Genesis is contrary to EVOLUTION, because it says God personally created the world. It is impossible to reconcile the theories of evolution with the teaching of the Bible. Following are six of the plain Bible statements that contradict the theories of evolution.

GENESIS VS. EVOLUTION

February 21, 2005 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

1. GENESIS SAYS GOD CREATED THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT IN SIX DAYS. According to the Bible, creation was brought into existence suddenly not gradually, which is strictly contrary to the doctrine of evolution.

2. GENESIS SAYS ALL CREATION WAS MADE TO REPRODUCE AFTER ITS KIND. The statement "after their kind" is found nine times in Genesis chapter one. This is precisely what we observe in the world. Dogs reproduce dogs, spiders reproduce spiders, birds reproduce birds, and peanuts reproduce peanuts. Animals can interbred and "evolve" within species; a Dalmatian can interbred with a Poodle; but the lines of the species cannot be crossed; a dog cannot interbred with a cat. This is what the Bible teaches and is what we can observe everywhere in nature, but it is strictly contrary to what evolution teaches.

3. GENESIS SAYS MAN AND ANIMALS ARE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT CREATIONS. Man did not descend from the animals but is a separate creation. Animals were not made in the image of God.

a. Animals are not spiritual and do not relate to God. Animals were made to relate to man and to provide his enjoyment and needs. The dog lifts up his eyes to man his master, and the man alone lifts up his eyes to his Creator God. Man was made to relate to God, to fellowship with, serve, worship, and glorify Him. No animal ever considered his daily sustenance and then lifted his heart to God in thanksgiving and praise or prayed to God for direction and wisdom.

b. Animals do not have the inventive ability of man. "The strongest evidence that men have certain powers which no other animals possess in any degree whatsoever consists in the thing which men can do but which other animals cannot do at all. One such indication is man's power of making things. I know that bees make hives, birds make nests, and beavers make dams. But such productions are entirely instinctive on their part. A given species of bird makes its nests in the same way generation after generation. This shows that the nest is a product of instinct not of art" (Mortimer J. Adler, Great Ideas from the Great Books).

c. Animals do not have the communication ability of man. "Whatever may be said for doves cooing and monkeys chattering, or the larger beasts calling for their mates, none of them have articulate speech, which they can spell, write down in books, translate for other generations, nor can they deliver orations, write poetry, or publish a paper. This is the gift of God to man, made in His image" (O.E. Sanden, Twelve Bridges No Evolutionist Has Ever Crossed).

4. GENESIS SAYS THE WORLD WAS CREATED IN SIX DAYS AND THEN THE PROCESS OF CREATION WAS FINISHED. This is what we see in creation, from the basic level of energy all of the way to the plant and animal kingdom. "No permanent change has ever since been made in the course of the world, no new species of animals been formed, no law of nature repealed or added to" (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown). The biblical fact of a completed creation is witnessed by the First Law of Thermodynamics, which is described by a secular scientist as follows: "To express all this, we can say: 'Energy can be transferred from one place to another, or transformed from one form to another, but it can be neither created nor destroyed.' Or we can put it another way: 'The total quantity of energy in the universe is constant.' When the total quantity of something does not change, we say that it is conserved. The two statements given above, then, are two ways of expressing 'the law of conservation of energy.' This law is considered the most powerful and most fundamental generalization about the universe that scientists have ever been able to make" (Isaac Asimov, "In the Game of Energy and Thermodynamics You Can't Break Even," Smithsonian Institute Journal, June 1970, p. 6). Dr. Henry Morris makes the following important observation: "The First Law is itself a strong witness against evolution, since it implies a basic condition of stability in the universe. The fundamental structure of the cosmos is one of conservation, not innovation. [The evolutionist] assumes that the process of evolution takes place within the framework of energy conservation, never stopping to wonder where all the energy came from in the first place nor how it came to pass that the total energy was constant from then on. ... the First Law shows that the universe could not have begun itself. The total quantity of energy in the universe is a constant ... Since energy could not create itself, the most scientific and logical conclusion to which we could possibly come is that: 'In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth'" (Morris, "Evolution, Thermodynamics, and Entropy," Impact No. 3, Institute for Creation Research, 1973).

5. GENESIS SAYS THE WORLD WAS CREATED PERFECT, THEN FELL UNDER SIN AND GOD'S CURSE AND HAS BEEN DETERIORATING EVER SINCE. This is consistent with everything we can observe. Everything is proceeding from order to chaos. Everything is corrupting. Evolution would require the exact opposite of this. The second law of thermodynamics is described by a secular scientist as follows: "Another way of stating the Second Law then is: 'The universe is constantly getting more disorderly!' Viewed that way, we can see the Second Law all about us. We have to work hard to straighten a room, but left to itself it becomes a mess again very quickly and very easily. Even if we never enter it, it becomes dusty and musty. How difficult to maintain houses, and machinery, and our own bodies in perfect working order; how easy to let them deteriorate. In fact, all we have to do is nothing, and everything deteriorates, collapses, breaks down, wears out, all by itself and that is what the Second Law is all about" (Isaac Asimov, "In the Game of Energy and Thermodynamics You Can't Break Even," Smithsonian Institute Journal, June 1970, p. 10). Dr. Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, observes: "Remember this tendency from order to disorder applies to all real processes. Real processes include, of course, biological and geological processes, as well as chemical and physical processes. The interesting question is: 'How does a real biological process, which goes from order to disorder, result in evolution, which goes from disorder to order?' ... Thus, the Second Law proves, as certainly as science can prove anything whatever, that the universe had a beginning. ... The evolutionist will not accept this conclusion, however. He hypothesizes that ... some natural law canceling out the Second Law prevails far out in space. When he makes such assumptions, however, he is denying his own theory, which says that all things can be explained in terms of presently observable laws and processes. He is really resorting to creationism, but refuses to acknowledge a Creator" (Morris, "Evolution, Thermodynamics, and Entropy," Impact No. 3, Institute for Creation Research, 1973).

6. GENESIS SAYS EVERYTHING WAS CREATED TO FULFILL GOD'S PURPOSES; THIS INCLUDES THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT, AS WELL AS THE PLANETARY UNIVERSE. Teleology is the study of purposes, final causes, and evidences of design in nature. It is a fascinating study, because regardless of how minutely one studies the creation, one is impressed at the brilliant design in every detail. Study the eye, the ear, the leaf, the wing, the atom, light, sound, hydrogen--everywhere you find purpose and design. Michael Denton observes, "It is the sheer universality of perfection, the fact that everywhere we look, to whatever depth we look, we find an elegance and ingenuity of an absolutely transcending quality, which so mitigates against the idea of chance" (Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, London: Burnett Books, 1983, p. 342). Even a microscopic one-celled bacterium (R. Coli) contains DNA information units that are equivalent to 100 million pages of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and all of that information works together in perfect harmony! Purpose and design is what one would expect if God created the world as the Bible says He did, but it is not what we would find if evolution were true. If the latter were true, we would find incredible chaos, happenstance, and haphazardness. We would have a world filled with monsters and unpredictable madness, part one thing and part another, a fish becoming a bird, a frog becoming a rat, a lizard becoming a bird, partially formed beaks which do not yet have a purpose, partially formed feet, partially formed wings, partially formed eyes, partially formed brains. We would have no fixed absolutes from which and with which to work. We would have no atomic clock because the atom would not be stable. We would have no sure guide across the trackless oceans because the heavenly bodies would be in fluctuation. Praise the Lord that evolution is a lie and the Bible is true.

a. Consider an example of design in the inanimate universe, the proton: "Consider the mass of the proton. Such a property of an elementary particle might at first seem of trivial significance. However, closer inspection reveals that the proton's mass has been exactly chosen to provide both its own stability and that of the entire universe. In contrast, a free neutron (n), a slightly heavier particle, decays to a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino with a half-life of just twelve minutes. Free neutrons simply cannot persist in nature. However, if the mass of a proton were somehow increased by just 0.2%, then the proton would become the unstable particle. It would quickly decay to a neutron, positron, and neutrino: This second reaction does not occur, but it would if the proton were just slightly heavier. The implications are truly universal. Of chief significance, the hydrogen nucleus is just a single proton. Thus the hypothesized rapid decay of protons would destroy all hydrogen atoms. Furthermore, hydrogen is a major component of our bodies, as well as water molecules, the sun, and all other stars. Hydrogen is, after all, the dominant element of the universe. It is obvious that the proton's mass has been wisely planned to be slightly smaller than that of a neutron, to prevent the collapse of the universe. Also, protons are not subject to the influence of mutation or natural selection. Their physical properties were chosen from the beginning and have not changed. ... The knife-edged balance of protons and forces is indeed a strong testimony to the Creation. ... Evolutionary change is entirely unable to deal with such permanent properties of nature" (Dr. Donald DeYoung, "Design in Nature," Impact No. 149, November 1985, Institute for Creation Research,).

b. Consider an example of design in the animal world, the Bombardier Beatle: The following a brief excerpt from Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution 1 by Dr. Jobe Martin (ExplorationFilms.com, 800-964-0439): "In the fall of 1971 I went to Baylor University in Dallas and gave my first lecture. It was on the evolution of the tooth. I talked about how these fish scales gradually migrated into the mouth and became teeth. A couple of students came to me after the class that day and said, 'Dr. Martin, have you ever investigated the claims of creation science?' That was 1971, and I had never even heard of it. So I said, 'Sure, I'll look into this with you.' And I'm thinking, kind of as a cocky young professor, 'I'll blow these guys away.' Well, they asked me to study the assumptions that the evolutionists make. In all of my eight years of scientific education, I had never had a single professor tell me about an assumption. So we started looking at the assumptions. I began to realize that evolutionists are making some claims that are based on assumptions that aren't valid, when they tell us that rocks are so old and these kinds of things. Then they asked me to start studying some animals and see if I thought that animal could have evolved. The first thing that we studied together was this little bug called the bombardier beetle. This little insect, which is about a half inch long, mixes chemicals that explode. I began to think, O.K. how would that evolve? If evolution is true it had to somehow evolve that. Let's assume it is evolving this defense mechanism, but the first time that it finally produces the explosion, what happens to the bug? Well, it is destroyed by the explosion, and we know that splattered bug pieces don't evolve. So I thought, how could this have happened? Well, it doesn't blow itself up. [And that is because of the intricate way that it is built.] It has another little factory inside itself and it manufactures a chemical that acts as a catalyst, so when it squirts that chemical into these other chemicals that are in a suspended state it produces the explosion. And it has an asbestos lined firing chamber to protect itself. And it has two little twin tail tubes, and it can aim these tubes out the side, even out the front. Let's say a spider is coming up toward its side and it doesn't have time to turn around and shoot. It can just take its little gun turret, aim it out to the side, and shoot. If you are listening to the explosion all you hear is a single pop, but scientists have now put that sound into slow motion, and it is like about a thousand sequential little explosions that are so fast that all we hear is one pop. So you think, why would that be? It was a curious thing for the scientists that are studying this little bug. A lot of them are at Cornell University and some other places. What they discovered was that if it were just one big explosion, the little bug would be jetted away by the force! But as long as it is a sequential explosion, the bug with his little legs can hang on. How would evolution explain a sequential explosion? This little bug messes with all of the theories of evolution. There is no way a slow, gradual process is going to produce this bug. There is no way, even, that the newer theories, such as punctuated equilibrium, can explain this bug. I began to realize that this little bug needed to have all of its parts there at once or you just don't have the animal. And my stomach started to churn. My wife will tell you that my stomach churned for five years. It took a five-year struggle for me to begin to flip the way I think, from thinking in an evolutionary way to thinking that this creature was created fully formed just like it is. That went against everything I had ever learned."

c. Consider an example of design in the human body, the eye. "The eye is constructed exactly like a camera except that it is infinitely more complex and sophisticated. Like some modern cameras, it has autofocus and automatic adjustment of the iris diaphragm. In the case of the eye, the lens actually changes its shape or correction to focus at different distances. The lens is made of living cells that are marvelously transparent as is the cornea, the window like skin that covers the eye. The most amazing component of the camera eye is its 'film' or retina. This light sensitive layer, which lines the back of the eye ball, is thinner than a sheet of Saran-Wrap and is vastly more sensitive to a wider range of light than any man-made film. The best man-made film can handle a range of 1,000-to-one. By comparison, the human retina can handle a dynamic range of light of 10 billion-to-one and can sense as little as a single photon of light in the dark! In bright daylight, the retina bleaches out and turns it's 'volume control' way down so as not to overload. The light sensitive cells of the retina are like an extremely complex high gain amplifier. There are over 10 million such cells in the retina and they are packed together with a density of 200,000/mm{2} in the highly sensitive fovea. These photoreceptor cells have a very high rate of metabolism and must completely replace themselves about every 7 days! If you look at a very bright light such as the sun, they immediately burn out but are rapidly replaced in most cases. Because the retina is thinner than the wavelength of visible light it is totally transparent. Each of these minute photoreceptor cells is vastly more complex than the most sophisticated man-made computer. It has been estimated that 10 billion calculations occur every second in the retina before the light image even gets to the brain! ... Attempts to explain the evolution of the eye, like most other evolutionary 'explanations,' are merely untestable scenarios in the guise of science. Not only must one account for the eye itself but also an optically transparent 'skin,' the cornea through the eye must look, and a brain to process the optical information. The visual cortex of the brain, together with the eye, which is actually part of the brain, must translate optical information which begins as nothing more than differences in the amplitude and wave length of light rays into what is perceived as real time 3-dimensional color vision. There is undoubtedly a scientific explanation for all of this signal processing and we already know a great deal about it but we are no closer to a scientific explanation for how we came to have eyes in the first place. No wonder the Bible says, 'The hearing ear and the seeing eye the Lord hath made them all'" (Dr. David N. Menton, Can Evolution Produce an Eye? Missouri Association for Creation, 1994; Dr. Mention received his Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University and has been involved in biomedical research and education for over 30 years.)

d. Consider the ultimate example of design in the human body, the human brain. "The adult brain weighs about 1350 grams, just three pounds, yet it handles the information of 1000 supercomputers. The fundamental unit within the brain is the neuron, or nerve cell. Each cell, about 10-6 meter in diameter, contains a nucleus and branching fibers called dendrites and axons. When a cell 'fires,' it sends electrochemical impulses along its axon extension to neighboring neurons. Our brain contains about 10 billion neurons (1010). During the first nine months of life, these neurons form at the astounding rate of 25,000 per minute. ... Each neuron is in dendritic contact with perhaps 10,000 other neurons. The total number of neurological interconnections is on the order of 1014 (100 trillion). This number is equivalent to all the leaves on all the trees of a vast forest covering half of the U.S. The total length of the nerve dendrites in an adult brain is over 100,000 miles!2 ... the brain holds at least 1014 bits (binary digits) of information. Actually, it is a much greater number, since the neurons also show intermediate firing states, somewhat like a light-dimmer switch. The storage capacity of this supercomputer [the Cray-2] is 1,000 times less than that of the human brain. ... Note that the potential brain capacity is estimated as at least equivalent to that of 25 million volumes, a 500-mile-long bookshelf! ... The beautiful complexity of our brain contrasts sharply with all simplistic, secular attempts to explain it away. Our brain remains a frontier of science; we actually know very little about it, but what is known is overwhelming. In addition, every single neuronal cell within the brain contains a trillion atoms. This is like a microscopic universe within each cell, complete with order, purpose, and interdependence of components. ... The brain truly provides an ultimate design challenge for evolution. It should be a cause for humble praise in considering the wonder of the mind. It is a privilege to dedicate these minds to the Creator" (from the article "Thinking About the Brain" by Dr. Don DeYoung and Dr. Richard Bliss, copyright 2004, Institute for Creation Research).

[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Our goal in this particular aspect of our ministry is not devotional but is TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR.

Genesis doesn't have to be written as a science textbook, all it has to be is true.

The story of Creation is one of teaching us that there is a creator, and some small points on how He created, so that we realize that we are humans created specially by God, and therefore here for a reason.

Genesis does not have to be a science book to teach us the order of days that Creation was, nor does it have to be a science book to describe what came first, the chicken or the egg.

God made it clear in Genesis that we are specially created beings, that ALL life is specially created, and that therefore any attempts to infuse evolution into the argument is false.

And there is no twisting of the creation accounts between Genesis 1 and 2.

Genesis 2 clearly starts with saying that the creation is complete. Gen 2:4 is clearly spoken as a metaphor, while the days of Genesis 1 are CLEARLY added to with modifiers to make them known as single, 24 hour days.

Someone brought this up on another thread a couple days ago. Here was my response to him::

have no idea where you got that from, but here is what the Bible actually says in Genesis 2::

(Gen 2:1 KJV) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

(Gen 2:2 KJV) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

(Gen 2:3 KJV) And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

(Gen 2:4 KJV) These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

(Gen 2:5 KJV) And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

(Gen 2:6 KJV) But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

(Gen 2:7 KJV) 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.

;
;
Notice there is NO MENTION of the Creation days as singular events. It is an overview of the events written in a way that some scholars call the geneology pattern listing the origin of some kingdoms of the Mid-East (See Gleason Archer and others). Nor is there any mention of Adam being around before plants existed. In fact, Genesis 2:5 clearly says plants were there BEFORE there was a man.

The only way you can get confused is if you twist Gen 2:4, IN THE DAY.

WE USE THAT type of speech today, referring to In the days of Clinton, the Day of our revolutionary fathers and such, and we dont mean a single day, we mean a time period.

If a person just reads it plainly, like it was written to be read, it is obvious Gen 2:4 means a time period, not an individual day referring to the whole Creation week.

As for the lack of a literal day, if there was no literal day in the description of Evening, Morning, and then the term DAY, then we have no reason to believe any word day means a day.

The days of Genesis 1 are the most clearly defined 24 hour periods in the Bible, and it is only those who wish to do away with the meaning of the word day who try to say otherwise.

And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

You must observe what you are trying to say when you deny the days of Genesis 1 are not 24 hour days:
Day 1, the creation of the Heavens and the Earth took an undetermined time, possible what we would call a million years

day 2, the firmament separating the waters above from the waters below took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years

day 3, the creation of plants and herbs took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years

day 4, Stars, the sun and moon took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years
WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN GOD HAD PLANTS THAT WERE CREATED ON DAY 3 EXIST FOR MAYBE A MILLION YEARS WITHOUT SUNLIGHT, something we KNOW cannot happen today!

day 5, all the whales, the sea monsters, the birds, the fish took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years day 6, all the cattle, beasts including dinosaurs and cows, crickets and mice and MAN took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years day 7, God's REST took an indeterminate length of time, possible what we would call a million years

And what you need to notice, that order of Creation is DIFFERENT from an evolutionist order of events.

SO, if you call the Bible a lie because you dont want to believe the LITERAL DAY of Genesis::

And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And the evening and the morning were the second day.
And the evening and the morning were the third day.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

IF you dont believe that a DAY means a DAY when it clearly has modifiers next to the word DAY EXPLAINING it is a 24 hour day, then you have no reason at ALL to believe that the word day means a 24 hour period anywhere in the Bible.

You also call GOD Himself a liar, for GOD HIMSELF said 6 days was the length of Creation::

(Exo 20:8 KJV) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

(Exo 20:9 KJV) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

(Exo 20:10 KJV) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

(Exo 20:11 KJV) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

If the days were not LITERAL DAYS, then there was no reason for GOD HIMSELF to use the word DAY here, was there? You are calling God a liar when you do that...

10 Reasons Why the Six Days of Creation Were Literal 24 Hour Days
1. "EVENING AND MORNING"
God has carefully defined the word "day" by the expression "evening and morning." "And the _______________________
and the ________________________
were the first ________" (Genesis 1:5 and see verses 8,13,19,23,31).

There is something that every day contains: AN EVENING AND A MORNING!! How many days are represented below?

E-M-
E-M-
E-M-
E-M-
E-M-
E-M

_________ DAYS

Daniel 8:14 (according to the Hebrew text) says "Unto 2,300 evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." How many days is this? _________ DAYS. See also Daniel 8:26.

Every 24 hour day has an evening and a morning.
Does an AGE have an evening and a morning? _______ (a long period of time would have many, many evenings and mornings!)

An age may have a beginning and an ending, but it does not have just one evening and morning!!

2. Numerical Adjustive
God also defines the word "day" by putting a NUMBER before it: "And the evening and the morning were the ______________ day" (Genesis 1:5).
God tells us exactly what day it was. It was the FIRST DAY. See also Genesis 1:8,13,19,23,31 and Exodus 20:11 ("SIX days").

When a number comes before the word "day," it almost always refers to a literal 24 hour day. Compare Numbers 7:12,18,24,30,36,42,48, etc. Let us consider these examples:

a) We are living in the day of manned space flight. (Is this a 24 hour day?)
b) Have you learned in history class about the first day of manned space flight in1961 when a Russian cosmonaut became the first man to leave our earth’s atmosphere?
(Was this a 24 hour day?)
a) "I can remember the day when I was in the first grade." (Was this a 24 hour day?)
b) "I can still remember the third day of first grade when the teacher told me to stand in the corner of my classroom because I was not behaving." (Was this a 24 hour day?)
a) GENESIS 2:4—"in the day the LORD God made the earth and the heavens (How long was this "day"? – See Exodus 20:11)
b) GENESIS 1:31—"And the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (Was this a 24 hour day?)
3. Day and Night
In Genesis 1:5 God has told us what happened on "the ___________ _______."
What kind of a day was this first day?
Was it an age?
In verse 5 God has said that this first day was made up of a period of light called ________ and a period of darkness called ______________.
So we know that this first day was a day-night period. DAY 1 of the CREATION WEEK was a period of 12 HOURS OF LIGHT and 12 HOURS OF DARKNESS.

DAY

(LIGHT)
NIGHT

(DARKNESS)

12 Hours
12 Hours

24 TOTAL HOURS = THE FIRST DAY!

How many days are represented above? ________

Every 24 hour day has a DAY (period of light) and a NIGHT (period of darkness).

Does an AGE have a DAY and a NIGHT? _________ (An age has many, many days and nights!)

4. The Fourth Day
Genesis 1:15-19 describes the fourth day of creation. In these verses the word "day" or "days" is used 5 times. Please match the following:

_____ Verse 14–"to divide the day from the night"
_____ Verse 14–"for days, and years"
_____ Verse 16–"to rule the day"
_____ Verse 18–"rule over the day"
_____ Verse 19–"the fourth day"
A literal 12 hour day

A literal 24 hour day

An AGE (a long period of time)

5. The Seventh Day
The seventh day was a 24 hour day also (Genesis 2:1-3).
On what day were Adam and Eve created (Genesis 1:26-31)? ____________________
Did God curse the earth on the seventh day, the day which He blessed (see Genesis 3:17-19 and Genesis 2:3)? ____
Did Adam and Eve live beyond the seventh day? _______
How old was Adam when he died (Genesis 5:4-5)? __________________
The seventh day was not a long age lasting thousands or millions of years. It was a 24 hour day just like the first six days.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

6. The Fourth Commandment
The fourth commandment is found in Exodus 20:8-11 and in these verses the word "day" or "days" is used 6 times. To see how the word "day(s)" is used in these verses, please do the matching problem found at the top of page 35:

EXODUS 20

_____ Verse 8—"sabbath day"
_____ Verse 9—"six days"
_____ Verse 10—"seventh day"
_____ Verse 11—"six days"
_____ Verse 11—"seventh day"
_____ Verse 11—"sabbath day"
Literal 12 hour day(s)
Literal 24 hour day(s)
An age (a long period of time)

Notice in Exodus 20:11 that the number _______ is placed before the word "days" (see pages 32-33).

Your friend might say to you, "I worked on a paper for school and it took me six days to finish!" Do you think your friend meant days or ages? ______

How long did it take God to finish His work of creation (Exodus 20:11)? _____________________ Do you think these were 24 hour days? ________

In these verses we learn that God’s WORKING AND RESTING was to serve as a pattern for Israel’s WORKING AND RESTING. God told the children of Israel that He wanted them to work six days (Sunday through Friday) and rest on the seventh day (Saturday) because this was exactly what God did when He created the heavens and earth (Exodus 20:11).

If the days of creation were ages, then the WORK DAYS for the children of Israel must also be ages (if we are to be consistent). Can you imagine a hard working Israeli man coming home after a day’s work and collapsing in his wife’s arms, saying, "My dear wife, what a long and hard day of work I had! Today I worked 500 million years and I am really tired!! I can’t wait for the Sabbath to come so that I can rest!"

Of course, this would be ridiculous! This is what happens when a person tries to make DAYS mean AGES. It becomes silly. On the following page we will learn that DAYS (PLURAL) can never be ages.

7. Days (plural)
In Exodus 20:11 we are told that the LORD made everything in six days. The word "DAYS" is plural. When the word "day" is used in the plural (DAYS), it almost always refers to literal 24 hour days. The word "day" (singular) can be used of a period of time that is longer than 24 hours: "the day of the LORD" "The day of grace" "the day of trouble" "the day of modern science" etc. (see pages 31-32), but the moment a person speaks about DAYS (plural), he is talking about 24 hour days. Consider these examples:

How many days are there until your birthday?
It took the children of Israel 7 days to capture the city of Jericho (read Joshua chapter 6).
Mark 14:1–"two days."
Revelation 12:6 (the last half or the final 3½ years of the tribulation period).
Exodus 20:11—SIX DAYS.
8. The Basic Meaning of the Word "DAY"
We have already seen that the word "day" can be used to describe a 12 hour period of light (Genesis 1:5,14,16,18). The word "day" can also be used of a longer period of time (2 Peter 3:8-10; Jeremiah 30:7). But most of the time when we use the word "day" we are speaking of a 24 hour day. This is the normal and basic meaning of the word "day."

When we study the Bible we always should understand a word in its literal, normal, natural and basic meaning unless this meaning does not make sense. Here is our rule—If the basic sense makes good sense, then seek no other sense, lest it result in nonsense.

Here are some examples:

The basic meaning of "LAMB"—a four footed animal, a young sheep.
Does Isaiah 11:6 use the word according to its basic meaning? _____
Does John 1:29 use the word according to its basic meaning? ______
The basic meaning of "DOG"—a four-legged animal often used as a pet.
Does Luke 16:21 use the word according to its basic meaning? _______
In Philippians 3:2 and Revelation 22:15 is this word used according to its basic meaning? _______
The basic meaning of "BLOOD"—the red liquid in the veins and the arteries.
Does John 19:34 use the word according to its basic meaning?_______
Does Matthew 26:28 use the word according to its basic meaning? _______
Note: Roman Catholics have misunderstood this verse because they wrongly understand "blood" according to its basic meaning, and thus when they take the MASS they believe that the juice of the grape becomes the actual blood of Christ. Compare John 6:54 with John 6:40 where we see that eating His flesh and drinking His blood is equivalent to believing on Him.

Should we understand the days of creation to be literal 24 hour days (this is the basic meaning of the word)? Does this make good sense or does this make nonsense? Consider these questions:

Can an Almighty God complete His work of creation in 6 literal days? Is anything too hard for the Lord (Genesis 18:14)?
Could God have done this in one literal day? In one second?
Why did God do it in 6 days (Exodus 20:11)?
Did God need millions of years to make our world the way it is?
Does it make good sense to say that the days of creation were ages?
The only reason some people think they need to make the six days of creation long periods of time (ages) is because they feel they need to give the "god" of the evolutionists enough time to do his work. The god of chance needs plenty of time (see page 30)! He could never have done it in six days! In fact it is doubtful that he could have done it even if he had 6 quadrillion days (6,000,000,000,000,000)!

9. What did Moses Think?
Moses was the man God used to write the book of Genesis (Luke 24:27,44). Whenever you study the Bible you must ask yourself this important question: How did the original writer (in this case Moses) and the original listeners (the children of Israel) understand what was written?

Do you think Moses understood the days of creation to be long ages of time? Would the people who lived in the time of Moses have thought of these days as normal 24 hour days? Did they have any reason to think of these days as ages?

Moses and the people of his day believed that God began His work of creation on Sunday, created man on Friday and rested on Saturday. Do you believe what Moses believed?

10. Make Your Choice: Genesis or Evolution?
Some people believe that if you make the days of creation ages (long periods of time), then Genesis chapter 1 teaches the same as evolution. They believe that the order of events in Genesis 1 is the same order of events as given by the evolutionists. Let us see if this is really true:

Evolutionists say that the SUN came before the EARTH.
But God says the sun was made on DAY ______ and the earth was made on DAY _____. Therefore the earth is _______ days older than the sun!
Was there LIGHT even before the sun was made? _______
On what day was this LIGHT created? DAY _____

Evolutionists say that life must first begin in the sea (in the ocean). They teach that after millions of years some life forms eventually moved onto the land.
But God says life in the ocean appeared on DAY _______ and life on land first appeared on DAY ______ (plant life).
Thus, life on land appeared _____ DAYS before life appeared in the oceans (marine life).

Evolutionists say that reptiles came before birds (because they believe that birds evolved from reptiles).

But God says that birds were made on DAY ______
and land animals (which would included land reptiles) were not made until DAY ______.

Birds are _____ DAY older than reptiles!

Could birds have evolved from reptiles? ______

Certainly reptiles did not evolve from birds! (Not even the evolutionists would say this!).

The Bible says God made the birds and God made the reptiles. Reptiles did not precede birds by hundreds of thousands of years.

"Every thinking person knows that birds were created before reptiles, because that is what God has told us in His Word."

Evolutionists say that land mammals came before whales (because they believe that whales evolved from land mammals).
But God says that whales and other great monsters of the sea were created on DAY _____
and land mammals were not made until DAY _____.

Which came first, the whale or the pig? _________________

Do you think the whale has evolved from pig-like animals? ________

Therefore whales are ______ DAY older than land mammals!

For a land mammal to become a whale he would need to return to the water, lose his hair and grow about 50 times as big! Do you think this really happened? ______

A large elephant (the largest land mammal) weighs about 7 tons! A blue whale (the largest kind of whale) weighs about 150 tons! The whale did not evolve by chance; it was created by God!

Evolutionists say that plant life is impossible without insects because the pollination process (the way plants reproduce) requires insects such as bees.

But God says that insects (creeping things) were not created until DAY _____ and plant life appeared on DAY ______.

This means that plant life appeared _______ DAYS before insects.

Do you think plants and flowers could survive for 3 ages without insects? ______

Do you think plants and flowers could survive for 3 days without insects? _____

Evolutionists say that ape-like creatures came along thousands of years before man (because they believe that man evolved from ape-like creatures).

But God says that men and apes were both created on DAY _______.

Evolutionists say that the sun must have been here before life could begin (because they believe life began as the sun’s rays beat down upon the primitive oceans).

But God says that life (vegetation) appeared on DAY _____ and the sun was not made until DAY ______.
It is possible for life to begin without the sun but can life begin without the CREATOR? ______ Who is the source of life, the sun or the CREATOR (see Acts 17:28)? _______

Life owes its existence not to the SUN but to the SON OF GOD (see John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16).

Please indicate on which DAY of creation the following were made:

_______ Whales
_______ God rested on this day
_______ Fish
_______ The earth
_______ The stars
_______ Insects (bees)
_______ Land Reptiles
_______ Trees
_______ Flowers
_______ Monkeys
_______ The Sun
_______ Birds
_______ Elephants

_______ Man
_______ Sharks
_______ Light
_______ Dry Land
_______ Turtles
_______ Firmament
(an expanse of space)
_______ Eagles

You cannot listen to both God and the evolutionists! They do not teach the same thing! If Genesis chapter 1 is true (and it is!), then evolution is false.

If evolution is true, then Genesis chapter 1 is false, and the Bible is filled with errors.

But the Lord Jesus said that the Word of God is ___________ (John 17:17)
and we know that God’s Word is __________ from the ___________________ (Psalm 119:160).

Who should you believe — the CREATOR or the evolutionists?

Will you put your faith in the false god of the evolutionists who needs billions of years to do his work, or will you put your faith in an Almighty Creator who can create all things in 6 DAYS?

As you observe and study the world around you, you will discover that all the true facts of science and all the true laws of science agree perfectly with the Bible and with the book of Genesis!

Do you think it is possible for BOOK 1 (God’s revelation in nature) to contradict BOOK 2 (God’s revelation in His Word)? _______ (see pages 14-21).
Who wrote Book 1? __________
Who wrote Book 2? _____________

God is the Author of both! This is why both books say the same thing. And both books point to the greatness of the C________________, who is blessed forever, Amen (see Romans 1:25).

Sad to say, the books that the evolutionists write often do not agree with the true facts of science and they certainly do not agree with God’s Word the Bible! CHOOSE you this day! (See Joshua 24:15.)
Choose the true God of creation or the false God of the evolutionists (the God of chance)!

The Creation may not be told as a science textbook, but they are still told as literal truth.

Also, you have to read more authors to find this out, the style of writing, by telling a story through two versions of events with both containing the same facts but told with different view points, is a common old age style of story telling. (I loaned someone the book, "The Genesis Flood", so I cant tell you what that was called!) You should also become familiar with the creation accounts of other religions, and you wil see that the Bible is the only one that makes sense. How does it make sense that the billions of heavenly bodies, (some of which very possibly hosting life more advanced than ours) were all created in 6 of our days at some point a few thousand years ago? This completely ignores volumes of contrary evidence.

Where is the real evidence that stars are older than one another?
Where is the evidence that any life exists anywhere else in the Universe?
Please re-read the law of bio-genesis, Life only occurs where life already was.
It is only the theory of evolution that 'proves' any points.

The Bible never said the Earth was the center of the universe, It is a false assumption, like "When did you stop beating your wife?".

As for the supposed six stages of creation, people are trying to reconcile evolutionary thought with Scripture, and they dont mix.

Here's an example: Evolution says the first thing there was was a mass that exploded in what we call the big bang. No stars, just helium and hydrogen gas after this, with Stars forming slowley after this, right? What does Genesis say?

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. 3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

This is clear, the Earth came first, not the big bang.

Next, according to evolution, what came next?
Masses clumping together?
Forming stars?
Rough edges of solar systems?
Clumps of matter with clouds of matter surrounding them that eventually cool to become planets a comets and stuff?

What does Genesis say?
6: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7: And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8: And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9: And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10: And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12: And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13: And the evening and the morning were the third day.

Here we see that the Earth was fully formed and plants were brought out. Notice something here, THERE IS NO SUN YET, NOR STARS, NOR A MOON..

Next, evolution says the suns stabilized in output, all extra material was blown away by the solar winds, and the planets were left to cool from the molten mass they once were, volcanic eruptions occuring for millenia until the system reached some sort of equilibrium, and somehow life appeared.

What does Genesis say? Remember, life already appears because God put it there, all plants, theoceans were alread formed remember:

14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16: And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17: And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18: And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19: And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Sun and Moon and Stars weren't until the day 4!!!! The Earth was already here!! There was already light from something, what I can't say, but it was already there, yet we had a planet with no sun or stars till day 4. Sort of makes the Creation/Evolution attempts of mixture nothing but a sham at this point, because it says both versions are wrong, neither have the right order or cause or purpose.

Evolution says that some form of life grew in a puddle of something, and that first life grew, how we have no evidence of, but somehow became something else to make all life on Earth.

Genesis says this though:
20: And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21: And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22: And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23: And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

All those creatures all at once, done in one day, and evening and a morning, a 24 hour period, not millions of years, including whales and large sea creatures. Evolution says that whales came from the sea to become a cow like creature and then went back into the ocean. God said he made them whales right from the start. Who is lying? God?

Evolution then says that creatures continued to evolve, and that man came from a ape-like creature. Since if we saw it, we would call it an ape, I am going to say, evolution says we came from apes!

Genesis says:
24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25: And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
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.
29: And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30: And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Thats where we begin, and thats where we end. You see? Thoses ages people claim to believe in, have no bearing in science, nor is there any evidence in Scripture. The creation account is not the same order of evolution, so one has to be wrong. I believe in Scripture!

What you posted does not agree with what Scripture says. Here is a Bible study for you, you should find it a blessing.

CHAPTER 5

The Gap Theory

The KEY question:
Is there a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2?

The KEY phrase:
"without form and void" (Gen. 1:2)

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the _______________. And the _____________ was _________________ ____________ and ____________" (Genesis 1:1 -2).

1. Many people believe that there should be a GAP between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 as illustrated below:

They believe that the GAP involved a very long period of time—many millions or perhaps even billions of years. During this period of time they believe that some very important events took place (as we shall soon see).

2. Some of the people who believe in this GAP say that there was once a race of men living on earth during this GAP period (some kind of "prehistoric men"). We know that ADAM was not created until which day of the creation week (Gen. 1:26-31)? _______________________ This means that if there were men that lived on earth during this GAP, then they must have lived BEFORE Adam!

PRE-ADAMIC MEN
(Men Living On Earth Before Adam)

ADAM + EVE
(Created on Day 6 of Creation Week)

What happened to these "pre-Adamic" men? We are told that they were destroyed by God in a world-wide judgment. Some even say that though their bodies were destroyed, the spirits of these evil men continued to live on, and these evil spirits are in the world today! We now call them DEMONS!

Is this really the best explanation for the origin (beginning) of demons? Are demons really the disembodied spirits of a race of evil men who lived before Adam? Actually demons are angels who sinned and followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God—see our notes on ANGELS.

3. Why was there such a terrible judgment upon the earth during this GAP? Those who believe in the GAP say that it was during this time that Lucifer (Satan—Isaiah 14:12) fell into sin and was then judged by God. Because of the fall of Satan, the earth experienced a terrible worldwide judgment, and as a result the earth became without form and void.

When was Lucifer created? When did Lucifer fall into sin? When did God judge Satan? To help answer these questions, see our study on "When Did Satan Fall?" (Pages 58a and following).

4. Because of Lucifer’s fall into sin, we are told that God judged the entire earth. What kind of a judgment was this? Some who believe in the GAP think that God judged the earth with a terrible worldwide flood. This was not Noah’s flood because that did not happen until Genesis chapters 6-8. This was supposedly an earlier flood which some have called "Lucifer’s Flood." Was there really such a flood? Does the Bible say anything about such a flood? Does the Bible teach that there have been two worldwide floods?

5. As a result of "Lucifer's Flood," all the plants and animals and living organisms that were supposedly living on earth at this time suddenly died in this judgment. They were buried in mud and many FOSSILS were formed.

Were there really plants and animals living on earth during the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Is this really the way fossils were formed? When did DEATH first enter the world? [Remember, plants were not created until Day 3 and animals not until Days 5 and 6, according to Genesis chapter 1].

6. Those people who believe in the GAP say that the earth BECAME "without form and void" (Gen. 1:2) as a result of God’s judgment on the earth following Lucifer’s sin.

FIRST, they believe that God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). This was a perfect creation. SIN had not yet entered the universe!

SECOND, they believe Lucifer fell into sin (Isa. 14:12-14) and for the first time sin entered the universe. This event supposedly took place during the GAP (between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2).

THIRD, they believe God judged Satan and as a result of this terrible judgment, the earth BECAME without form and void (ruined and desolate)--see Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23 where these two words ("without form and void") are used to describe the destruction and desolation which followed God’s judgment.

Thus, these people believe that the earth BECAME ruined and destroyed (without form and void) because of God’s judgment. They believe that Genesis 1:2 describes a ruined earth that is no longer perfect—an earth that has been MARRED and SPOILED by sin and judgment.

If you had a delicious ripe apple (without blemish and without spot!) and then several months later you returned and found the apple in a rotten, spoiled, worm-filled condition, you would logically conclude that though the apple was once "perfect," something happened in the GAP of several months, and the apple BECAME ruined and spoiled!

Those who believe in the GAP believe that Genesis 1:1 describes the PERFECT EARTH. Then something happened in the GAP (Lucifer’s fall and God’s judgment) and the earth BECAME spoiled and ruined (Genesis 1:2).

But, does Genesis 1:2 really describe a ruined earth? Did the earth really become spoiled at this time? Is there really such a GAP?

We all know that the world became ruined and spoiled as the result of man’s sin (see Genesis 3), but did the world also get spoiled in the GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?

7. Genesis 1:2 says "and ______________________ was upon the face of the deep." Those who believe in the GAP tell us that the word "darkness" in Genesis 1:2 describes SIN and JUDGMENT. Sometimes the Bible does use the word "darkness" to describe a sinful condition. For example, John 3:19-20 says that men loved the darkness of sin rather than light (see also John 1:5; 8:12; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:9-11). What happened when Christ was judged for our sins (Matthew 27:45)? __________________________________________________ Does God sometimes judge the earth by sending darkness (see Exodus 10:21-23; Revelation 8:12; 16:10)? _____ Thus we are told that the DARKNESS in Genesis 1:2 proves that God judged the earth sometime during the GAP. But is this really true? Is "darkness" always used to describe something evil? Can darkness be found on a perfect earth? Did God create the darkness?

8. The earth was originally created perfect (Genesis 1:1). If the earth was later judged and ruined and spoiled during the GAP, then God must do His work of creation all over again! He must create the heavens and the earth a second time! Thus the 6 days of creation that we read about in Genesis 1 are not really days of creation, but they are days of "RE-CREATION" (creating again). During these 6 days God re-created (re-made) the heavens and the earth. Before the GAP-judgment, there were plants and animals and even men living on the earth. But they were all destroyed in the judgment of Lucifer, and God must create life once again. So these people believe that Genesis chapter 1 does not describe God’s original CREATION but it describes God’s RE-CREATION of the heavens and the earth.

Is this the way it really happened? Does Genesis chapter 1 describe a CREATION or a RE-CREATION?

9. Those who believe in the Gap Theory tell us that the earth was once filled with animals (including dinosaurs), plants and even a pre-Adamic race of men! But we are told that these were all destroyed Lucifer’s judgment and the earth then became void or empty (Genesis 1:2). So it was necessary for God to refill the earth. It was once filled (with plants and animals and men), but now it must be filled again! This is why God told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful, and multiply and _______________________ the earth" (GENESIS 1:28). But does the word "replenish" really mean "to fill again" (or does it simply mean "fill")? Is Genesis 1:3-31 really a description of God filling the earth for the second time?

10. Is there really a GAP between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2? Does God want us to read between the lines or between the verses? If there was really a GAP, why are there not any verses which tell us about this GAP and which describe what really happened?

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? Read Exodus 20:11. 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).

There is no room for a GAP! The creation of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1) took place on DAY ______ (see Genesis 1:5). One week later everything was _______________________ (Genesis 2:1).

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 MAN, then there can be no other men before him!

The first place in the Bible that mentions the word "man" is in Genesis 1:26-27. Do these verses describe the creation of men who lived on the earth before Adam, or do they describe the creation of Adam and Eve? __________________ ___________________________________

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! (Unless they were the bones of some ape or monkey mistakenly thought to be human). All men have come from Adam. Is Adam your ancient ancestor? ________ See 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? No, the BIBLE teaches that demons are ANGELS who joined in Satan’s rebellion and who sinned against God Almighty.

Please do the following MATCHING problem:

_______The holy angels.
_______ The devil’s angels.
_______ One third of the angels follow Satan.
________ Satan is the prince of the demons.
________ The angels who sinned.

Matthew 9:34Matthew 12:24
2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6
Matthew 25:31
Revelation 12:4
Matthew 25:41Revelation 12:7

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"-see page 5 in these notes where the Hebrew plural is discussed).

The 3 Heavens

The Bible indicates that there are 3 heavens (see 2 Cor. 12:2—"caught up to the ______________heaven"):

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, "Behold the __________ (birds) of the ________ (heaven)." See also Psalm 8:8 ("the fowl of the air [heaven]").

&nb sp;

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,"When I consider thy __________________ , the work of thy fingers, the ___________ and the ___________ which thou hast ordained."

&n bsp;

3) THE THIRD HEAVEN is that which cannot be seen except through the eyes of faith. It is sometimes called "the heaven of _________________" (Nehemiah 9:6). It is the "H_______________" of all the heavens (Luke 2:14). Today the third heaven is also called "P__________________" (2 Corinthians 12:4). Paul was once taken there (2 Cor. 12:2). The Lord Jesus is there today (Hebrews 8:1; 9:24) . This is where God the Father manifests His presence (Matthew 6:9) and we know Him as our ___________________ Father" (Matthew 6:26). This is where the believer goes when he dies (Phil. 1:23). This is also the abode or home of the angels (see Rev. 5:11; Mark 12:25, 13:32; Luke 2:13; Matthew 28:2).

When God says that He created the heavens (Gen. 1:1; Exodus 20:11), which of the heavens does He mean? To answer this question, please do the following MATCHING problem:

______ Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the FIRST HEAVEN? (Hint: the creation of the birds!)
______ Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the SECOND HEAVEN (moon, stars, galaxies, etc.)?
______ Where in Genesis 1 does it mention the THIRD HEAVEN—God’s throne, the angels, the cherubim, the heavenly paradise?

GENESIS 1:14-17
GENESIS 1:20,26
NOT MENTIONED IN GENESIS CHAPTER 1

Therefore, "the heavens" in Genesis 1:1 (and in Exodus 20:11) must refer to the ___________ HEAVEN (atmospheric heaven) and the _____________ HEAVEN (the stellar universe). The creation of the THIRD HEAVEN is not mentioned in Genesis chapter 1. How long did it take the Creator to create the FIRST and SECOND HEAVENS and all that is in them (Exodus 20:11)? _________________ Does this mean that God did not create the angels? NO, the Bible says that "by Him (Christ the Creator) were _____ _____________ created" (Col. 1:16; see page 2). Also in Nehemiah 9:6 the people praised God because He created ALL THINGS: "Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, _____ _____________ ____ ____________________ , with all their ____________ (angels), the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them, and Thou preservest them all; and the ________ ____ __________________ (angels) worshippeth Thee."

Notice that Nehemiah 9:6 mentions the THIRD HEAVEN ("heaven of heavens") and it mentions ANGELS ("host of heaven"). The following is a comparison between Nehemiah 9:6 and Exodus 20:11.

Exodus 20:11

Nehemiah 9:6

GOD MADE:

HEAVEN (including all that is in the first and second heavens)

[No mention of "the heaven of heavens" or of angels]

EARTH (including all that is in or on the earth)

SEA (including all that is in the sea)

The purpose of the verse:
To set forth God’s creation week as a pattern for the children of Israel (as God worked and rested, so they were to do the same).

THE LORD MADE:

HEAVEN (including all that is in the first and second heavens)

HEAVEN OF HEAVENS (including angels)

EARTH (including all that is in or on the earth)

SEA (including all that is in the sea)

[No mention of the length of creation or of how many days it took]

Purpose of the verse:
To praise the LORD as the Creator of ALL THINGS.

Some Observations:

1) When God mentions the creation of the UNIVERSE (first and second heavens), He gives the length of creation as 6 days (Exodus 20:11; Genesis 1).

2) When God mentions the creation of ALL THINGS (the UNIVERSE and the THIRD HEAVEN including angels), He does not give the length of creation (Nehemiah 9:6 and Colossians 1:16).

3) Angels must have been created prior to Genesis 1:1 because when the earth was being created they were there to praise God and to witness the creation of the UNIVERSE (see Job 38:4,7 on the next page).

JOB 38:4,7

"Where were you when I laid THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH? . . . When the morning stars (leading angels) sang together, and all the sons of God (angels, see Job 1:6; 2:1) shouted for joy."

Job was not there when God laid the foundation of the earth, but the angels were! When God created the earth in Genesis 1:1, the angels were already there witnessing the event. At the very beginning of DAY 1, the angels were already there watching what the Creator was doing. This is why Genesis 1 does not mention the creation of angels. They had already been created!

4) It was not Satan’s sin that spoiled and ruined the earth, but it was man’s sin that did this. The earth was cursed, not because of Lucifer’s fall, but because of Adam’s fall (see Genesis 3:15-19).

Consider the following TIME LINE:

To help you better understand SIN, SATAN, SALVATION and THE SAVIOUR we are going to tell you a true story. It is the greatest story ever told! The living GOD wants men and angels to understand WHO HE IS and WHAT HE IS LIKE. On the next page we will consider GOD’S GREAT DRAMA OF REDEMPTION.

THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION

The main characters in this drama are:

The living God, the CREATOR of ALL THINGS.
Lucifer (Satan).
The angels.
Sinful men like you and me.

SCENE 1--IN HEAVEN

In the very beginning, even before the beginning of the universe in Genesis 1:1, God created the third heaven ("the heaven of heavens"--Nehemiah 9:6) with all of its host of angelic creatures, more than any person could count (Rev. 5:11). One of these created angels was Lucifer, the cherub who covered and protected the very throne of God (Ezekiel 28:12-16). One day this angel’s heart was lifted up in pride because of his beauty (Ezekiel 28:17) and he thought too much of himself, a mere creature, and he began to think wrongly about God, the unique Creator. He tried to claim for himself what only belonged to God. Being lifted up in pride (1 Tim. 3:6), he sinned by putting himself in the place of God (notice the five "I WILL’s" of Isaiah 14:13-14). For the first time, a creature had sinned against the Creator!

This was not an outward sin, it took place inwardly ("For thou hast said in thine heart"-Isa. 14:13), but God who sees into the heart of His creatures must judge sin immediately. God the Righteous One exercised perfect justice and sentenced him to the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). The other angels were amazed. This was something they had never witnessed before. Never before had God judged anyone. There had never been an occasion for Him to do so. God’s perfect justice was seen for the very first time. FACE="Verdana" SIZE="3">

We are told in the Bible that following his fall into sin, Lucifer became the DEVIL. The word "devil" means "THE ACCUSER." It is not unreasonable to say that the devil accused God of being unfair and unjust before the other angels. You can just imagine the accusation that Satan hurled at the Creator: "HOW CAN A LOVING GOD SEND ONE OF HIS CREATURES TO HELL? THAT’S NOT FAIR!!" (Unsaved men, who are children of the devil–John 8:44, often hurl similar accusations today). Apparently Satan managed to convince one third of the angels that God was unloving and unfair (Revelation 12:4) and by doubting the character of God, they too fell into this terrible sin. These fallen angels are also called demons or unclean spirits or Satan’s angels.

Even though God had prepared the lake of fire for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41), we are amazed to learn that He did not send them there immediately. God wanted to first teach all the angels something. God wanted to vindicate His character and prove once and for all that He was a Just God and also a loving God. It was as if God were saying to all the heavenly host, "I will show you how holy and just I am (how much I hate sin and how I must judge sin) and yet I will also show you how loving and gracious I am. Just watch what I am about to do." The angels are very curious as to what God is about to do!

SCENE 2--IN HEAVEN

As all the angels watch with interest, God begins His great work of creation. By the word of His mouth (Ps. 33:6-9) the heavens and the earth are created (Gen. 1:1). The holy angels rejoice as God lays the foundation of the earth (Job 38:4,7). The earth (which was created even before the sun, moon and stars) becomes the stage of this great drama. The earth becomes the focus in Genesis chapter 1 (See Gen. 1:2-"AND THE EARTH..."). The trillions of stars are mentioned almost as an afterthought (Gen. 1:16). Planet earth becomes the focal point for all that God is going to do, as He begins to demonstrate and exhibit His perfect character. Finally the climax comes as the Saviour steps out of heaven’s glory and humbles Himself by becoming a Man (Phil. 2:6-8). Later He humbles Himself further by going to the cross of Calvary. It was here that God showed how much He hates sin. It was here that God showed how He must judge sin. And yet it was here that God showed how loving and gracious He is towards His creatures, even towards man. Thus it was at the cross that Satan was defeated and God’s character was vindicated. Satan’s charges were once and for all proven to be false!

Today the angels are intently observing the church and learning of God’s manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10) and His bountiful grace (Eph. 2:7). Finally the drama of redemption will be complete at the close of the millennial kingdom and Satan and his angels will finally face their doom in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10), realizing fully that God is absolutely right and fair in all that He does.

TO GOD BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER!!!

[Note: For a much more complete study of these things, see Pastor Parson’s study on ANGELS]

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! This is because THERE NEVER WAS SUCH A FLOOD! God has not bothered to tell us about something that never happened!

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 ________. Also we know that the first animal life did not come into existence until DAY _______ . 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 Adam was created on DAY ______ 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? "Wherefore, as by ______ _________ (ADAM) sin entered into the world, and _____________ by sin, and so _____________ passed upon all men" (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. What chapter in the Bible describes the sin of Adam and the curse that resulted? _________________________ 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 _______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! It was only DAY ______ of creation! 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 _______________ 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? Genesis chapter 1 verse _______ . Does this explain why there was darkness in verse 2? _____

In Isaiah 45:7 God the Creator says, "I form the ________________ and I create ______________ ." Also in Psalm 104:20: "Thou makest ______________ and it is __________," and we learn in verse 24 that it is in God’s W__________ that all of this is done! In Genesis 1:2 "darkness" does not mean judgment! It means just what it says—"darkness"’ See also Psalm 139:11-12.

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 ___________________ and ____________. 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 ___________________ 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

Please do not look for a GAP or for anything else between two verses. In reading the Bible, God wants us to read the verses, not between the verses. We need to read the lines, not between the lines! Your heart will never be blessed by reading the gap between Hebrews 13:5 and Hebrews 13:6. But if you read Hebrews 13:5 and then read Hebrews 13:6 and then if you believe those verses (wonderful promises!), your heart will be greatly encouraged!

We must read Genesis 1:1 and then read Genesis 1:2. Do not read between these verses, because there is nothing there! The person who reads between the verses can make the Bible say anything he wants. The person who reads only the verses is better able to see what God has said. Read God’s Word, not the GAPS! Do not look for secret messages that are not even there!

WHAT DOES GENESIS 1:2 REALLY MEAN?
"without form and void"

Genesis 1:2 is closely related to Genesis 1:1. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. Verse 2 then gives us a break in the action [Note for teacher: Verse 2 is called a disjunctive clause]. In Genesis chapter one there is a great deal of creative action taking place, and throughout the chapter God is describing His work of creation. He created the heavens and the earth (v.1), then He created the light (v.3), then He made the firmament (v.7), then He gathered the waters unto one place (v.9), then He made vegetation (vs.11-12), then He made the sun, moon and stars (vs.14-16), and so forth to the end of the chapter. But when you come to verse 2, instead of continuing the action and telling

us the next thing that He did, God stops for a moment and there is a break in the action. It is as if God were saying, "Let’s stop for a moment, and before I tell you about the rest of My work of creation on DAY 1, let Me describe what the earth was like when it was first created. When I first made the earth, it was without form and void." So Genesis 1:2 describes the earth and tells us what it was like when God first created it! God could have omitted verse 2 and gone from verse 1 immediately to verse 3, and there would have been no break in the action:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and God said, Let there be light" (Compare Genesis 1:1 and 1:3)

But God wanted to stop and explain to us what the early earth was like. Genesis 1:2 describes the newly created earth of verse 1 and tells us what it was like—it was "without form and void."

Another example of this is found in Genesis 2:11-14. In these verses the names of four rivers are given: "The name of the first . . .The name of the second . . .The name of the third . . . etc." In verse 11 we are given the name of the first river ("Pishon") and also we are told of the land of Havilah where there is gold. Then in verse 12 there is a break in the action. Instead of giving the name of the second river (that is not given until verse 13), God stops to describe what that gold was like ("And the gold of that land is __________").

Another example is found in Jonah 3:3. We are told that Jonah went to Nineveh. The next thing to happen is that Jonah entered the city (verse 4). But in verse 3 there is a break in the action as the city of Nineveh is described: "Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city." Before continuing the action God wanted to stop and tell us what kind of a city Nineveh really was. [Please note: it would be silly to translate the verse this way: "Now Nineveh became a great city." It was already a great city, even before Jonah arrived there!]

Other examples are found in Zechariah 3:1-3 and 1 Samuel 4:14-15. Let us now compare all these examples:

1) Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was without form and void.

2) Genesis 2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Genesis 2:12 Now the gold of that land is good.

3) Jonah 3:3 Jonah went to Nineveh.
Jonah 3:3 Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city.

4) Zechariah 3:1 And he showed me Joshua . . .
Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel.

5) 1 Samuel 4:14 And the man came in hastily and told Eli.
1 Samuel 4:15 Now Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were dim.

Genesis 1:2 is God’s perfect description of the early earth on the first day of creation! What was the earth like at that time? It was without form and void!

If the earth was originally WITHOUT FORM and VOID, then what does this mean? Why would God create the earth this way? What do these words mean?

"Without form" simply means UNFORMED! The earth was UNFORMED. It needed to be formed and shaped and prepared for man! It was also "void" which means devoid of life, empty or UNFILLED. The earth at this point was very empty (no plants, no animals, no people, etc.). The original earth was not ruined and spoiled but it was UNFORMED and UNFILLED!! In other words, it was UNFINISHED!

There were two things that God needed to do to finish his work of creation--He needed to FORM the earth and FILL the earth!

The expression "unformed and unfilled" does not mean that the earth was imperfect. Even in Genesis 1:2 the earth was PERFECT in the sense that it was everything that God

intended it to be at that point in time! God does everything perfectly! He makes no mistakes! The earth was perfectly created, but it was not yet finished. It was not yet complete.

Was Adam created perfectly in Genesis 2:7? _________ But before God created Eve, was the creation of man complete (see Genesis 2:18)? ______ Even though Adam was created perfect, he was not really complete until God brought him a woman! And when God saw Adam alone (in his pre-Eve condition) He said, "NOT GOOD!" (Gen. 2:18). Likewise, when God saw the unfinished and incomplete earth in Genesis 1:2, He could have said, "NOT GOOD!" It would have been terrible if God had stopped all His work of creation after DAY 1!

But when you come to the end of the creation week, God looks at the earth which He had formed and filled and completed and He says "V________ G___________" (GENESIS 1:31).

Unformed

Isaiah 45:18 tells us that God "formed the earth." Genesis 2:7 tells us that God "formed man of the dust of the ground." Think of a master potter. He starts with an unformed and unfinished lump of clay! It doesn’t look very good! But there is nothing evil about an unfinished lump of clay! Just give the potter time to do his work! He will begin to form it and shape it and prepare it in just the right way!

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.

Unfilled

Was the earth really unfilled in Genesis 1:2? Was it filled with plant life yet? ____ Was it filled with rays of light at this point? _____ Was it filled with plants and trees?_____ Was it filled with birds and fish and land animals? _____ Were the heavens filled with planets and stars? ______ Was the earth filled with men? ______ The earth was quite unfilled! But as you read Genesis 1 you see that the Lord did a wonderful job of filling His earth with life! See Psalm 24:1.

God’s purpose was to prepare the earth for man! Read Isaiah 45:18. For what purpose did the Lord create the earth? " T___ B____ I___________________________." God wanted to fill the earth with men (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 men! NOW THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION IS READY TO BEGIN!!

The following is supplemental material which goes into more detail concerning the question, WHEN DID SATAN FALL INTO SIN?

THE FALL OF SATAN
When Did This Take Place?

Satan's fall took place in the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

This is the position of those who hold to the "gap theory." This view teaches that God originally created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), including angels and also including (as some would say) a race of pre-Adamic men (ape-men?) and animals (such as dinosaurs). In the so-called gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 there is a vast amount of time, even millions of years. During this time many things are said to happen. Satan falls into sin, the earth is judged, dinosaurs become extinct, etc. This theory was devised in order to try to harmonize the facts of Genesis chapter 1 with evolutionary theory and their so-called geological ages.

This view understands Genesis 1:1 as describing the original creation; Genesis 1:2 as describing conditions as a result of God’s judgment on the world; and Genesis 1:3 and following as describing a "re-creation" of the world.

For a refutation of the Gap Theory, see pages 41-58

Satan's fall took place in the gap between Genesis chapter 2 and Genesis chapter 3.

This is the position of many fine creationists and Bible teachers. These people hold to a recent earth (the age of the earth in terms of thousands of years, not millions of years) and they hold to a literal 6 day creation week. For this they are to be commended.

Why do they believe that Satan's fall took place after Genesis 2 and before Genesis 3? One key reason is that they assume that the creation of Satan took place during the creation week (on the very first day of the creation week). They base this on Exodus 20:11, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." They would argue, "The Creator made the heaven(s) and the earth in 6 days and He made all that is in the heaven(s) and the earth in six days. Since the angels, including Lucifer, are part of all that is in heaven, then we conclude that the creation of Lucifer took place during the 6 days

of creation." They would also draw our attention to Colossians 1:16 where the Bible includes angels in God's work of creation: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16).

Another key verse which they appeal to is Genesis 1:31, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." They would say, "How could God pronounce His ‘VERY GOOD’ upon a universe which contained a wicked, fallen angel, whom we now know as Satan? It seems far more reasonable to think of Satan’s fall as occurring sometime after God gave this pronouncement."

Another argument is based on Genesis 1:26,28 (in these verses God gives man rule and dominion over the animals). They believe that if Satan had already fallen, then this would compromise the total dominion of the world that God entrusted to Adam, because then Adam would have Satan as a rival who would be working against him. This argument is weak, however, for all would agree that Satan is a fallen creature as Genesis chapter 3 begins. And yet in Genesis 3 (prior to man's fall) Adam still had dominion even though a fallen devil was present. Adam's total dominion was affected by Adam’s sin, not by the presence of a fallen devil.

Thus the two major arguments of this view center around Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1:31. The key to understanding when Satan fell is to understand when he was created. If a person places the creation of Lucifer within the 6 day week of creation, then he is forced to say that Satan's fall took place after Genesis chapters 1 and 2 (while Adam and Eve were alive). This view is forced to conclude that the fall of Satan and the fall of Adam were events that took place at about the same time in history, and that these two events were not separated by a very long period (perhaps by only a matter of days?).

The fall of Satan took place prior to Genesis chapter 1.

This assumes that the creation of Satan (Lucifer) and his fall both took place prior to Genesis 1:1 and that his fall took place prior to the creation of Adam and Eve, not after their creation. Consider the following:

1. Genesis chapter 1 describes in detail the 6 days of creation and what was created on each day. The chapter talks about the creation of the earth, the atmosphere, the sun and moon, the stars, the dry land, the plants, the animals, etc. In this chapter nothing is said at all about the creation of the angels. Was this simply an omission or is it possible that the creation of the angels did not fall within these 6 days?

2. Exodus 20:11 places the creation of Lucifer within the creation week only if it is assumed that the expression "heaven" (or "heavens") refers not only to the first and second heavens, but to the third heaven as well. [Footnote: The first heaven is the atmospheric heaven, that which can be seen during the day; the second heaven is the stellar universe or that which can be seen at night; the third heaven is the "highest" heaven which is the abode of God and the original home of angels and which can be seen only with the eyes of faith. See 2 Cor. 12:2.]

3. It is helpful to compare Exodus 20:11 with another verse on creation found in Nehemiah 9:6. The Nehemiah passage definitely refers to the creation of angels. Notice the expressions that are used:

"For in six days the LORD made heaven (or heavens) and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11).

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven (or heavens), the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven [angels] worshippeth thee" (Neh. 9:6).

Notice the additional phrase used in the Nehemiah passage, "the heaven of heavens." This is the Hebrew way of making a superlative. "A superlative sense is expressed by joining a noun with its own plural in the genitive" (Hebrew Syntax by Davidson, p. 49). We even use this in English. We might say, "The Bible is the Book of Books!" By this we mean that the Bible is the greatest Book of all. Here are some Bible examples: "Slave of slaves" means the lowest slave (Gen. 9:25). "Holy of holies" means most holy (Exodus 26:33). "Song of songs" means the most excellent song. "King of kings" means the greatest of all kings (Ezekiel 26:7 and see 1 Tim. 6:15: Rev. 17:14; 19:16). For other examples see Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, p. 431 (Section 133i). Thus, "the heaven of heavens" means "the greatest of the heavens" or "the highest of all heavens" (see Brown, Driver and Briggs’ Hebrew Lexicon, p.1030). The highest of all heavens can only refer to the third heaven, which is the abode of God and angels.

The expression "heaven of heavens" is found in the following passages: Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 68:33 and Psalm 148:4. In each of these passages the phrase clearly refers to the third heaven, "the highest of all heavens." Notice also that Psalm 148:1-4 is another passage (like Nehemiah 9:6) which mentions the angels (v.2) and in the same context mentions the highest of all heavens (v.4).

Exodus 20:11 does not mention the heaven of heavens and Genesis chapter 1 does not mention the heaven of heavens either. Neither of these passages mention angels. Could it be that Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1 have reference only to the first and second heavens and not to the third heaven? And if so, does this indicate that the third heaven with all its host had already been created prior to the six days of creation? [Footnote: There are 5 passages which make a distinction between the heavens and the heaven of heavens (see Deut. 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6; 6:18; Neh 9:6), and this many imply that the "heaven" of Genesis 1:1 may not include the heaven of heavens (the third heaven). Also Psalm 68:33 refers to the heavens of heavens which were of old. This indicates that the highest heaven is in some sense ancient of old. Why would this be said if the first, second and third heavens were all created recently during the six days of the creations week? But if the creations of the third heaven pre-dated the creation of the first and second heaven, it would be appropriate to speak of the third heaven as being "of old" or ancient.]

The Hebrew word "heaven" always occurs in the plural form and may be translated "heavens" if the context so demands. Thus Genesis 1:1 could be translated "God created the heavens and the earth" (referring to the first and second heavens). There are times in the Bible when "heaven" can refer to the third heaven (Matt. 6:9), the second heaven (Psalm 8:3), or the first heaven (Matt. 6:26 "fowls of the heaven"), but the expression "heaven of heavens" only refers to the third heaven.

4. The expression "the heaven(s) and the earth" (found in Genesis 1:1 and Exodus 20:11) refers to the UNIVERSE (the Hebrew language did not have a word for universe as we do). The universe is made up of the earth, the first heaven and the second heaven. It includes the earth with its solar system, its galaxy and the millions of galaxies around it. The third heaven is beyond our universe and unseen by any telescope.

5. Exodus 20:11 and Genesis 1:1 both refer to the creation of the universe (the heavens and the earth), and this took place in 6 literal 24 hour days. In both Exodus 20:11 and Genesis chapter 1, no mention is made of the heaven of heavens or the creation of angels or the creation of the throne of God or the creation of anything else which relates to the third heaven. Also in Ezekiel chapter 28 which tells us of Satan before his fall, there is nothing in the description which speaks of the earth. It all appears to be a heavenly scene, not an earthly scene. Thus the focus of Ezekiel 28 is upon the third heaven (prior to the creation of the universe) and the focus of Genesis 1 is upon the earth.

6. In the passages which do clearly mention the third heaven and the creation of angels (Colossians 1:16 and Nehemiah 9:6) nothing is said concerning the time frame of creation. The main point being stressed in these verses is that He is the Creator of all things.

7. A comparison of Exodus 20:11 with Nehemiah 9:6 would indicate that the expression "heaven(s)" does not necessarily include "the heaven of heavens." A distinction seems to be made. If Nehemiah felt he needed to add the expression "heaven of heavens" to include the creation of angels, then it seems possible to say that the omission of this expression in Exodus 20:11 suggests that the creation of angels is not in view.

8. It would be nice and neat to be able to say that everything (including the "heaven of heaven" and its host) was created within the 6 day creation week, but does the Bible actually say this? It may seem awkward to posit a creation of the third heaven prior to the creation of the universe. However, this actually harmonizes more easily with Job 38:7 ["When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"]. This passage in the ancient book of Job is referring to the time when God laid the foundation of the earth. The angels were already there as witnesses and they were rejoicing at God’s work of creation. A natural and normal reading of Job 38 seems to indicate that when God created the earth (Genesis 1:1 on the very first day of creation), the angels were already there witnessing this event. The text in Job 38 does not seem to imply that these angels were recently created just moments before. One would assume, by just reading Job 38, that the angels were created PRIOR to the creation of the earth. Genesis 1:1 seems to put the creation of the earth at the very beginning of DAY 1 of creation. [Note: Those who place the creation of angels within the six days are thus forced to say that they were created at the very beginning of the creation week so that they could thus witness the laying of the foundation of the earth, which also took place early on the first day of creation. This understanding seems strained and forced.]

9. Genesis 1:31 says that God looked at everything which He made (cf. Exodus 20:11)—namely, the entire created universe which He had so wondrously filled and formed during these six days—and He said, "VERY GOOD." It does not say that He looked at Satan and said, "VERY GOOD." Satan's "VERY GOOD" had already been pronounced in Ezekiel 28:15 ("perfect in they ways"), prior to his fall. There is not really a problem with God saying, "VERY GOOD" even though Satan had already fallen. All would agree that a fallen Satan was present in the garden in Genesis 3, but this did not make the universe any less "good" prior to the curse. It was not Satan's sin that spoiled and ruined the earth and caused all of creation to be subject to vanity (Rom. 8:19-23). It was Adam’s sin which did this. The earth was not cursed because of Lucifer’s fall, but because of Adam's fall. Before the earth was cursed, was it not a VERY GOOD paradise even though Satan was present?

10. Pastor Parsons has done a detailed study on Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 (Lucifer before and after his fall). This study is available to all who ask for it. From this study it can be seen that one of the key reasons God created the earth was to vindicate His character against the false charges of the devil (the accuser) and to demonstrate something very important to the angels, both good and bad. If one of the key reasons for creating the earth was to demonstrate certain things to angels, then it makes much more sense to say that the angels existed prior to the creation of the earth. This study is entitled Angels (68 pages), $1.50.

The Middletown Bible Church
349 East Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-0907

Back to SCIENCE, THE SCRIPTURES AND THE SAVIOUR

More Sunday School Lessons
More articles under Doctrinal Studies

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.