abyss" of what is mentioned here very well could be the "format" of what God would later designate as hell. The nature of the Hebrew word seems to imply hell.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. The Spirit of God was dispersed to this dead universe. The byproduct left by the entrance of the Spirit of God into this dead universe was water. Ironically, astronomy has witnessed where meteors and asteroids will impact upon dry planets and actually create lakes. It is believed that this is where planets get their water sources from. It's brought in the form of ice on meteors. This is also believed to be a factor in the flood of Noah. God's "opening up the fountains of the deep" is believed to have left this planet with much more water than it originally had.
Water is the first element in the creation of life. The presence of the Spirit of God profoundly shifted the balance of power in the creation. God "imposed" upon this evil existence His will; not only to create a framework for a universe, but to put life in that universe. Life being the total antithesis to this evil existence. It gives some context to the understanding of why evil is always in revolt. It by nature is destructive because that's all it's capable of doing. The manifestation of it's destruction in this fallen world is sin. Sin is so pervasive because the existence this universe was created into, is by nature perpetually destructive. In the end, God will cut off and punish that destructive evil. It will never again haunt His creation. Amen!
John
The first chapter of John gives us a little more information about what was "here"- "in the beginning". From looking at this account, I can understand where the Jehovah's Witnesses went wrong. They assumed that the first word "God" mentioned in verse one is "God" when in fact it isn't. It's "god". Their second assumption is "the word was a god" is somewhat along the lines of what it actually says in that second verse of John. The problem is that the word wasn't "a god" - the Word was "the God".
(Vs 1) "At the fixed point of where all commenced, continuously existed the Word; and the Word continuously existed superseding god. (the Word superseded the perpetually destructive evil existence that God had created His universe into.)
(Vs 2) And the Word continuously existed as the God. And the (plural masculine) they continuously existed when the fixed point commenced superseding god.
(Vs 3) The whole of the world (created universe) came through the channel of Him (the Word) and apart from Him not a single of any created thing which existed at it's height as a universe, did so without Him.
(Vs 4) At the fixed point (commencement of creation) by Him continuously existed life and that life continuously exists as the manifest luminescence of men. (The goodness of God shown forth in humans created in His image, even in the presence of their fallen state.)
(Vs 5) And that luminescence (the source of life) appears now in this shadow (of darkness) and this shadow (of darkness) seeks not to snatch it up now.
So as we see, God was able to create this world because He superceded the god (evil) that was already here. He could overtake the dominion of evil because He is eternally existent where as evil is not.
The "fixed point" of the commencement of creation; or "the beginning" as it's stated; is probably the point in which evil made it's-self manifest in God's "space". God's solution in dealing with this evil was to create. Creation and life is the total antithesis to death and destruction. Evil certainly existed before the creation was influenced and impacted by it. God's response to this perpetual death and destruction was to create life that would ultimately be eternal. God could have "destroyed" this destruction, but that would just perpetuate the presence of that destruction. He had to overcome it and that's why He created.
Now enters the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God has a creation untainted by this evil. This evil that He has to overcome; for if He does not "deal" with it - it will potentially haunt anything He creates. So hence evil has a venue into His created world through this tree. In this venue is access to those who are the highest of His order of creation; those created in His own image.
Just as God has a will to pick and choose what course of action He'd like to take; He has granted this to His creatures. Note though that it's just not humans who have an independent will, the whole of the animal kingdom does also. Animals have differing degrees of "cognitive functioning" to be able to make choice independent of the actions of other individual animals (or humans) and also independent of the "action of instinct". (Good example is animals (wild and domesticated) that travel hundreds or thousands of miles to find their way "back home" - back to their human or animal families. That type of behavior goes contrary to "common sense instinct".)
So here we have a creation that has a will to carry out the good pleasure / nature of God and their maintaining of this "free will" all hinges upon the decisions made by one man named Adam. When Adam ate this fruit, not only did he open Pandora's box; so to speak in regards to evil it's-self. He "let it in" upon the whole of the rest of creation too. Not only did Adam enslave his own will to the power of this perpetually destructive evil existence; he impacted the wills of the entire animal kingdom. Animals can go contrary to the rightful desires of God, they just can't be held accountable to "sin" in the same sense humans are because the destruction brought upon them was not due to their own choice, since they are not created in God's image.
Jesus
So the creation, by nature of it's non-eternal existence is corruptible. Because it had a beginning; it was corruptible upon it's inception and would continue to be corruptible regardless of how long it took Adam to transgress. If there was no venue of transgression, there would be no hope of living in an eternity that eventually eliminates the possibility of being corrupted. Thus the need for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Without the tree there's no redemption!
So, in enters Jesus; the God-man existing as both eternal and created in one individual. An integral part of the experience of humans as created beings is/are our physical existence. We are not just a body and we are not just a soul; we are both a body and soul together. The soul that makes us alive is that spirit essence that's created in the image of God. Every living thing has a "soul" for without that essence of life - it would not be life.
Every living thing is not only distinctive in it's physical characteristics from other individuals; it's also distinctive in it's "soul" essence. This is why animals have different personalities and different temperaments. Plants too are "sensitive souls" to their environment. Equal factors of adequate soil, water and light are not the only elements that cause plants to thrive. They are also sensitive to sound and other factors. Plants like the company of other plants. Anyone who keeps house plants knows they can "get lonely" and do better in groups.
So, since we know the "soul / spirit / breath of life" comes from God. How does His presence in evil's domain ultimately overcome it? The presence of God's character is obvious in creation; life as opposed to death, love as opposed to hate, good as opposed to evil. Even so, that presence isn't strong enough to overcome the wiles of this destructive evil. It can't do so because of the mortal nature of the creatures' existence. As stated before, creation is corruptible.
God though, being eternally existent, can overcome anything that isn't. So the perfect way to deliver His created order from corruption is to become part of that created order. Jesus though was more than just a human body with an eternal soul. His human soul was very much in the same venue as the first Adam. This is what made Jesus "killable". Likewise though, his body was not just any old body; it was untainted by corruption. The divine (i.e. eternal) aspect of his person-hood maintained his separation from the corruption that befell the first Adam.
Here in lies one very distinct point in the difference between the nature of the Creator as opposed the nature of His creation. God is able to bear the knowledge of good and evil and not be corrupted by it because of all of what constitutes God. This includes the eternal nature of His being, His power, His knowledge, His ability to be everywhere, and the essence of love that composes Him. The components that make up this essence are comprised of justice, goodness, peace, patients, joy. This includes all and any aspect we can think of that's counter to evil. In this is the nature of God!
Evil
Last but not least comes the question of where did evil come from? We know it's not eternally existent. We know it didn't come from God or any of His creation. Ironically, we also know that God understood the potential for destruction that evil possessed before evil existed. That is part of the makeup of being omniscient. Of course the question has come to mind as to whether the thoughts of an all powerful Being could actually create something that wasn't already there. The mere knowledge of God as to the nature evil could and would take - would that in and of it's-self be enough to open the door to the invasion of evil into the realm of God's existence? Not a direction I'm particularly leaning toward. Yet, nor is it an answer I'm satisfied with. It sounds like something out of the world of science fiction though.