The History of the Ages – Lesson 7
13 Events continued
- In response to Lucifer’s rebellion, God completely destroys Lucifer’s earthly kingdom, destroying all life by collapsing the atmosphere, which covered the surface of the earth with water, and putting it in total darkness (indicating the removal of any possible heat) – which then encased it in ice. This is confirmed by geological evidence and the fossil record (almost entirely misunderstood or distorted by the scientific community) and the statements found in Genesis 1, which we will cover in the section to follow. (Compare Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:5-9; Jeremiah 4:23-28; II Peter 3:5-7)
Restoration of the original earth – preparation
Genesis 1:2a “And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the waters.”
- “And” above, should be “but” and the verb “was” is the qal perfect of hajah, and should read, “had become” indicating change. God’s works are always perfect, (Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 45:18, Matthew 5:48), therefore, He did not create an imperfect or chaotic earth – it became imperfect through an act of judgment.
- “Without form and void” is the Hebrew tohu waw bohu. As explained earlier, tohu means “desolate” (barren, uninhabited), bohu means “empty” (waste). The first refers to animal life, the second to plant life. All we have left of these original life forms is the fossil record (often referred to as “prehistoric”, dinosaurs, plant forms that no longer exist).
- “Darkness” is choshek, complete darkness, and the total absence of any light or heat.
- “Waters” is tehom, raging waters. In judgment, God collapsed the atmosphere, covering the earth with water. He then plunged it into total darkness, which encased it in an icepack.
As already discussed, by this point Lucifer had already begun the destruction of his kingdom as described in Isaiah 14. God completed the destruction by putting the earth in a totally helpless state. It is at this point that God must have pronounced future judgment on Satan and the other rebellious angels, preparing the means of that judgment (read Matthew 25:41). THEN RESTORATION BEGINS! This is a picture of grace. Just as we are helpless in total darkness, before we submit our lives to Him for His deliverance, the earth was helpless, waiting for God to deliver it – at this point; nothing could live, grow or evolve (couldn’t help a little sarcasm here).
“And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2b)
- “Moved” is rachaph, the literal meaning of which is “to incubate”. In Deuteronomy 32:11 the same word is used to describe a bird “brooding” over her young. The implication is “to provide warmth or heat”.
- “Waters” is hamajim, which does not simply mean “water”, but “melted water”. This pictures the regenerating ministry of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-6; John 3). The Holy Spirit rescued the earth shrouded in darkness, just like He rescues unregenerate man, shrouded in the darkness of spiritual death (II Corinthians 4:3-6).
The following is a contextual, corrected and expanded translation of Genesis 1:2: “But the earth had become an uninhabited and empty waste – there was nothing left that was living. And the raging waters God had used to destroy the earth were plunged into total darkness, in which there is an absence of heat, so the earth was encased in ice. But the Spirit of God applied heat to produce melting waters in preparation for the restoration of the earth.”
