Story Of Creation - Part 1

THE STORY OF CREATION PART ONE Copyright 1985,1993,2001,2007 Crossroads Full Gospel International Ministries All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Short extracts may be used for review purposes. Except otherwise stated, Bible quotes come from the King James Version. 1611 Elizabethan English is updated in some cases to reflect present terminology, without changing the true meaning of the word. Extracts from “The Expositor's Study Bible” are identified as E.S.B. Copyright © 2005 Published by, and the sole property of, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, Baton Rouge, LA, and extracts from the Swaggart Bible Commentary series are identified as S.B.C. Copyright © World Evangelism Press® Extracts from the Amplified Bible are identified as Amp. Old Testament Copyright © 1962, 1964 by Zondervan Corporation. New Testament Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Extracts from the New International Version are identified as N.I.V. Copyright 1973,1978,1984 by The International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Also used: The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Wuest) translated by Kenneth S. Wuest. Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bracketed comments following some scriptures assist the reader in understanding the intended meaning of these verses We acknowledge the additional works of the various Scholars and Bible Commentaries used in conjunction with the College material. This is not to say that we agree with all their theology, but we certainly value their contribution to the Body of Christ. Published by: Crossroads Publications 10681 Princes Highway Warrnambool Victoria 3280 Australia CONTENTS THE STORY OF CREATION Part One....................................1 A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE PRE-ADAMIC CREATION 5 THE WORLD OF NOAH’S TIME.......................................8 FURTHER SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE OF A PREADAMIC FLOOD................................................................9 MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRE-ADAMIC CREATION.........................................................................13 SATAN’S FALL..................................................................13 SATAN’S CORRUPTION OF THE WORLD....................18 DEMONS............................................................................21 CONCLUSION...................................................................23 THE STORY OF CREATION PART ONE GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning (refers to the beginning of creation, or at least the creation as it refers to this universe; God, unformed, unmade, uncreated, had no beginning; He always was, always is, and always shall be) God (the phrase, “In the beginning God,” explains the first cause of all things as it regards creation) created the heaven and the Earth (could be translated “the heavens and the Earth” because God created the entirety of the universe). (E.S.B.) The Book of Genesis is a book of beginnings - for this is what the word means. The first four words, “In the beginning God,” give us the antecedent, the reason all creation came into being, for God, Who always was and always will be, created all that is. Evolution is a theory that denies the Creator and seeks to make sense of the created world from a natural human perspective. With no acknowledgement of the righteous and holy Judge, the Creator, the cause of all things, it is totally flawed and hopelessly deceptive in its analysis and its conclusions. From Genesis we learn the authentic story of creation. We do not know the time-frame of “In the beginning.” But we do know that God was already there and that from this point, in a dateless past, He created the universe. From this inspired verse we gain a sound foundation for all other doctrine - including man’s Fall, God’s Plan of Redemption and the teaching of end times. Not receiving this truth leads man into endless dark and unfruitful pathways of philosophy and consigns him to the darkened reasonings and imaginations of his own mind. The word for God in Genesis 1:1 in the Hebrew is “Elohim” which is a uni-plural noun showing the plurality of the Godhead God the Father, God the Word and God the Holy Spirit. So even in this verse we find the Trinity, one God present in three persons, cooperating in complete unity to create the universe. As we have said, God the Word spoke forth God the Father’s will and God the Holy Spirit performed it. The name is One, but within its boundaries 1 there are three persons. Then immediately we encounter, in Genesis 1:2, something unexpected. GENESIS 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon (was hovering over) the face of the waters. “the earth was without form, and void” The words “without form” are derived from the Hebrew word “tohu” which means “a desolation.” And the word “void” is derived from the Hebrew word “bohu” which means “an indistinguishable ruin.” Therefore the general description of the earth in Genesis 1:2 is that of a desolate and chaotic ruin, not something that Elohim, a word whose root meaning is “strength and power,” would have created. We know that God is perfect and when He creates anything, it is invariably good (Genesis 1:31; James 1:17). It is thus incomprehensible that God would have created the earth as a desolate place of ruin, as a quick reading of the first two verses of the Bible would indicate. In other words, God’s original creation could not possibly have been “a desolation and an indistinguishable ruin.” His creation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1 would have been an achievement of perfection, a masterpiece of creative genius, not a flawed manifestation of chaos and disorder. Now the word “was” in Genesis 1:2 is derived from the Hebrew word “hayah,” which is the verb “to become” not “to be.” Thus this verse should be translated as: “the earth HAD BECOME without form, and (HAD BECOME) void.” So the full translation of Genesis 1:2 should read: “the earth had become a desolation (without form) and an indistinguishable ruin (void).” This sheds new light on the meaning of these two important verses. If God created the earth originally in a perfect state, rather than a desolate ruin, then events which subsequently transpired must have issued in that which is described in Genesis 1:2. That is, there must be an unknown period of time existing between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, a period in which the earth changed from what must have been a state of perfection to a state of disorder and ruin. Even the “darkness” being present “on the face of the 2 deep” is indicative not of God’s presence but of His absence - and whatever accompanied it. If all this is the case, then it is obvious that some great catastrophe must have taken place between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. This revelation forms the basis of what is known as the “gap theory,” an explanation of creation from scripture which describes a perfectly formed and functioning earth, which was then ruined and destroyed by a mighty catastrophe, only to be renovated and re-established by God. The terrible cataclysm which devastated the earth was associated, it appears, with Lucifer’s rebellion. Isaiah 45:18 informs us: ISAIAH 45:18 For thus says the Lord Who created the heavens; God Himself Who formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain (to be a worthless waste), He formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord; and there is none else.” This scripture states that God created the earth to be inhabited. The word “vain” comes from the same Hebrew word “tohu” which means “empty,” “desolate,” “a worthless ruin,” “a formless void.” God would not have created the earth, as other versions of the Bible translate the word, “a worthless waste,” “a waste place” or “empty.” Indeed the Revised Standard Version of the Bible has translated the central section of Isaiah 45:18 as: “He did not create it (the earth) a chaos. For He formed it to be inhabited.” This does not correspond with the earth being originally formed as an empty and worthless wasteland. We can therefore see that there is a vast untold story between Genesis Ch.1 verses 1 and 2, a story which can be pieced together in a general sense by a thorough examination of scripture. This is necessary because God, in His wisdom, has chosen not to reveal much in His Word of events before the creation of mankind, the Bible being primarily a history of God’s dealings with man, not with angels or other beings. It is impossible to estimate the time period between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. No one other than God knows how many years 3 transpired between these two verses. There is thus no necessary conflict between what scientists declare about the age of the earth and what the Bible tells us. Indeed God’s Word gives us no indication of the earth’s age. Based on the generations since Adam, and a “seven day” creation view, many Christians believe that the earth is less than 10,000 years old. But scientific evidence indicates that the earth could be millions or even billions of years old. Scientists agree that the earth is very old, but only attempt to give general approximations of its age. We also believe from a scriptural point of view that it is impossible to put a date on the beginning of creation, for it simply occurred in a dateless past. With this in mind, we do not have to try to prove that the earth is only, for instance, 6,000 years old, for it is reasonably obvious that this is not the case. Those who pursue this line of Biblical interpretation risk bringing discredit upon God’s Word as they fly in the face of valid scientific data. The problem lies in their interpretation of scripture, and their misinterpretation of the creation story. To further substantiate the view outlined in this study, it can be clearly seen that there are many unexplained geological findings which cannot be interpreted in terms of a simplistic view of creation (i.e. the creation of Adam at the same time as the heavens and the earth were created). Where do you think the dinosaurs came from? Their skeletons are here to prove that they existed. We know however that they were not living in the time of Adam and Eve, for there is no mention of them in God’s Word. Neither are there any skeletal remains of mankind and dinosaurs together in the same geological age. The Hebrew word “tanniyn” occurs in the scriptures and is translated, in some English Bibles, as “behemoth” which refers to a “dragon” or giant reptile. In many translations this word is interpreted as “hippopotamus” or “elephant.” Some scholars assume, however, that in Job 40:15 where this Hebrew word occurs, it must be speaking about dinosaurs. We believe scripturally that this interpretation is not supported or even warranted, and appears to be the result of a bias regarding people’s particular creation beliefs. Some Christians who fervently believe in a six day Creation of the total universe also insist that dinosaurs must have been present on Noah’s Ark. Because this would have created logistical problems due to the size of these creatures, such people then declare that Noah 4 would have collected dinosaur eggs! The desire to support their belief leads Christians to make many such strange and bizarre claims. There is so much more that could be said about this subject but we will not bother to indulge ourselves. Some would say why place a perfect creation on top of a pile of dinosaur bones. The answer to this is that we do not know. We could speculate and say maybe it was to forever remind man of God’s mercy and justice in a time now passed. Only God knows the answer to this question. He has chosen not to reveal much in the Bible about the dateless past, but chooses to mainly deal with the creation of man, the Fall of man and the Redemption of man. In all this, the Bible points to man’s Fall, God’s judgement and His wonderful mercy and grace expressed through the Saviour, Jesus Christ. As we look closely at scripture, we can therefore conclude that God created the original perfect earth in a dateless past, and that after some unknown period of time, it had become a place of ruin, destruction and desolation. The catastrophic events which caused this terrible deterioration, and how this all relates to the creation story in the remainder of Genesis Ch.1, we will endeavour to reveal as we continue. A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE PRE-ADAMIC CREATION In the beginning of a dateless past, God created the heavens and the earth. Then at a further point in time, He established the earth as we know it now. Note that the word “created” in Genesis 1:1 comes from the Hebrew word “bara” which means “to bring into existence something out of nothing.” So in the beginning God brought forth the original perfect earth out of nothing. However we find that the present earth was not “created” in this way, for in Exodus 20:11 the Hebrew word which is used for “made” is “asah” this word means “to fashion or make out of pre-existing materials.” Thus: GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created (bara) the heaven and the earth. 5 EXODUS 20:11 For in six days the Lord made (asah) 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 (made it holy i.e. set it apart for His purposes). We will cover this point in greater detail later, but this discrepancy does indeed support the view that the heavens and the original perfect earth were created in the beginning and that at some later point in time, after the earth had become marred and desolate, the Lord re-fashioned it in six literal 24 hour days. What, however, had transpired between these two epic events of creation and reformation? We can trace the general story through scripture. We find that, at some period between these two events, the Bible reveals the existence of a pre-Adamic creation which became exceptionally corrupt and, as a result, had to be destroyed. Let’s turn to 2 Peter Ch. 3: 2 PETER 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers (false teachers), walking after their own lusts, 2 PETER 3:4 And saying, “Where is the promise of His (Jesus’) coming (the Second Coming)? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 PETER 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of (being willfully ignorant), that by the word (command) of God the heavens were of old (all things were created by the spoken Word of God), and the earth standing out of the water and in the water (after the great catastrophe Genesis 1:2): 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was (the pre-Adamic creation), being overflowed with water, perished (refers not to Noah’s flood but that of Genesis 1:2): 6 2 PETER 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now (present time), by the same Word are kept in store (according to God’s will), reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men (refers to the Great White Throne Judgement and the renovation of the earth by fire). “whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” In order to provide proof concerning the time period to which these verses are referring, we will examine them in detail. Let’s look again at 2 Peter 3:4: 2 PETER 3:4 And saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” This verse is giving us the time frame for the events described. The context is “the beginning of creation,” the time when God originally created the earth (Genesis 1:1). We see the Apostle Peter saying here that in the last days, teachers with false doctrine will ridicule the teaching of the Lord’s return, considering it to be nonsense. They will believe that everything has continued unchanged since the beginning of creation and they will be expecting everything to continue on unchanged. Then in verse 6, Peter reveals that these scoffers are willingly ignorant of God’s dealings with the earth, and with a civilization which existed on the earth prior to the “six days of creation.” Being willfully ignorant means that you can hear and understand but choose not to. Peter’s words are: 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world (the social system or “kosmos”) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished (was fully destroyed) 7 The word “world” is derived from the Greek word “kosmos” which means “an orderly arrangement or social system.” The word “perished” is derived from the Greek word “apollumi” which means “to destroy fully.” Verse 6 is thus speaking of an original social system which was totally destroyed. Therefore Peter is referring in these scriptures to the original world (the orderly arrangement or social system) which perished before the creation of mankind. Let’s go on to examine some scriptures which describe events at the time of Noah’s flood, events which show that 1 Peter 3:6 cannot be speaking about the world of Noah’s day. THE WORLD OF NOAH’S TIME Background Reading: Genesis 9:1-18 Did the world (social system of mankind) perish in Noah’s time? 2 PETER 2:5 And (God) spared not the old world (in Noah’s time), but saved Noah the eighth person (there were eight people on Noah’s Ark), a preacher of righteousness (Noah preached to the people of his day for the entire time he was building the Ark without success - Genesis 5:32, 7:6), bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; GENESIS 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they who were with him in the ark. “Noah only remained alive, and they who were with him in the ark” The social system of mankind did not perish in the flood of Noah’s time because with God’s help, Noah and his family preserved 8 it. Therefore, Second Peter 3:6 must be referring to an earlier period of time. 2 PETER 3:4 And saying, “Where is the promise of His (Jesus’) coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” 2 PETER 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was (the preAdamic creation), being overflowed with water, perished (was totally destroyed) We can thus conclude that there were two great floods upon the earth: 1. The flood before the creation of mankind which totally destroyed the original creation - Lucifer’s flood. 2. The flood in Noah’s time. FURTHER SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE OF A PRE-ADAMIC FLOOD Remember the words “without form and void” which we found in Genesis 1:2? GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. GENESIS 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon (was hovering over) the face of the waters. The same phrase “without form and void” is also found in the following passage from Jeremiah. In this passage from Jeremiah, the 9 Prophet is using the example of Lucifer’s flood to give the rebellious and idolatrous people of Judah and Jerusalem a potent illustration of what is going to happen to them if they persist in their evil ways. In other words, total destruction by the Babylonian armies would be the consequence of their abandonment of their God. Thus the Prophet draws a comparison between the obliteration and chaos of Lucifer’s flood and what awaits them if they do not repent. As we examine these scriptures, it will become obvious that Jeremiah’s vision is actually describing the same chaotic state outlined in Genesis 1:2. Jeremiah 4:23-26 tells us: JEREMIAH 4:23 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. JEREMIAH 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly (were swaying). JEREMIAH 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man (no beings), and all the birds of the heavens were fled (were gone). JEREMIAH 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.” 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished Genesis 1:2 tells us that “darkness was upon the face of the deep,” and in Jeremiah 4:23 we can see a corresponding account, for “the heavens (atmosphere) . . . had no light.” Jeremiah 4:25 reveals that there was no man (or no beings) at this time. The following verse shows that there must have been a civilization for it speaks of a fruitful place with towns and cities. That this fruitful place had become a wilderness links directly back to verse 23 - for it is recorded once again that the earth had become “without form (a desolation) and void” (an indistinguishable ruin). The language of these verses in Jeremiah fits nothing else. These scriptures therefore 10 give additional support to the view that a pre-Adamic civilization existed which was subsequently destroyed, resulting in a state of chaos. Furthermore, when coupled with Genesis 1:2 and 2 Peter 3:6, these scriptures also support the view that it was a first great flood which destroyed this civilization. There is no mention of any darkness in the Genesis account of Noah’s flood, and man was also present at this time i.e. Noah and his family. Referring to Jeremiah 4:25 and 4:27: “Some have thought that these passages pertain to Noah’s flood. However, this could not apply to the time of Noah, for at that time the heavens had lights, and there were men, birds, and fruitful places left on the earth after the flood; whereas, in the case of the curse brought upon the original earth, none of these things remained, as are here stated.” Also, “The purpose of God in showing Jeremiah the total destruction of life on earth was to reveal how the land of Judah would be destroyed, and to make a comparison between the two times. In the original judgement on the whole earth, all life had been destroyed, but in Judah, God was to make an exception; He declared that He would not make a full end as on the original earth. Verse 27 says, “For thus has the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.” Whereas the previous four verses spoke of the pre-Adamic creation, and its destruction, this verse now brings the Bible student back to the problem at hand, the coming judgement upon Judah and Jerusalem. The phrase, “The whole land shall be desolate,” refers to a terrible devastation that is going to come upon Judah and Jerusalem. It is to be a desolation that is mind-boggling. The statement, “yet will I not make a full end,” lends back to the previous verses concerning total destruction. In effect the Lord is saying, “The whole land of Israel will become desolate, yet I will not make a full end as I did of the social system on earth before Adam’s time (in the chaos of Genesis 1:2).” Yet the desolation will be catastrophic, or the Lord would not have used the previous destruction as an example.” 1 (underlines added) 11 Psalm 104:5-7 also refers briefly to events recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. PSALM 104:5 (O Lord my God, the Creator) Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. PSALM 104:6 You cover it with the deep (the ocean) as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains (Lucifer’s flood, not Noah’s). (This refers to the first universal flood, as described in Genesis 1:2, which was the result of Lucifer’s Fall. It does not refer to Noah’s flood). (E.S.B.) 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: PSALM 104:7 At Your rebuke they (the waters) fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hasted away (indicating Lucifer’s flood). In the overall context, these verses are declaring that all creation is subject to the Creator. However they are also showing the time period which is being referred to. Notice that verse 7 states that at the Lord’s rebuke (command), the waters quickly departed, suddenly taking to flight. This could not be referring to Noah’s flood (even though verse 9 appears to be speaking of events following Noah’s flood), for the waters at this time subsided gradually over a period of just over a year (Genesis 7:11 and Genesis 8:14). So we can see that through comparing scripture with scripture, and doing a little spiritual maths, there is substantial evidence to indicate the existence not only of a pre-Adamic civilization, but also a first great flood. This first great deluge we have termed “Lucifer’s flood.” What happened to the pre-Adamic civilization and how the earth became a place of ruin and desolation, we will now describe. It will become clear that events which transpired had corrupted the social system on earth to the extent that it had to be destroyed. There was thus a great flood before the creation of mankind, the world of that time being destroyed by this deluge - Lucifer’s flood. 12 MORE INFORMATION ON THE PRE-ADAMIC CREATION Let’s look at some scriptures which tell us a little of what happened during the time period before the first flood: ISAIAH 14:12 How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer (Morning Star), son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground (cast down to the earth), who did weaken the nations! ISAIAH 14:13 For you have said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ISAIAH 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High (God the Creator of heaven and earth).” These verses are giving us insight into the personality and background of Satan, known in Christian circles as Lucifer in the days before his fall. We can see from these scriptures that at some time in the past, Satan, before he fell, had a throne or kingdom here on earth - for he determined to raise his throne above the stars of God, and in order to make this challenge, he had to ascend above the clouds. As an archangel of the highest order, it appears that he served God before his fall in righteousness for an undisclosed period of time. We can therefore understand that in the beginning, God allowed the heavens and the earth to be inhabited, and apparently also allowed this angelic being to be ruler over the earth’s inhabitants. It seems that he ruled over the original, perfect earth for an unknown period of time. SATAN’S FALL We should understand that the fallen angel we know as Satan was created originally as a perfect being, without corruption. Ezekiel describes this powerful angelic being in the days before unrighteousness was found in him. 13 Note: In this chapter of scripture, Ezekiel is told by God to speak prophetically to the earthly King of Tyre, who is a type-pattern of Satan. He goes on in this passage, however, to actually address Satan, according to what is sometimes called the scriptural law of double reference. Really it was Satan who ruled Tyre through this earthly king. Note that in speaking to Satan, Ezekiel is actually focusing on the time-frame in which he was “Lucifer, son of the morning.” We know he is speaking to Satan because it is quite obvious that these verses are not addressing a mortal man. EZEKIEL 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the King of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus says the Lord God; “You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty (indicates that he served the Lord in righteousness, and was the wisest and most beautiful of all of God’s angels - prior to his fall). EZEKIEL 28:13 You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. The Expositor’s Study Bible makes the following comment on Ezekiel 28:13: “The phrase, “You have been in Eden the Garden of God,” does not actually refer to the “Eden” of Genesis , Chpt.3, but rather to the “Eden” which existed on this planet before Adam and Eve, which evidently was ruled by Lucifer before his rebellion. The phrase, “every precious stone was your covering,” presents itself as very similar to the dress of the High Priest of Israel [Ex.28:19]. The phrase, “the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes,” has to do with music. There is every indication that Lucifer’s leadership had something to do with the worship of God. As well, he is called, “O Lucifer, son of the morning” [Isaiah 14:12]. When the Earth was originally created, the Scripture says, “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” [Job 38:4-7]. So, if the idiom, ”son of the morning,” can be linked to the “morning 14 stars,” these Passages tell us that Lucifer, at least before his fall, was greatly used in leading the Worship of God. In fact, this is the reason that Satan has done everything within his power to corrupt the music of the world, and to corrupt the music of the Church above all. Inasmuch as the Book of Psalms is the longest Book in the Bible, we learn from this that music and singing are among the highest forms of worship of the Lord.)” EZEKIEL 28:14 You are the anointed cherub (anointed for service to God) who covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire (all seems to speak of Lucifer’s privileged position and status within God’s Kingdom). EZEKIEL 28:15 You (Satan) were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created , till iniquity (sin, which in this case was pride) was found in you.” As stated, the iniquity that was found in this “anointed cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14) was pride. Because of his beauty and position of authority, he became proud, and determined to exalt his authority above God, desiring the glory and the power that belonged to God alone. The rebellion he instigated, however, became his downfall. As a result, his name was then changed to Satan which means “adversary.” He became the devil, the arch-enemy of all good. It is interesting to note that “devil” is the word “lived” spelt backwards, and “evil” is “live” spelt backwards. “Till iniquity was found in you” speaks of the time of Lucifer’s fall, the time when his heart was corrupted and darkened, and he sought to challenge God Himself, and to transfer his kingdom from earth to heaven. This occurred in an unknown time-frame before Adam. We know this because Lucifer was already fallen when he visited Eve in the Garden: Genesis Ch.3. EZEKIEL 28:17 Your heart was lifted up (became proud) because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom (so it is no longer wisdom but foolishness motivated by evil intent - John 10:10) by reason of 15 (because of) your brightness. ground . . . I will cast you to the As a result, Satan now has no Godly wisdom and never shall have. Because he is totally corrupt, his “wisdom” is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10) - to do whatever harm he can to God’s creation and to the crown of that creation which is man. His evil intent is designed to gain revenge on God Who defeated Him and will yet sentence him eternally to the Lake of Fire. Even this he refuses to believe because he has no wisdom. The perfect wisdom that Lucifer once possessed has become corrupted to such craftiness, deception and subtlety that as “the father of lies” (John 8:44), Satan is supremely capable of deceiving the world’s billions through his snares and schemes (Ephesians 6:11). We thus have the plagues of religions such as Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as the myriad other scourges of the earth - wars, famines, abortion, immorality in all its forms, rebellion, greed etc. Satan used his “fallen wisdom” and “perfect beauty” to seduce, corrupt and destroy man - who fails to see the ugliness or perceive the deception. ISAIAH 14:13 For you have said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ISAIAH 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” (Satan, with corrupted wisdom, and having gained the support of a third of the angels, sought to challenge God Himself.) (In these two verses, we see the foment of Satan’s rebellion and revolution against God. It seems that Lucifer, while true to the Lord, was given dominion of the Earth, which was before Adam. After his fall, he worked deceitfully to get other angelic rulers to follow him in his war against God.) (E.S.B.) Through this rebellion in the highest degree, Satan and his followers (a third of the angels (Revelation 12:7-9,4) entered the presence of God with sin in their hearts. We believe that in doing so they were judged - thus condemning themselves to an everlasting 16 existence without God, becoming eternally and irrevocably separated from Him. In attempting to overthrow God, Satan and all his followers made a declaration of war in heaven. REVELATION 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael (the archangel) and his angels fought against the dragon (Satan); and the dragon fought and his angels (Revelation 12:4 indicates a third of the angelic host joined Satan’s rebellion and fell with him), REVELATION 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven (they were expelled permanently). REVELATION 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth , and his angels were cast out with him. In this war, Satan and his angels fought against the remaining two thirds of the angels who remained loyal to God. They lost this battle in which they dared to oppose God. They were then cast down to the earth, being expelled from heaven forever. This is the event Jesus was describing when He said: LUKE 10:18 And He (Jesus) said unto them (the Disciples), “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Dake speaks of this event as follows: “Turning to the N.T. we find that Jesus taught the fall of Satan from heaven, in Luke 10:18. When did he fall? Before Adam’s time, for he was already a fallen creature when he came into Adam’s Eden (Genesis 3) Why did he fall? Because of pride and wanting to exalt his earthly kingdom above God’s (Isaiah 14:12-16); Ezekiel 28:1117). What was the result of his fall? All of Satan’s earthly subjects as well as over one-third of God’s own angels fell with him (Revelation 12:3, 7-12), and all earth-nations were totally destroyed, along with vegetation, fish, fowls, and animals (2 Peter 3:5-8). Thus, 17 Luke 10:18 substantiates the teaching of O.T. passages regarding a pre-Adamite world. Jesus further taught the overthrow of the pre-Adamite world by plainly stating that the world has been overthrown. See note i, Matthhew 13:35. Paul also taught the overthrow of the pre-Adamite world (Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26). See notes at these scriptures and note i, Matthhew 13:35. In Colossians 1:15-18 he made it clear that there are thrones, principalities, and powers in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible. It should not be difficult then, to believe that Lucifer was given one of these thrones and a kingdom to rule over, before he fell. That his kingdom was on earth in a pre-Adamite period is indicated by the fact that he returned to the earth after his fall, and moving with envy and jealousy, brought about the downfall of the new earth-ruler, Adam. Why all this desire to usurp man’s dominion on earth if the earth was not one time Lucifer’s place of rulership?” 2 SATAN’S CORRUPTION OF THE WORLD How long Satan and his subjects remained on the original perfect earth in their fallen state is unknown. We do believe, however, that after Satan was cast down to the earth in what would have been his fierce anger and rebellion, he promoted the corruption of “the world that then was” to such an extent that God, in His righteous anger, decided to physically destroy all the inhabitants of the earth who had promoted the filth and evil that then prevailed. He did so by flooding the earth, as 2 Peter 3:6 states: 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was (the preAdamic creation), being overflowed with water (in the first great flood), perished The word “perished” is derived from the Greek word “apollumi” which means “to destroy fully.” The word “overflowed” comes from the Greek word “katakluzo” which means “to overflow with water, to submerge, deluge” The earth itself was obviously not destroyed at this time, only its inhabitants and the ordered format of their social structure. So we can understand that the world system at that time was completely destroyed, and that the earth was left in a state of 18 chaos. Incidentally, this “chaos” (Genesis 1:2) would not have been the object of the celebration in heaven recorded in the Book of Job when “the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy” at the creation of the universe. We believe also that the demon spirits which are here today would probably have come from that time period. Demon spirits (devils) are not fallen angels, but can be organized by fallen angels (Ephesians 6:12). The demons which are with us today are most probably the disembodied spirits of the earth’s original inhabitants, those who belonged to Lucifer’s kingdom and who followed Satan in his rebellion against God - those who walked the original perfect earth in a physical form. In relation to Jeremiah 4:25, the E.S.B. makes the point that if this verse indeed refers to the time of Lucifer’s fall and its disastrous consequences, “we then have here the origin of demons, which are the spirits of the race that lived on the Earth before Lucifer’s rebellion, and their throwing in their lot with him.” (E.S.B.) What was the point of God flooding the earth at that time? The flood was God’s judgement on the fallen angel Lucifer and the pre-Adamic race which had joined forces with him in his rebellion against the Creator. God sent the flood to rid the earth of the filth and corruption that Satan had obviously inspired and perpetrated through his underlings, after his fall to the earth. We can understand that once sin entered into Satan he became totally and utterly corrupt, intent only on destruction and gaining revenge on God. Thus the beauty of the original perfect earth was destroyed, and chaos and desolation followed this most grievous rebellion. This is evidenced by Genesis 1:2: “and the earth was (had become) without form (a desolation) and void (an indistinguishable ruin) . . .” Genesis 1:1-2 gives no indication of how long the first great flood which destroyed Satan’s handiwork remained on the earth. GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 19 GENESIS 1:2 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. “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” However the Spirit moving on the face of the waters does indicate that the earth was flooded. PSALM 104:6 You covered it (the earth) with the deep (with water) as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains. Genesis 1:2 also tells us that the earth “was without form and void.” So we could assume that all physical life which had previously existed had been completely destroyed. There was also no light for darkness covered the earth, the sun, moon and stars having withdrawn their light - “and darkness was upon the face of the deep” (Genesis 1:2). JEREMIAH 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. JEREMIAH 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. JEREMIAH 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man (no intelligent physical beings), and all the birds of the heavens were fled (were gone). JEREMIAH 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities (indicating civilization) thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger (ushering in the Lord’s judgement). 2 PETER 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished 20 We can conclude that during the pre-Adamic creation, intelligent physical beings inhabited the earth, having cities and nations (Isaiah 14:12; Jeremiah 4:26). This God-serving civilization operated under the rulership of God’s “anointed cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14), otherwise known as Lucifer. These intelligent creatures then submitted to Satan in his fallen state and became citizens of darkness. It appears that God destroyed this entire evil civilization in the first flood. He used water as a tool of judgement to destroy this original world system which had become totally corrupt. As has been stated, this is probably where demon spirits originated. It is reasonable to presume that they are the spirits of Satan’s former subjects who, in their fallen state, continue to serve him along with the evil angels who fell with him. Remember that just as Satan was once “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12), these beings would not have been created in the corrupt state in which we now find them. Note too that demons always seek to enter physical bodies so as to give expression to their evil natures, e.g. Matthew 8:28-32; Luke 11:24-26. The reality of this apparent driving force adds weight to the idea that they once possessed physical bodies of their own - most probably during the time of Lucifer’s rule on the earth in the pre-Adamic creation. Regardless of where demons originated, however, scripture is very clear about the existence of different types of spiritual beings, i.e.: 1. Angels - good and evil. 2. Demons - devils. We also know that Satan himself is a fallen angel, and that he is the king and ruler of all evil spiritual beings - indeed he is the ruler of darkness (Ephesians 6:12), and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). DEMONS As we have learned, it appears that demons originated from a creation before man - for they are obviously not fallen angels. As we 21 have said, the strongest evidence to suggest that they once had their own bodies actually lies in the fact that they constantly seek to embody (to live in) the flesh of people or animals. Scripture tells us of this, and also shows us that ever since the fall of Adam, a spiritual battle has been raging for the possession of men’s minds, bodies and spirits. MATTHEW 12:43 When the unclean spirit (demon) is gone out of a man, he (the unclean spirit) walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none. MATTHEW 12:44 Then he says, “I will return into my house from whence I came out;” and when he (the evil spirit) is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished (empty of the light of the Word of God). MATTHEW 12:45 Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first . . . MARK 5:12 And all the devils (demons) besought Him (Jesus), saying, “Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.” MARK 5:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave (permission). And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked (drowned) in the sea. Thus the Bible teaches that apart from Satan (who is the prince and god of this world - John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4) and the evil angelic powers, there are evil spirits who have lesser degrees of authority and power. Their designation as “demons” is derived from the Greek word “daimon” which means “a supernatural spirit (of bad nature) - devil.” Demons have personalities just as humans have personalities, but as spirit-beings they cannot normally be seen with the mortal 22 (natural) eye. These fallen spirit-beings desire to inhabit physical bodies in order to express their natures and personalities in the physical realm. It is also possible that they have been designated and commissioned by the rulers and powers of the Kingdom of Darkness to promote certain evils specific to themselves and given power to do so. CONCLUSION Thus by a close examination of scripture, we can indeed declare that God created the heavens and the earth in a dateless past. He did not create the earth as a desolation and a worthless waste, as we see it described in Gen.1:2. He created the earth to be inhabited, and it was, no doubt, full of beauty, tranquillity and splendour. Satan’s rebellion, and subsequent fall to the earth, resulted in great destruction and terrible damage to God’s creation, so much so that the Lord flooded the earth to cleanse it from evil. It is believed that the dinosaurs date back to this pre-Adamic creation, and that they were destroyed in the first great flood. Genesis 1:2 gives us a description of the state of the earth just prior to the creation of man, indicating a situation whereby waters covered the globe, and the Spirit of God moved upon these waters. This moving scene precedes God’s wonderful restoration of the earth and His creation of man. May you have the victory in Christ. Amen! 23 REVIEW OF TEACHING BOOKLET Fill in the blanks. 1. When God creates anything, He creates it to be ........................... . Therefore the earth being “without form and void” (a desolate and indistinguishable ruin), as described in ................................., must indicate a later period of time than that of creation. 2. Isaiah 45:18 backs up this view of God’s original creation not being a chaotic mess when it says “He did not create it a ...................... . For He formed it to be ............................” (RSV) 3. There is therefore an unknown period of ........................ which exists between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2, a period in which was played out a vast untold story. 4. This period cannot be estimated, and therefore we can say creation took place in a ............................... past, possibly millions of years ago. 5. The earth is then clearly a lot older then 6,000 10,000 ......................, and we have the bones of .......................................... to validate this statement. 6. The Hebrew words “bara” (created) and “asah” (reworked or fashioned out of pre-existing material) support the view that the .......................... and ........................ were created in the beginning, and then, after the earth became marred and desolate, were refashioned by God. 7. This rearrangement and refashioning occurred in .................. literal .................................. .................... days. 8. Scripture shows us that at some period between the two epic events of .......................... and reformation, there was a pre-Adamic creation which became so corrupt it had to be .............................. . 9. God’s Word tells us of the existence of a first great .................................. (2 Pet. 3:6) which destroyed the original 24 pre-Adamic creation. This preceded the next great ............................. in Noah’s time. 10. Jeremiah 4:23-26 links with Genesis 1:2 in that the earth is described again as being ............................... ..................... and ..................... . There is also no light and no evidence of ....................... . 11. The chaos described in Jeremiah’s vision links to the ruin and desolation of Gen. 1:2, and gives support to the view of a pre - ......................... civilization which had to be destroyed (for it speaks of a fruitful place with cities broken down). 12. In the first great flood, the waters departed .......................... (Ps. 104:7), while after Noah’s flood, the water’s subsided ..............................: Gen. 7:11 and Gen. 8:14. 13. Scripture shows us that ................................ originally had a throne or kingdom here on earth, for he had to ascend above the clouds in order to challenge ........................ . So it appears that he ruled over the original inhabitants, for an unknown period of time, on the original ............................ earth. 14. Ezekiel 28:12-15 is speaking about ........................... in the time before his fall. This angelic being was created ............................., but it was the sin of ............................ which led to his downfall. 15. Satan led a rebellion against God with ................................ of the angels. This brought ...................... to heaven. 16. The battle was lost and Satan and his angels were cast down to the ............................ which they proceeded to corrupt, being expelled from heaven forever: Luke 10:18. 17. God, in His righteous anger, then flooded the .............................. to destroy what Satan had corrupted, and the earth was left in a state of ...................... , the social system of that day having been completely destroyed. This is the time described by Genesis 1:2 . 25 18. The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the ...................... (Gen. 1:2) indicates that the earth was ......................... . 19. The demons which are with us today are most probably the disembodied spirits of the earth’s .............................. inhabitants, those who walked the earth in ........................ form. They would not have been created in the ....................... state we now find them. 20. We can conclude from scripture that the pre-Adamic creation had intelligent beings with ................................ and nations under the rulership of .................................. . These creatures submitted to Satan in his fallen state, and God used the first great ............................. as a tool of ...................................... to destroy the then corrupt social system on the earth. 21. Satan and his forces, then utterly corrupt, totally destroyed the beauty of the original perfect ............................... . God flooded the earth to destroy ................................ handiwork of chaos, filth and destruction. 22. God then ....................................... created ................... to replenish it: : Gen. 1:28. 26 the earth and THE STORY OF CREATION - Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. good / perfect, Genesis 1:2 chaos, inhabited time dateless years, dinosaurs heavens, earth 6 / six, 24-hour creation, destroyed flood, flood without form, void, man existing quickly, gradually Satan, God, perfect Lucifer, perfect, pride 1/3 (one third), war earth earth, chaos / desolation waters, flooded original, physical, corrupt / sinful / evil cities, Satan, flood, judgement earth, Satan’s restored, man For further information or teaching material to help you grow in the Christian faith, please visit: CROSSROADS INTERNATIONAL FULL GOSPEL MINISTRIES crossroadsministries.org.au 27 NOTES 28 NOTES 29 NOTES 30 1 2 S.B.C. Jeremiah, pgs. 33 and 34. Dake, F.J., Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, pg. 54.