Genesis 1 Les. 2
The Great Gap Theory–THE WORLD THAT WAS –THE RENEWED EARTH VIEW and Opposition to the Great Gap Theory:
We will present both views:
Genesis Chapter 1
Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God ( Elohim, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit)
In the beginning God…………….
In the beginning God! He is our all and all, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. He fills all in all.
(Col 1:16) For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him.
(Eph 1:22-23) And He has put all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
In the beginning God created (bara) the heavens (3 heavens) and the earth.2 The earthwas without form, and void; and darkness (Hebrew, ignorance) was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Elohim latently implies the Trinity, uni-plural noun in the Hebrew, the only name for God used in Genesis, used 2,500 times in the OT. A compound word composed of El (the strong one), and Alah ( to bind oneself by oath); hence Elohim = the mighty and faithful One.
John 1:1-5, In the beginning was the Word ( means tabernacle, the personal manifestation of God), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Psalm 103:19-22 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!
REVIEW:
Four Possibilities for Genesis 1 ( time periods)
- Creationists—Literal seven days, 24 hour periods. Young Earth. 0-10,000 years old, maximum
- Day Age Theory—Each day of creation is an indefinite period of time. Scriptures indicate that a day may represent different periods of time There is the ordinary solar day of 24 hours.
(2Pe 3:8) But, beloved, let not this one thing be hidden from you, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Scriptures also speak of “the Day of the Lord.”
(Jer 46:10) For this is the day of the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself of His foes. And the sword shall devour, and it shall be filled and made drunk with their blood, for the Lord Jehovah of Hosts has a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
(Act 2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious Day of the Lord.
(1Co 5:5) to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
(2Co 1:14) even as you have recognized us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as you also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.
(1Th 5:2) For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.
(2Pe 3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up.
Are these creation days only 24 hours or specially (23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds) or are they a much longer period of time?
- Special Creation—God’s use of evolution. (disproved) Mankind is a distinct and special creation.
(Gen 1:25) And God made the beasts of the earth after its kind, and cattle after their kind, and all creepers upon the earth after their kind. And God saw that it was good. See also Gen. 1:21,24; 6:20; 7:14; Lev. 11:22,29; Deut. 14:13,14,15,18.
In Darwin’s day, one of the leading evolutionists saw the compromise involved in claiming that God used evolution. The leading humanist of Darwin’s day, Thomas Huxley (1825–1895), eloquently pointed out the inconsistencies of reinterpreting Scripture to fit with popular scientific thinking. Huxley, an ardent evolutionary humanist, was known as “Darwin’s bulldog,” as he did more to popularize Darwin’s ideas than Darwin himself. Huxley theorized Theist Evolution, adding evolution and millions of years to the Bible.
- The Gap Theory (Re-Creationist) Catastrophe and undisclosed length of time between verses 1 and 2.a. God did not create in confusion, Is. 45:18b.Casting down of Lucifer, Is. 14:12–20; Ez. 28:11–19; Rev. 12; Lk. 10:182.What else happened during this time? Evidence of Scripture is not against there having been other forms of activity on this planet. Some scholars contend there is not enough Scriptural evidence.
The Great Gap Theory or Ruin-Reconstruction Theory
We will also present the opposition to this theory.
The great gap refers to a great gap in time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The idea is something like this: billions of years ago God created the spacemass-time universe. Then a great cataclysm took place on earth, with Satan having rebelled in heaven and many of the angels following him in that rebellion. God, therefore, cast him to the earth, and the earth underwent a great cataclysm, leaving it finally without form and void, and with darkness on the face of the deep, as described in Genesis 1:2.
Subsequently, according to this idea—usually known as the ‘gap’ theory—God then re-created or reconstituted the earth in the six literal days of creation recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. The argument for this theory makes verse two read, ‘The earth became without form and void’ (some would render it ‘The earth became waste and desolate’), as though it had previously been a beautiful world. But now, because of the cataclysm, it was a devastated remnant of a world, so that there was a change of condition. It became without form and void.
MAJOR POINTS OF THE GREAT GAP THEORY
The significant use of the Hebrew term “was” in Gen.1:1-2
(Gen 1:1-2) In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
Many scholars believe was here is translated became. Strongs’ No. <01961>hayah {haw-yaw} h”y’h (became)
DID GOD ORIGINALLY CREATE THE EARTH AS A WASTE?
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.
THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN
Ecclesiastes 1:4-10 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose. 6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit. 7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again. 8 All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. KJV
These Scriptures may prove that the earth was or became void.
THE FALL OF LUCIFER
Could Gen 1:1-2 be this time of the fall of Lucifer?
Revelation 12:7-9 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent ofold, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Ezekiel 28:13-15 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes. Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading, (with whom did he trade?)You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 “You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shookkingdoms,17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’18 “All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house;19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot.20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH’S ORIGINAL JUDGMENT
Jeremiah 4:23-26 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And theheavens, they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. 25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all thebirds of the heavens had fled. 26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the Lord, By His fierce anger.
JOB’S DESCRIPTION OF THE CATASTROPHE
Job 9:4-7 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?5 He removes the mountains, and they do not know When He overturns them in His anger;6 He shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble;7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars;
PETER INCLUDES THE ANGELIC JUDGMENT WITH THE OTHER MAJOR EARTH JUDGMENTS
2 Peter 2:4-6 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to helland delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;5 and did notspare the ancient(old) world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;( 1/3 of angels that fell with Lucifer)
MAN TOLD TO REPLENISH THE EARTH
Replenish means to fill (something) up again.
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. KJV
Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”NKJ
An exceedingly strong proof of a pre-Adamite civilization is the command given to Adam and Eve to replenish the earth. The same command was given to Noah after the flood except the word subdue is left out. Why did God use these words? Because the earth could have been previously inhabited, and now having been depleted, it must be replenished. It was to be filled with a new order of inhabitants.
Gen. 9:1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (not subdue)
PETER’S WORDS OF THE EARTH’S CATASTROPHE
2 Peter 3:3-6 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,6 by which the world that then existedperished, being flooded with water.
DEMON SPIRITS FROM WHERE DID THEY COME?
Many scholars believe there was a pre- Adamic race who had bodies, then lost them. Could it be demons are those disembodied spirits?
Luke 11:24-26 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’25 “And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.26 “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
PSALMS ACCOUNT OF THE EARTH’S RENEWAL
Psalm 104:1-9 Bless the Lord, O my soul! 1 O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty,2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.5 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever,6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains.7 At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.8 They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them.9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.
Ps.104:30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works.32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke.
Psalm 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.
JOB’S ACCOUNT OF THE EARTH’S CATASTROPHE
Job 38:25-26 “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;
ISAIAH’S ACCOUNT
Isaiah 40:21-23 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations (casting down, or disruption) of the earth?22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
Foundation in Hebrew meaning casting down or disruption.
“THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
To arrive at the true meaning of this expression, we must note there are two words translated “foundation”
(1) themelios, and
(2) katabole.
The Noun, themelios, occurs in Luke 6:48, 49; 14:29. Acts 16:26. Rom. 15:20. 1Cor. 3:10, 11, 12. Eph. 2:20. 1Tim. 6:19. 2Tim. 2:19. Heb. 6:1; 11:10. Rev. 21:14, 19. It is never used of the world (kosmos) or the earth (ge). The corresponding Verb (themeliou) occurs in Matt. 7:25. Luke 6:48. Eph. 3:17. Col. 1:23. Heb. 1:10 and 1Pet. 5:10. The verb is only once used of the earth (ge). Heb. 1:10. A comparison of all these passages will show that these are proper and regular terms for the English words “to found”, and “foundation”.
The remarkable thing is that in all occurrences (except Heb. 11:11) the word is connected with “the world” (Gr. kosmos. Ap. 129. 1), and therefore the expression should be rendered “the disruption (or ruin) of the world”, clearly referring to the condition indicated in Gen. 1:2, and described in 2Pet. 3:5, 6. For the earth was not created tohu (Isa. 45:18), but became so, as stated in the Hebrew of Gen 1:2 and confirmed by 2Pet. 3:6, where “the world that then was by the word of God” (Gen. 1:1), perished, and “the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word “were created (Gen. 2:4), and are “kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment” (2Pet. 3:7) which shall usher in the “new heavens and the new earth” of 2Pet. 3:13.
“The disruption of the world” is an event forming a great dividing line in the dispensations of the ages. In Gen. 1:1 we have the founding of the world (Heb. 1:10 = themeliou), but in Gen. 1:2 we have its overthrow.
This is confirmed by a further remarkable fact, that the phrase, which occurs ten times, is associated with the Preposition apo = from (Ap. 104. iv) seven times, and with pros = before (Ap. 104. xiv) three times. The former refers to the kingdom and is connected with the “counsels” of God; the latter refers to the Mystery and is connected with the “purpose” of God (See John 17:24. Eph. 1:4. 1Pet. 1:20).
Ample New Testament testimony is thus given to the profoundly significant fact recorded in Gen. 1:2, that “the earth became tohu and bohu (i.e. waste and desolate); and darkness was on the face of the deep”, before the creation of “the heavens and the earth which are now” (2Pet. 3:7).
Matthew 13:35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Luke 11:50 “that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: 1 “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from thefoundation of the world.
Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Opposition to the Great Gap Theory
10 GREAT PROBLEMS OF THE GAP THEORY
1) The Problem of the Gap
Is there really a GAP of millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? How long did it take God to make the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything that is in the heavens, the earth and the sea? Was the creation of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) included in this six day period? If all of God’s creation from Genesis 1:1-1:31 took only 6 days, then how can there be a GAP of millions of years between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2?
“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Exodus 20:11).
The creation of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1) took place on DAY 1.
2) The Problem of Pre-Adamic Men
Were there really men living before the time of Adam? In 1 Corinthians 15:45 Adam is called If Adam is the FIRST BODILYMAN, then there can be no other bodily men before him!
(1Co 15:45) And so it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul,” the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit.
The Bible says nothing about “pre-Adamic” men! If a scientist were to discover the bones of a “pre-historic man,” we would know that this man was a descendant of ADAM! All men have come from Adam. Luke 3:23-38.
What about DEMONS? Where did they come from? Are demons the spirits of wicked men who once lived on earth before Adam was created?
3) The Problem of Lucifer’s Fall
When did Lucifer fall? When did Lucifer become the devil (God’s accuser) and satan (God’s enemy)? Those who believe in the GAP say that Lucifer fell sometime during the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. But the Bible indicates that Lucifer was created and fell into sin even before Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 1:1 describes the creation of the heavens and the earth (this Hebrew word “heavens” has the plural ending -IM and it can be translated “heavens”-
| the heavens | הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם | ha·sha·ma·yim | 8064 |
The 3 Heavens
The Bible indicates that there are 3 heavens (see 2 Cor. 12:2—”caught up to the 3rdheaven”):
1) THE FIRST HEAVEN is that which can be seen in the daytime, where “the birds fly and the clouds go by.” This is the atmospheric heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, See also Psalm 8:8 (“the fowl of the air [heaven]”).
2) THE SECOND HEAVEN is that which can be seen at night—the stars, the moon and the planets. This is the stellar universe with all of its billions of suns and galaxies! David referred to the second heaven in Psalm 8:3. May also be what is meant by
3) THE THIRD HEAVEN is that which cannot be seen except through the eyes of faith. It is sometimes called “the heaven of heavens” (Nehemiah 9:6). It is the “Highest” of all the heavens (Luke 2:14).
When God says that He created the heavens (Gen. 1:1; Exodus 20:11), which of the heavens does He mean?
4) The Problem of the Worldwide Judgment (“Lucifer’s Flood”)
The Bible only speaks of one worldwide, universal judgment which has fallen upon wicked men. What kind of judgment was this and when did it occur (see Luke 17:26-27; Matt. 24:37-39; Heb. 11:7; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5; 3:5-6)?
God has told us much about Noah’s flood. He has given us 3 chapters in the Bible that describe this worldwide judgment—Genesis chapters 6-8. It is also mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as seen from the verses given above. But God tells us nothing about Lucifer’s flood!
5) The Problem of Fossils
Were fossils really formed during the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? What is a fossil? A fossil is the remains of an animal or plant which has been preserved in hardened mud or coal, etc. Genesis 1 teaches us that plant life was not created until DAY 3. Also we know that the first animal life did not come into existence until DAY 5 . But those who believe in a GAP say that there was animal and plant life on Planet Earth even before Genesis 1:2. They say that by the time mankind was created on DAY 6, there were thousands of fossils under the ground, including the bones of dinosaurs and even pre-Adamic men! They believe that all these animals must have died in the judgment that fell upon the earth as a result of Lucifer’s sin, and thus long before Adam was created millions of animals and plants had already died! It was as if Adam was walking on a graveyard, with numerous animals buried under his feet!
Is this really true? When did death first enter the world? Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned:(ROMANS 5:12). Death entered the world as the result of Adam’s sin! Read Romans 8:19-22. The entire creation is under the terrible corruption (disease, decay and death) and curse that resulted from man’s fall into sin. But before Adam’s fall into sin and the curse that resulted, there could be no death. Could death enter the world before this time?
6) The Problem of the Word “BECAME”
Those who believe in the GAP want to re-translate Genesis 1:2 so that it will read this way: “And the earth BECAME without form and void.” But the Bible says, “And the earth was without form and void.” (Note: Most translations of Genesis 1:2 have “was” and not “became.” Also the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint has the verb “was” and not “became.”) Genesis 1:2 says that the earth WAS this way, it did not become this way. What was the earth like when God first created it? It was without form and void! Why was it without form and void? Because that is how God made it! But God was not finished with the earth yet. Genesis 1:2 describes an earth at the early stages of creation, but it was an earth that had never been cursed. It was UN-CURSED, but it was also UNFINISHED. Before this chapter ends we will study the meaning of the phrase “without form and void.”
7) The Problem of Darkness
God says that “the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). What is darkness? Is it something evil? Is it something wicked? When you put a young child to bed certainly you do not tell him that an evil darkness will come when the lights go out! Darkness is not morally evil. Darkness is simply THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT! If you do not have any light, then you will have darkness! When the light of the sun is shielded by the moon in a solar eclipse, it becomes dark! If you turn the lights out, it becomes dark! When did God first create light? ( DAY 4) Does this explain why there was darkness in verse 2?
In Isaiah 45:6-7… that they may know from the rising of the sun, and to the sunset, thatthere is none besides Me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else; forming the light and creating darkness; making peace and creating evil. I Jehovah do all these things. God the Creator says also in Psalm 104:20 You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the beasts of the forest creep forth. Genesis 1:2 “darkness” does not mean judgment or chaos! It means just what it says—”darkness”’ See also Psalm 139:11-12.
I personally believe God did not create darkness but it existed as absence of light.
8) The Problem of a Re-Creation
As you read through Genesis chapter one, does this seem to be describing a creation or a re-creation? Is God creating everything all over again, or is God creating everything for the first time? Genesis 2:3 says that “He (God) had rested from all His work which God created. It does not say that “He rested from all His work which God RE-CREATED and RE-MADE.”
Also, Exodus 20:11 does not say “For in six days the LORD RE-MADE the heavens and earth!” Sometimes we make mistakes and need to do something all over again! But God’s work of creation was a perfect work and it only needed to be done once! See Psalm 18:30! God makes no mistakes.
9) The Problem of the word “replenish” Genesis 1:28 says, “Be fruitful, and multiply and fill the earth.” The word “replenish” does not mean “to fill again” or “to refill,” but it simply means “to fill.” In 1611 when the King James Bible was published, the word “replenish” meant “to fill.” So God was telling Adam and Eve to fill the earth! It had never before been filled with people, and it was God’s will that the earth should be filled up with people. God wanted the earth to be FILLED with life, and this would include plants, animals and people!
10) The Problem of Reading Between Verses
God is the Master Artist! He formed the earth and perfectly prepared it for life. He has given our earth the touch of the Master’s Hand! If you ever doubt this, just take a look outside at the world He has made! God’s artistry and wisdom and masterful design are seen everywhere.
God’s purpose was to prepare the earth for man! Read Isaiah 45:18. For what purpose did the Lord create the earth? ” God wanted to fill the earth with mankind (see Gen. 1:28). God wanted to fill the earth with living things! If God wanted to have an unfilled and uninhabited earth, then He would have stopped after Genesis 1:1.
But God formed the earth and made it and established it and created it TO BE INHABITED!
God spent the 6 days of creation getting the earth ready for mankind.
When all is said and done this is not a weightier matter as Jesus told the Pharisees.
REDEMPTION IS THE ULTIMATE REASON FOR CREATION.
REDEMPTION IS READY TO BEGIN!! Gen. 1:3: Let there be Light!