Was the Earth RECREATED after an initial creation?
Is there a GAP of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2?
(Part 4 of 4)

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Biblical Evidence for a Catastrophe between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2

There is much biblical evidence that reveals that a catastrophe has occurred between the first two verses of Genesis one. A proper understanding of what is written in the second verse will help us to see that there has been a previous catastrophe before the recreation account in Genesis.

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was (hayah-became) without form (tohuw-confusion), and void (bohuw-empty); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " Genesis 1:1-2
The two Hebrew words translated without form and void are the two Hebrew words tohuw and bohuw.

tohuw (#8414) – formless, confusion, vain, unreality, wasteland, wilderness, place of chaos.

bohuw (#922) – emptiness, void, waste.

As has been shown before the Hebrew word was-hayah in the second verse should be translated became. The last part of verse two indicated that the earth then became a confused empty formless wasteland (tohuw and bohuw), because of Satan's rebellion and sin.



An examination of a couple of verses where these two words tohuw and bohuw are used will be illustrative. The first is in Isaiah where God likens the original destruction of the earth to the chaotic state of the nation of Israel. Israel was in a state of confusion (tohuw). God is revealing two principles by this scripture. First the earth was not originally created in a state of confusion or vanity (tohuw) it therefore became that way. In the same sense the nation of Israel was not originally created in a state of confusion but it also had become that way (note all of Isaiah 45). Just as God had saved and recreated the earth from its original confused and chaotic state so God was going to save Israel from its confused and chaotic state.

" But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain (tohuw), Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:17-18
The second example is a parallel examination of Genesis 1:1-2 and Jeremiah 4:23-26. In both of these passages the words tohuw and bohuw are used. The context for the verses in Genesis is where it speaks about the condition of the earth before the creation of the first Adam. The context of the verses in Jeremiah reveals the condition of the earth immediately after the tribulation. Jesus Christ returns shortly after the tribulation. So in essence the earth's conditions before the arrival of Christ is described. Jesus Christ is often referred to as the last or second Adam. So in both of these verse the context is the arrival of Adam and a reconstituted and recreated earth. Both verses also describe a period of no light and the spirit or presence of God. The first earth was recreated physically. The second millennial earth will be recreated both physically and spiritually. The first Adam was earthy the second Adam was spiritual.

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form (tohuw), and void (bohuw); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " Genesis 1:1-2
" I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form (tohuw), and void (bohuw); And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger." Jeremiah 4:23-26

" And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. " 1 Corinthians15:45

Another clue that the earth was in a state of destruction is found in the second part of Genesis 1:2. This verse shows that the earth had been covered in a deep mantle of water. It was not until verse ten that dry land appeared. God used water as a judgment in the time of Noah when He sent a flood to destroy wicked men. This flood cleansed the earth as it destroyed the ancient world (Genesis 6:13). God sent a rainbow as a reminder to the flood survivors that He would never again destroy the world with water. Obviously God buried the pre-Adamic sinful world of Satan under vast sheets of water. This is the condition we find the earth in shortly before it is recreated. There is another flood coming that will bury or baptize the earth, but in keeping with God's promise it will not be a flood of water but of fire [42].

" …and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2
" For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men…But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up…looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" 2 Peter 3:5-7, 10, 12

The context Genesis 1:3 "and God said."

The verse that begins the creative acts for each and every day (with one exception) begins with a statement made by God [43]. Each and every day begins with the words, "Then God said….". For example in verse 9, which is the beginning of the third day the verse, is as follows:

" Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so." Genesis 1:9
Also each and every day (also with one exception) ends with "so the evening and the morning were the (number) day." An example would be the quote for the ending of the third day.

" So the evening and the morning were the third day." Genesis 1:13
Using this formula the creative acts for the first day begin in verse three where it says:

" Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light." Genesis 1:3
This shows that the events of the first day of the recreation week began in verse three making the first two verses previous to the six-day recreation account. So the context of the day's beginning and ending reveal that the first two verses are not part of the original creation week and therefore further reinforces the concept of the gap and strengthens the Old Earth Creation scheme.

Interestingly the only exception to the above formula was the seventh day. On the seventh day God did not do any creating by "work." But he still created, established the seventh day Sabbath (Saturday) by resting on it. God created the Sabbath by resting, blessing it, and putting his presence in it. The Hebrew word for sanctified is qadash (#6942) , it means to consecrate, to set apart, to be honored and treated as sacred. Since the Sabbath was not created by "working" but by a blessing and by being set apart by God and by God resting, then the formula that began and ended each workday is not mentioned on the Sabbath.

" Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. " Genesis 2:1-3
Relation of the Fall of Satan to Creation

The Young Earth Creationists believe that Satan and all angels were created on the first day of the creation week. According to their scenario the angels were created and then a few hours later the earth was brought into existence. When the earth is created the angels of God shout for joy. God then creates water, which covers the earth, and he creates light. Then a short time later, sometime after the creation week, Satan is a fallen adversarial entity that lies and deceives mother Eve into eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. All of these chronological events would have transpired in days and maybe even hours [44]. Interestingly the description in Job reveals some otherwise overlooked details.

" Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7
According to the Young Earth arrangement the sons of God, angels, would have to sing in the dark since light was not created until day four which is after the earth was created. Also the earth was "without form and void," it was empty and barren. Why would the angels sing at the creation of an empty, barren, formless, dark, and uninhabited earth? This could not be referring to the third day of the creation week when everything was pronounced good because no foundation is spoken about then.

Obviously Job 38 and the song of joy must be referring to a time period before the weeklong recreation account in Genesis one. If the Old Earth Creationist arrangement is considered then everything make perfect sense. Sometime in the past God created the heavens and the earth. Light would have existed at this time since the stars and sun would have been created first. Then the earth would have been created and it would have been complete with all the ecosystems in full operation and teeming with life [45]. It would not have been barren, formless, and dark world. This bringing into existence of a perfectly formed earth, which other sections of this paper have shown, was going to be the home of Satan and his angels overjoyed the angels and they sang for joy. Job 38 fits the Old Earth scenario, however it is forced when placed in a Young Earth context.

Also Satan is called the "that serpent of old", this statement is made after the war in heaven, when Satan had been cast out of heaven. According to the Young Earth scenario at the time that Satan is called the serpent of old he is only five days older than Adam because he was created on day one and humans were created on day six. It seems strange that he would be called "that serpent of old", if he were only slightly older than man. On the other hand this would make perfect sense if he had a long prehistory before the creation of man.

"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9
" He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; " Revelation 20:2

Creation of Light

There are several problems that concern the chronology of the appearance of light in the Young Earth Scenario. The earth was supposedly created on day one and the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four. Thus for four days the earth existed without the accompaniment of any type of celestial bodies. This creates several problems that may not be inherent in a cursory reading of Genesis one.

The Hebrew words for day, night, evening, and morning used in Genesis one are the exact same words used in the rest of the Old Testament to signify the same concepts. A day is defined as the rotation of the earth causing the apparent rising and setting of the sun—morning and evening, usually lasting twenty-four hours. See figure 9 [46]. Notice below in the listed translations that this rising and setting of the sun with its bringing of an evening and morning are normal days.

" God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day." (Margin - and evening was, and morning was, a day one) (NKJV) Genesis 1:5

" God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day." (RSV) Genesis 1:5.




Figure 9: Sunset and Sunrise require a rotating earth and the sun. The sun was not created on day four but was actually created much earlier than the recreation account in Genesis one.
". . . and God calleth to the light 'Day,' and to the darkness He hath called 'Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning -- day one." (Young's) Genesis 1:5

If, according to the Young Earth scenario God did not create the sun until the fourth day how does one explain the coming of sunset or the evening, and the coming of sunrise or the morning? There can only be a sunset and a sunrise if the sun exists and if the earth is revolving in its orbit around the sun every twenty-four hours. How can there be three days if the earth was sitting in dark space without a sun? How does one explain the existence of light before the creation of the sun moon and stars if the only light that exists in the present day heavens is the result of the radiance of the sun, stars, and the reflected light from the moon?

Once again these problems disappear under the Old Earth analysis of Genesis one. If the sun and all the celestial bodies were created in verse one than the problem with the days, and light existing before the creation of the sun disappears. What basically is happening in the description of light in the first chapter is easy to understand from an Old Earth perspective. When the re-creation scene begins in verse three the earth's surface is totally dark because of suspended particles of dust in the air. When God said, "Let there be light", enough of this suspended material was removed that the earth is now bathed in a subdued light. This would correspond to a particular cloudy day where the heavenly bodies would not be visible but yet the coming of day and night could be perceived. It would be analogous to someone coming into a darkened room and saying, "let there be light" as he drew back the curtains to allow outside light in. Later, on day four God totally cleans the atmosphere and the sun, moon, and stars become visible through the pristine atmosphere. All of these creative acts take place from the perspective of an observer on the surface of the earth.

Various Translations of Genesis 1:2

Different Bible translations of the second verse of Genesis two reveal an interesting perspective. The wording of many of the translations implies that the earth had become or was a waste or wasteland. This is what would be expected if the earth were in the process of being re-created and not in the process of being created. See figure 10 [47].

" . . . The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (New King James Version)
" . . . the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness is on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters," (Young's Literal Translation)

"And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " (Darby Translation)




Figure 10: Various Bible translations indicate that the earth was created and then after an unspecified time period fell into a state described as: "without form, void, waste, empty, barren and a desolate waste."
" And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (American Standard Version)
"And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters." (Basic English Bible)

"Now, the earth, had become waste and wild, and, darkness, was on the face of the roaring deep,--but, the Spirit of God, was brooding on the face of the waters." (Rotherham Emphasized Bible)

"the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water." (Today's English Version)

"The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water." (Contemporary English Version)

"When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was a desolate waste with darkness covering the abyss and a tempestuous wind raging over the surface of the waters" (Smith-Goodspeed Bible)

He Made the Worlds

Another biblical theme that supports the Old Earth Creation concept is that the earth or world we are living in is just one in a series of worlds that have and will exist. God has brought into being one earth but it has sustained many worlds, time period, or ages. The word world or worlds is translated from two Greek words. The first is aion (#165) – which means ages or period of time. The second is kosmos (#2889) – which means the world, the universe, the earth, or the earth's inhabitants.

" (God the Father) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds (aion); " Hebrews 1:2
" By faith we understand that the worlds (aion) were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." Hebrews 11:3

There was a pre-Adamic world. This world was the original earth created in the first verse of the Bible. This world was created perfect and was filled with various life forms (45). Satan was commissioned to be the ruler of this world. His throne was on the earth. Later through the sin of Satan and the rebellion of the angels "war in heaven" occurred. This led to the destruction of the earth and the extinction of all life. The life forms of this former world were fossilized and buried under a vast sheet of global water.

" In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was (hayah-became) without form (tohuw-confusion), and void (bohuw-empty); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2

""Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; When I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!' " Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?"" Job 38:4-13

There was a pre-flood world. This pre-flood world was the world that existed from the recreation of the earth in Genesis one to its destruction in the flood of Noah as documented in Genesis six. This world was the world of Adam and the long-live biblical patriarchs. This world was brought into judgment because it was corrupt and extremely wicked. Like the pre-Adamic world it also was destroyed and purified by water.

" The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." Genesis 6:11-13
" . . . and did not spare the ancient world (kosmos), but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world (kosmos) of the ungodly; " 2 Peter 2:5

"For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world (kosmos) that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:5-7

There is this present world. This world began when Noah disembarked from the ark. It has and will exist until the return of Christ as Lord of Lords. This is the present world in which mankind lives. This is the world in which Jesus Christ was made flesh, was born to the virgin Mary, grew to manhood, established the church, and later died as the Passover sacrifice on the cross. During Jesus' earthly life he was tempted by Satan and overcame him. Jesus in reality dethroned Satan and qualified to replace him as God of the earth. He will ascend this throne during the millennial period.

" For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world (kosmos) that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:5-7
" And the world (kosmos) is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:17

" He was in the world (kosmos), and the world (kosmos) was made through Him, and the world (kosmos) did not know Him." John 1:10

There is the coming millennial world. The coming of this world has been prophesied by most of the prophets. It will begin with the literal return of Jesus Christ to rule the nations. This world will continue for a thousand year hence the name millennium. The kingdom of the present world will become the kingdoms of Christ. When Jesus Christ returns Satan's commission, as "god of the world" will come to an end. The resurrected saints will be given rulership status with Christ. The nature of the animals will be changed and the earth will become an Edenic paradise. This time period is sometime referred to as the Kingdom of God. At the close of this age there will be another resurrection as prophesied in the many places in the scriptures (Ezekiel 37, John 11:24, Revelation 20:1-6).

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea." Isaiah 11:6-9
"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Revelation 20:4-6

There is the final new heavens and a new earth. At the end of the millennial world when the thousand year time period had ended God will cast the unrepentant into the lake of fire and the earth will be cleansed by fire. The earth will be remade for the last and final time. It will become the home of God the Father (Revelation 21:1-8) and only righteous resurrected humans will dwell in it. At this time the sons of God will inherit the final culmination of all the promises and the earth will become the restored home of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and their family.

" For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind." Isaiah 65:17
" For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me," says the LORD, "So shall your descendants and your name remain." Isaiah 66:22

" But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:7, 10-13

" Now I saw a new heaven an d a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." " Revelation 21:1-4

Conclusion

There is much biblical evidence that indicates that the creation account in Genesis one is simply a recreation account. The Old Earth position has not been accepted because of the need for vast amounts of time in order to harmonize with man evolutionary timetable. It in fact preceded modern geology and has a long history. The gap is based on solid biblical evidence and also a proper understanding of the context of chronological events of biblical history involving Satan, angels, war in heaven, sin, judgment, and God's plan.

The proper understanding of the gap and the Old Earth position reveals several things that are not clearly understood when biblical and creation scholars claims that the universe, including the earth, is at most only a few thousand years old. First and foremost it reveals a proper understanding of the history of Satan and the angels he led into rebellion. Because of the gap, God is revealed as a God of justice and judgment and that all sin had consequences. It is also understood that God has a plan and that there is a new world coming. The sons of God will inhabit this future world. Another important point of understanding is that Satan and the fallen angels ultimate destiny has not yet been decided. These fallen beings that wrecked the first earth are yet to be judged. Their ultimate judgment is going to be the responsibility of transformed humans that have been saved—the sons of God!

Part 1: Introduction, Objections to Gap theory
Part 2: Do Hebrew Scholars Support a Gap?
Part 3: Was There Sin Before Adam?
Part 4: Biblical Evidence for a Catastrophe between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2


Works Cited and Research Notes

[42]. This fire is described in Matthew 25:41. The word for everlasting in this verse is the Greek word aionios (#166) aijwvnioß, which comes from the root word aion (#165) aijwvn, which mean age. This is an age lasting fire—know in scriptures as the "lake of fire." The lake of fire has been prepared for Satan and the fallen angels. This fire will cover the whole earth shortly before the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.

Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

[43] As has been shown Jesus Christ was the God who created all things. He is the logos, the spokesman. He created all things by speaking or commanding them into existence. Since He creates by speaking it is appropriate that the creative acts of each day begin with the statement "Then God said…".

[44]. Griggs R. 1997.

[45]. What type of life inhabited this world that Satan was commissioned to oversee? There are some interesting and speculative ideas and the Bible hints at some possibilities. They are presented here not as dogmatic proof but as interesting possibilities. Human have been created after the image and likeness of God, we are to be the sons of God and inheritors with Christ.

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Animals are created after their kind. They reproduce after each other.

Genesis 1:24-25 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

The original pattern for humans came from God, where did the original pattern for animals come from? Some angelic beings that are in God's presence have animalistic forms. They resemble, eagles, and lions and oxen. They are representatives of the animals that inhabit the air (eagle), the ground (lion), and the domesticated animals (ox or bull). These beings which are spirit beings have been created before the creation of the earth. In other words there are angelic beings that have the basic body plan of animals that were created before animals came into existence (Ezekiel 1:10).

Revelation 4:6-7 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf (or ox), the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

Obviously God used the angels as pattern for the form and shape of the animals that were created in Genesis chapter one. Animals are under the dominion of man in this present world, which corresponds to the angels being under the dominion of God. Later when humans are the "sons of God" they will be given dominion over all the angelic hosts. An intriguing question is, what type of animals were created in the pre-Adamic world?

In the Old and New Testaments Satan is picture as having a serpentine, reptilian form in the basic body plan of a dragon. He is also described as very wise and powerful. He would have been an awesome sight to behold. He is pictured as a great red dragon and a serpent in Revelation. He was reptilian in shape and was also wise and beautiful. Consider the following words used in the description of Satan

nachash (#5175) — serpent. This word is used in the Old Testament to refer to Satan. It is also used to denote everyday snakes.

drakon (#1404) — an alternate form of derkomai a fabulous (or fascinating) kind of serpent, a dragon.

ophis (#3789) — snake, serpent, a sly, cunning, artful, malicious person, sharpness of vision.

Revelation 20:2 He laid hold of the dragon (drakon), that serpent (ophis) of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years

Since God was going to put Satan over the newly created pre-Adamic earth it only make sense that the earth would be populated with created animals that had his basic body plan—dinosaurs. As a side note, many scientists have suggested that the world of the dinosaurs, the Mesozoic Era which included the Jurassic and Triassic time periods, was destroyed by a massive comet or planetoid striking the earth during the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. This astral event, which destroyed all life on the earth, is often called the K-T extinction event. This is very similar to the "war in heaven" paradigm! So in essence the properly correlated fossil record indicates that the earth had a prehistory before man and that this world was destroyed and covered with water. The events after Genesis 1:1-2 indicate that God recreated the earth as a habitation for man.

[46]. Photo courtesy of: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). photo #1911. John Bortnaik.

[47] Out of the Dust, a Planet is Born. Photo courtesy of: NASA-JPL-Caltech. photo #PIA05988.

Caption: In this artist's conception, a possible newfound planet spins through a clearing in a nearby star's dusty, planet-forming disc. This clearing was detected around the star CoKu Tau 4 by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope…If we were to visit a planet like this, we would have a very different view of the universe. The sky, instead of being the familiar dark expanse lit by distant stars, would be dominated by the thick disc of dust that fills this young planetary system.

Written by: Arnold Mendez
Visit Arnold's site dedicated to Creation and related topics.