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The six days of the creation account in Genesis chapter one began from verse 3 when God said: “Let there be light…” These six days of creation week were completed in verse 31 when God saw that “it was very good.”
Before these six days of creation week began – verses 3 to 31 – we see an earth already existing in verse 2. It was an earth that was formless, empty, dark, and buried in water. It was an earth in a chaotic state, but it was an earth, nevertheless. It was a pre-existing empty earth composed of pre-existing land buried in pre-existing water and shrouded in pre-existing darkness.
Darkness, water, and land, all existing before the six days of creation week began. God then used these three pre-existing elements to create the new conditions on earth in six days. He used the pre-existing darkness for night on the first day, the pre-existing waters for the seas on the third day, and the pre-existing land for vegetation on the third day also.
These three pre-existing elements - darkness, water, and land - all existed before the six days of creation week, suggesting that everything God made was not made during the six days of creation week, but that they were pre-existing chaotic conditions on a pre-existing earth preceding our modern earth. It was from these pre-existing chaotic conditions of a pre-existing earth that God went about creating, in six days, the orderly earth we now live on today.
One might theorize that these chaotic conditions on earth, in verse 2, really occurred on day one, which began in verse 3, but since the scriptures do not say this, for us to say this is to take verse 2 out of its biblical context: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen.1:2).
These chaotic conditions is the way the earth “was” before God went about creating the earth’s in six days as it is.
God created light and separated it from “darkness” that already “was”.
God created land and separated it from “waters” that already “was”.
God created form from a “formless” condition that already “was”.
And God created inhabitants from an “empty” condition that already “was”.
These pre-existing conditions that already “was” suggest a history of two different conditions of earth existing on the same planet, one set of conditions preceding the other – chaos preceding order.
I venture to propose that these chaotic conditions were not always this way, but that at some point in ancient time this ancient earth was orderly, and then became chaotic. I’m sure this idea is not new, it is base on the view that God does not create chaos, he creates order. Isa 45:18 seems to indicate this:
“For this is what the LORD says — he who created the heavens...he who fashioned and made the earth...he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited…”
But, yet, we see an earth, in verse 2, that is empty and uninhabited, suggesting that God did not create these conditions, but that they occurred sometime after His initial orderly creation of the ancient earth.
Chaos is caused by sin, not by God. God executes the judgment, but sin causes the judgment. God brings the earth and its inhabitants into judgment because of sin (2 Pet.3:7).
The existence of ancient conditions on planet earth that were, perhaps, billions of years old, preceding the present modern conditions on earth that are, perhaps, six to ten thousand years old, could explain the existence of fossils of pre-historic life forms that are now extinct.
This extinction might have been caused by some catastrophic disaster that could have been a result of God’s judgment on some pre-historic sin, rendering this ancient earth uninhabitable and in the state of chaos found in verse 2.
The fact that there are many ancient fossils of pre-historic dead animals piled high on top of each other in their death throes, appearing to have died suddenly, suggest this possibility.
This chaotic state of ancient earth might have resembled the chaotic state that existed on earth after Noah’s flood, as is the case in verse 2 – an earth buried in water.
That the earth buried in water in Noah’s flood was a result of sin suggest the possibility that the ancient earth buried in ancient water could have been a result of some ancient sin. After all, Satan was around since ancient times (1 Joh.3:8), long before modern man was formed.
It was from this ancient chaotic earth, that appears to be dead and buried in pre-historic water, verse 2, that God then created, or re-created, our modern orderly earth in six days. Perhaps, it was some kind of geological resurrection of a dead earth from its watery grave, having died as a result of some pre-historic sin?
This is just a suggested possibility that, in my opinion, is not farfetched. But I guess one opinion is as valid as another if no one really knows for sure. But its fun to speculate, just as long as it does not cause any “division in the body…” (1 Cor 12:25).
However, I find it hard to imagine modern man co-existing with ancient predatory dinosaurs. I think we would have been the ones who are extinct today.
I also find it hard to imagine how a sixty foot tall dinosaur and his equally tall mate could fit into Noah’s forty-five foot Ark. Perhaps the Ark had a retractable sunroof. Who knows?
I any case, where are the dinosaurs today? Wasn’t Noah supposed to save at least two?
Before these six days of creation week began – verses 3 to 31 – we see an earth already existing in verse 2. It was an earth that was formless, empty, dark, and buried in water. It was an earth in a chaotic state, but it was an earth, nevertheless. It was a pre-existing empty earth composed of pre-existing land buried in pre-existing water and shrouded in pre-existing darkness.
Darkness, water, and land, all existing before the six days of creation week began. God then used these three pre-existing elements to create the new conditions on earth in six days. He used the pre-existing darkness for night on the first day, the pre-existing waters for the seas on the third day, and the pre-existing land for vegetation on the third day also.
These three pre-existing elements - darkness, water, and land - all existed before the six days of creation week, suggesting that everything God made was not made during the six days of creation week, but that they were pre-existing chaotic conditions on a pre-existing earth preceding our modern earth. It was from these pre-existing chaotic conditions of a pre-existing earth that God went about creating, in six days, the orderly earth we now live on today.
One might theorize that these chaotic conditions on earth, in verse 2, really occurred on day one, which began in verse 3, but since the scriptures do not say this, for us to say this is to take verse 2 out of its biblical context: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen.1:2).
These chaotic conditions is the way the earth “was” before God went about creating the earth’s in six days as it is.
God created light and separated it from “darkness” that already “was”.
God created land and separated it from “waters” that already “was”.
God created form from a “formless” condition that already “was”.
And God created inhabitants from an “empty” condition that already “was”.
These pre-existing conditions that already “was” suggest a history of two different conditions of earth existing on the same planet, one set of conditions preceding the other – chaos preceding order.
I venture to propose that these chaotic conditions were not always this way, but that at some point in ancient time this ancient earth was orderly, and then became chaotic. I’m sure this idea is not new, it is base on the view that God does not create chaos, he creates order. Isa 45:18 seems to indicate this:
“For this is what the LORD says — he who created the heavens...he who fashioned and made the earth...he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited…”
But, yet, we see an earth, in verse 2, that is empty and uninhabited, suggesting that God did not create these conditions, but that they occurred sometime after His initial orderly creation of the ancient earth.
Chaos is caused by sin, not by God. God executes the judgment, but sin causes the judgment. God brings the earth and its inhabitants into judgment because of sin (2 Pet.3:7).
The existence of ancient conditions on planet earth that were, perhaps, billions of years old, preceding the present modern conditions on earth that are, perhaps, six to ten thousand years old, could explain the existence of fossils of pre-historic life forms that are now extinct.
This extinction might have been caused by some catastrophic disaster that could have been a result of God’s judgment on some pre-historic sin, rendering this ancient earth uninhabitable and in the state of chaos found in verse 2.
The fact that there are many ancient fossils of pre-historic dead animals piled high on top of each other in their death throes, appearing to have died suddenly, suggest this possibility.
This chaotic state of ancient earth might have resembled the chaotic state that existed on earth after Noah’s flood, as is the case in verse 2 – an earth buried in water.
That the earth buried in water in Noah’s flood was a result of sin suggest the possibility that the ancient earth buried in ancient water could have been a result of some ancient sin. After all, Satan was around since ancient times (1 Joh.3:8), long before modern man was formed.
It was from this ancient chaotic earth, that appears to be dead and buried in pre-historic water, verse 2, that God then created, or re-created, our modern orderly earth in six days. Perhaps, it was some kind of geological resurrection of a dead earth from its watery grave, having died as a result of some pre-historic sin?
This is just a suggested possibility that, in my opinion, is not farfetched. But I guess one opinion is as valid as another if no one really knows for sure. But its fun to speculate, just as long as it does not cause any “division in the body…” (1 Cor 12:25).
However, I find it hard to imagine modern man co-existing with ancient predatory dinosaurs. I think we would have been the ones who are extinct today.
I also find it hard to imagine how a sixty foot tall dinosaur and his equally tall mate could fit into Noah’s forty-five foot Ark. Perhaps the Ark had a retractable sunroof. Who knows?
I any case, where are the dinosaurs today? Wasn’t Noah supposed to save at least two?
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