02/10/22 CREATION, NOT EVOLUTION; OLD UNIVERSE, YOUNG EARTH

02/10/22 CREATION, NOT EVOLUTION; OLD UNIVERSE, YOUNG EARTH

I believe in the Biblical record of creation.
God created everything (time, matter, space) instantaneously from nothing.
God created the heavens, and the earth.
God, being a God of order, created the heavens and the earth to be orderly.
He did not create the earth as chaos, emptiness, and without light, (yet verse 2 indicates that the earth became chaotic, empty, and shrouded in darkness).

God created the angels and placed Lucifer as the head angel.
Lucifer coveted God's authority and position.
Lucifer decided he would overthrow God.
One-third of the angels sided with Lucifer and rebelled against God.
There was war in heaven.
(War against God is futile.)
But the war resulted in chaos and destruction.

God cast the evil angels, the fallen angels, (hence called demons), along with their evil leader, down to the earth (which apparently suffered in the heavenly war).
Satan is known as the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, prince of this world, indicating his connection with this world, with the earth.

At some point, the earth became formless and void.
This chaotic condition of the earth was the result of Satan's rebellion in heaven. Remember, the Bible says;
Isaiah 45:18
18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

Something dramatic and terrible happened to the earth because God said in Genesis;
Genesis 1:2
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.

Satan had been cast down to earth.
The Bible does not say how much time elapsed between the between creation of Genesis 1:1 and the angelic rebellion.
We also do not know how long Satan had been exiled to the dark, chaotic earth before God restored the world in the Six Days of Creation.

Those six days included creating Adam, including Adam's inner man (making something from nothing), and Adam's outer man, physical body from the earth (forming something from existing materials).

Genesis 1:27
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 2:7
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The six days were literally six days, the animals were perfect at the time of their creation (they did not evolve), and Adam and Eve were perfect in their creation (they did not evolve).

The Bible does not say that there was a time lapse between Genesis 1: and Genesis 1:2, but the evidence indicates there was.
If there was a time lapse between verses 1 and 2, we do not know how long it lasted.

The heavens (including earth's atmosphere, starry space, the throne of God), and the earth were created instantaneously by God.
God restored the chaotic, formless, empty, dark rubble of earth to perfection in six actual days.
Adam was created on the sixth day by God.

The possibility of a period of time between Genesis1:1-2 does not mean I am trying to align God's word with "science." I am simply wanting to align God's word with God's Word.

There are many different versions of the "Gap Theory." I am not arguing for any one of them. I am simply pointing out that a time gap does exist Biblically and we don't have to force the six days of creation into the initial creation mentioned in Genesis 1:1.

Some (but not all) well-meaning and well lettered Christians believe God created the earth in chaos, I do not. They also believe that Satan was created during the six days of creation and that rebelled, raised a demonic army, and was cast out of heaven during those six days. I do not.

I have no problem believing that an old universe and a "young earth" are consistent with Biblical revelation.

Genesis 1:1-3
1 In the beginning God created the heaven(s) 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.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Verse 3 is the beginning of the Six Days of Creation.

God had created light and stars when He created the universe. However, the earth was in darkness after Lucifer's rebellion, therefore God restored light.