Genesis 1:1-2?

Question

In my high school Bible class (I went to a christian school), we often got into this discussion. I would like to hear your opinions: In Genesis 1:1-2 the Bible says: "(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." Okay, we always thought that this indicated a major gap of time between verses 1 and 2. Why? Well because why would God create the earth, and then put nothing on it ("...without form, and void..."). We saw this as an indication of another civilization that God created before us, and then destroyed, as will happen to THIS world someday. So between the 1st and 2nd verses there could be centuries and centuries of time not recorded, maybe because God didn't want us to know too much about it. Then it picks up again with: "And the earth was without form and void..." because the previous civilization had been destroyed. We never delved too deeply into this, as my Bible teacher felt he didn't have enough information to back up his theory, but I think it is very interesting, and I would like to know what you all think.

Answer 1

Here's your answer - there is no answer. That's because it's a myth written by someone not intelligent enough to even think it through as much as YOU have. He was some unbathed stinky guy in a tent surrounded by goats, trying to explain the origin of things he could not comprehend - kinda like "How the Tiger Got His Stripes" and stories like that. Read that one - he ran in circles around a tree and spilled butter on himself, that's where the stripes came from. Oh, and uh, yeah, God created the world out of thin air in seven days! Yeah! hahaha

Answer 2

There was an eyewitness of creation - God, the Creator.

These chapters are obviously a record of creation which God specifically reported to Moses by way of special relevation.

The sun is not the only source of light in the universe. Further, the sun may have existed from the first day, but only appeared or became visible (as the mist cleared) on the fourth day. We see light on a cloudy day, even when we cannot see the sun.

All of His Majestic power was involved with the creation.
In the light of all the evidence for beginning of the space-time universe, the Beginner must be outside of the space-time universe.

Scientists are now finding that the universe in which we live is like that diamond-studded Rolex, except the universe is even more precisely designed than our watch. In fact, the universe is specifically tweaked to enable life on earth-a planet with scores of improbable and independent life-supporting conditions that make it a tiny oasis in a vast and hostile universe.

According to the Multiple Universe Theory, there actually are an infinite number of universes in existence, and we just happened to be lucky enough to be in the universe with right conditions.
There are multiple problems with multiple-universe explanation. The first and the most,there is no have any evidence for it.

The words WITHOUT FORM...VOID express the concept of chaos. Darkness is a potent biblical symbol of evil and wrong.

I do not see any indications of another civilization that God created before us...But He is a jealous God, He does not want us to have other Gods...so if He destroyed any other civilizations before us, I can see what happened when He gave us a free will...maybe He protected us from that info, so we really would be having a free will... choosing between hell or heaven seem to be a challenging enough...

{The DEEP is the term for secret places for waters ( see also 7:1)}

Answer 3

No, the "earth was without form and void" is actually pretty specific isn't it? It had no shape. Was void, without life. The Chapter 1 of Genesis goes Chronologically (that is THROUGH TIME) as the Earth is Created. As we know in Science, God created the Solar System and the planets from Accreation Discs, that is each orbit had a certain amount of matter that accumulated until planet formation started. We have no reason to believe God didn't use Science and Physic to create the Universe since He is a God of Laws. So, going Chronologically, we have the formation of the planet earth, which at this time is void and without a physical shape. It then over the millenia takes on shape and gains an atmosphere (God is no hurry, so why rush it), there is plenty of time for the earth to cool, oceans to form and dirt to form from rocks and lava. Plants then are next, then animals, etc., each coming one after the next. While yes, there most likely were MILLIONS of years between these days (since its NOT important that we know) we probably never will. Nothing in the Bible says God did NOT use evolution or a guided form of it to create plants and animals.

As far as we know, the only "previous" civilization that has existed was the one that was here when the pre-flood world was here for 1,500 odd years between Adam and the Flood of Noah. Plenty of time for a civilization to grow. Also, according to Genesis 6:1-4 the Nephilim and Fallen Angels were living on the earth at this time and could have created any civilization they wanted with their intelligences. The fallen angels only lost their ability to take physical form when the flood came and they gave up their physical bodies, after that, only the Holy Angels could take physical shape, thank God.

Besides its hard for intelligent life to take hold in darkness and in the face of the deep. So far, only worms on the floor of the ocean have been known to do so.

GREAT QUESTION.

Answer 4

In the Bible Genesis 1:2 "Now that earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." Now Genesis 1:3 says, "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." Now through Genesis 1:3-24 God keeps saying And, and, and...... to make something new. So I believe like when God said that He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2) I think between the first day through the 6th day He made everything. So, like the first day i think counts for the first time he made the earth.

Answer 5

The Bible is a book written by humans, and therefore fallible. In the beginning the earth was a molten mass surrounded by cloud and fog, too warm for life. After it had cooled down and the waters had receded, God (via the Life Carriers) put life plasm in several places on the earth. This life plasm was the beginning of life on the planet.

The planet is still cooling off after all these millions of years, but life has evolved fully. The planet was too hot for any life before this, so there were no earlier civilizations.

Answer 6

This is one of Man's attempts to "explain" why the Bible chronology would put the world only about 10,000 years old and science believes it is millions-billions years old. It is called the "Gap Theory"

There is also the theory that each day of creation is actually a thousand or more years long.

People can't seem to accept the chronolgy of the Bible and the literal 24 hour length of the days in Genesis. There is a lot of evidence that the world is only 10,000 or so years old.

Answer 7

I think that it's a great theory and just as plausible as anything else. I don't see why not. I believe that there have been other civilizations before us. I believe that there was once a matriarchal society who ruled the earth. Either way, there's nothing wrong with expanding your mind to alternate possibilities.

I don't believe that the seven days spoken of in the bible equate to the 24 hour days that we know of in our world of relativity. Time is a human construct utilized as a tool of measurement. God needs no such tool.

Answer 8

The Gap Theory- "Its Fallacies and Faults"

The Gap Theory is a desperate attempt to harmonize the first chapter of Genesis with the time scale of uniformitarian geology and evolutionary biology by pigeon-holing the geologic ages in an imaginary time-gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. This time-gap is forced upon the text and context of Genesis 1 by an unwarranted manipulation of the Hebrew grammar of its second verse in order to accommodate the evolutionary interpretation of the fossils within the rock record.

According to this concept (also known as the "Creation Reconstruction," "Ruin-Reconstruction," and "Pre-Adamic Cataclysm" Theory), the primeval Earth was totally devastated by a global cataclysm (referred to as "Lucifer's Flood") because of divine judgment on Lucifer's sin of 31 as a supernatural "re-creation" of earth in six solar days, this holding to a "literal view of Genesis" while not believing in a recent origin of the "heavens and the earth."

However, acceptance of the geologic ages implicitly involves acceptance of the whole evolutionary package. Most of the fossil forms preserved in the sedimentary rocks have obvious relatives in the present world, so that the "re-creation" concept involves the Creator re-creating in six days many of the same plants and animals which had been previously developed slowly over long ages, only to perish violently in the global pre-Adamic cataclysm of "Lucifer's Flood." In fact, the very concept of a worldwide deluge precludes the geologic ages, which are founded specifically on the assumption that there have been no such global floods in Earth's history! The Gap Theory, in addition to not facing the evolution issue at all, also leaves unanswered the serious problems as to why God would use the method of slow evolution over long ages in the primeval world, then destroy it, and then use the method of special creation to re-create the same forms He had just destroyed. As a device for compromising Genesis with geology, the Gap Theory is simply bad geology…and worse theology.

-Ken Ham, "Closing the Gap" and John D. Morris, "Does Scripture Allow a Gap?" Back to Genesis article dated Feb. 1990 (San Diego: ICR). -Henry M. Morris & John D. Morris, Scripture and Creation, Volume One of The Modern Creation Trilogy (Green Forest, Arizona: Master Books, 1996)pp. 50-60.

Other resources: Ham, Snelling, Wieland, "The Answer Book"

Answer 9

As you said, there are things we don't know.

I believe the first verses is a summary of what God is about to tell. He created the heavens and the earth which is the basis of everything we know. The planet we live on and the space around us. Then as He starts on verse 2, he begins to tell more details about it.

People write books this way. They give an introduction to give you the idea of where they are going and then start in on the details.

Answer 10

WHEN the Dinosaur's froze instantly (some were found with daisy-cup's in there mouth's) some think that's when GOD took out all of the LIGHT (with HEAT Energy). Then when GOD said let there be LIGHT, that's when thing's started heating up again. Satan was cast down to the EARTH, and he started messing-up thing's on the EARTh that GOD had put there (animal's so on) that's why GOD took out the LIGHT. YOU can believe this if you want to. I tend to Believe it, with variation's. Only GOD could tell you exactly. Hope this helps.....Ditto......

GENESIS chapter 1-1 thing's on the EARTH and satan was cast down to the EARTH.
GENESIS chapter 1-2 the result's of 1-1.