RadBrad said:
Heres an interesting question to look into: Before Adam, did angels or other people exist? i want to come up with a good biblical answer by the next discipleship meeting my friends and me are having. It would be awesome to hear other people's answers on this, and would help me out. So what do you all think?
Adam was the first man to be created in God's image. There were humanoids existing in a prior creation, but they were not created in God's image. In Jeremiah 4, he repeats some of the same words used for utter ruin and destruction which also appear in Genesis 1:2. He speaks of a great judgment that has not taken place in the current history of man. For, man would have ceased to exist if that were the case. The word appearing as "people" is a generic term for humanoids. I heard this factor taught by a Harvard Professor (Stan Ashby) of Ancient Languages. I heard this on a taped message that he gave in a class at a Bible College.
Words with the *, appear in Genesis 1:2
"23 I looked at the earth,
and it was *formless and *empty; (Heb = Tohu wa Bohu > utter destruction and chaotic havoc)
and at the heavens,
and their light was gone. (condition found in Genesis 1:2)
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people; (Hebrew generic term for humanoids)
every bird in the sky had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;
all its towns lay in ruins
before the LORD , before his fierce anger. "
Jeremiah was speaking of the power of God's ability to judge in the past that he was made able to see in his prophetic trance. At that time, Israel was involved with horrific Satanic cultic activity. They were about to be severly judged by God. While in his prophetic muse, Jeremiah peers back into prehistoric times. Moses was able to do the same. That is how he was able to see the Genesis creation account. That is how Job was able to see the angels celebrating at the creation of the earth! The prophetic spirit not only predicted things of the future, they also saw things that preceded known history!
Jeremiah in speaking of God's power to judge Israel's rebellion, had spoke of God's power's ability to do so, with this vision of a previous world's destruction of all humanoids and animals. (That is where we get out dinosaur fossils from and the "so called" cave men bones.)
Anything brought out into the open like this must be attacked. After all. If it were clearly understood. Many more believers would be able to begin to understand the entire plan of God, and what the angels are doing at this time in God's vindication of judging Satan and his angels to Hell.
Remember! Hell was
not created for man. It was created for Satan and his angels! Hell was created before man was created. There is a lot more going on than meets the eye. And, those who are the cynics and nay sayers, sad to say, want to keep it that way.
Matthew 25:41 niv
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
The lake of Fire was
not prepared originally for man. When it was prepared there were only angels. Just as Adam was given dominion over this creation, Satan was given dominion over the prior creation. There were humanoids in that creation, but they had not been created in the image of God. Adam was the first man in God's image (Adam is the word used for man).
This is always a bit much for those seeing it the first time, so I will stop here for now...
Grace and peace, GeneZ