Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Discuss the possibilities (and problems) with the conjectures of a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. 502-1 - 2 - 1

I wasn’t planning on selecting this Discussion Question, however, one of the soapbox posters I enjoy debating posted the thread, “Is Satan more powerful than God?” Timing is everything so the debate is on.

Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. “1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

What makes this interesting is that the original Hebrew reads “And the earth became without form” implying that when Satan fell and took a third of the angels with him, he messed up God’s creation. So “the earth became without form” so the Spirit of God once more had to move upon the face of the waters. Another use of the word “became” that Dr. Missler pointed out is Genesis 19:26, “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

BTW, the English translation of Greek Septuagint that I have reads “1:1 in the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. 2 But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.” God would not create a mess so this also suggests that Satan rendered it “unsightly and unfurnished.”

I’m having a problem getting a grasp on the gap theory, pun intended. However, it seems like a very reasonable theory so I’m raising my hand on both an old and new earth. An older earth that Satan and his minions nearly destroyed and an earth God renewed in six 24 hour days. Now about the behemoth of Job 40:15, “Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.” Sure sounds like a Dinosaur to me so a young earth, yes.

As an aside, Satan and his minions were not satisfied with nearly destroying God’s original handiwork, they sired Nephilim which brought on the flood. Even after the flood the fallen ones were still bringing God’s judgment onto the earth.

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