The Gap Theory

Originally posted by RJHinds
No evidence yet of any gap of millions or billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. 😏

HalleluYaHshua ! Praise the LORD!

More from Brother Barnhouse -

God Still on the Throne

If the period of darkness and chaos was a prolonged one from the creature's point of view, the shock must have been all the greater when Satan discovered that God, after a long age of silence and inactivity in the realm of the darkened world, had not abandoned it to its governor, but still had an interest in it, still considered it as His province and under His sovereighnty and evidently was now moving to work out some purpose of which Satan was ignorant.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

But the earth became waste and emptiness and darkness was on the surface of the deep." (Gen. 1:1,2)

"For in six days Jehovah MADE heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it." (Exo. 20:11)

Originally posted by sonship
Absolutely [b]NO biblical evidence that Eve was the first creature deceived by the Devil.

Praise the Victorious Lord Jesus. Glory to His Name.
Thankyou Lord for opening Your Word to Your people in these last days. Amen.[/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
Where is there biblical evidence that other creatures were deceived by Satan before Eve?

You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. (v.15)

By the abundance of your trading THEY filled your midst with violence, and you sinned. So I cast you out as profane from the mountain of God, and I destroyed, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (v.16)

"And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die! For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:5)

Originally posted by sonship
If you do not believe that Satan's past in [b]"Eden, the garden of God" (Ezek.28:13) is being revealed by God then you will probably not accept the evidence that other beings were deceived before Eve.

But understanding that not just political affairs of Ezekiel's day are spoken, but a revelation of "the prophetic past" of an anointed cherub is bein ...[text shortened]... "THEY ... filled your midst with violence" were deceived followers before his expulsion.[/b]

who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle;

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

I believe Revelation 12 is also typology that reveals that the war in Heaven, in which Satan and his angels are thrown out of Heaven and down to Earth, occurs after Christ ascends to the right hand of God on His throne.

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

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.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(Revelation 12 NKJV)

The Lord God may also be using typology in Job 38 by representing the angels in the spirit Heaven as like morning stars and sons of God. If so, then it appears to me that there was no problem with fallen angels and sin when the Earth was made.

I believe this is strong evidence that Lucifer's first sin was possessing the body of the Dragon Serpent to deceive Eve.

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Where upon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Some biblical scholars see in the Old Testament what they call Typology, which are shadows or types of persons and things in the New Testament. For example they see Abraham as a type of God and Isaac as a type of Christ in the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac. They also see Joseph in the Old Testament as a type of Christ.

So I guess one could al ...[text shortened]... have happened after the physical creation.

HalleluYah !!! Praise the LORD! Holy! Holy! Holy!

"You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you." (Ezek. 28:15)

Originally posted by sonship
I am well aware of the matters of types and shadows and typology.

The matters spoken of concerning the anointed cherub have three possibilities.

1.) They could have happened before Satan is active in the garden in [b]Genesis 3.

2.) They could have happened during the time he is active in deceiving Eve.

3.) They could have happened afte ...[text shortened]... day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you." (Ezek. 28:15) [/b] [/quote][/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds

The Lord God may also be using typology in Job 38 by representing the angels in the spirit Heaven as like morning stars and sons of God. If so, then it appears to me that there was no problem with fallen angels and sin when the Earth was made.

According to our version [KJV], "the earth was without form, and void." This, however, is not the sense of the Hebrew, but a glaring illustration of the influence of the chaos-legend. Fuerst gives "ruin," or "desolation," as the proper meaning of the noun rendered "without form." The second word signifies "emptiness," then, "that which is empty"; so that in this case the authorized translation is admissible. Now these words are found together only in two other passages, in both of which they are clearly used to express the ruin caused by an outpouring of the wrath of God.

" And the sense is, that just as the architect makes careful use of line and plummet in order to raise the building in perfection, so will the Lord to make the ruin complete."

In a prophecy of Isaiah, after a fearful description of the fall of Idumea in the day of vengeance, we find the expression, "He shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones - or, as it should be translated, the plummet - of emptiness" (Isa. xxxiv, II). Now "confusion" and "emptiness" are, in the Hebrew, the same words as those rendered "without form, and void" And the sense is, that just as the architect makes careful use of line and plummet in order to raise the building in perfection, so will the Lord to make the ruin complete."

HalleluYaH ! Praise the Lord! Holy! Holy! Holy![/b]

Originally posted by RJHinds
The Lord God may also be using typology in Job 38 by representing the angels in the spirit Heaven as like morning stars and sons of God. If so, then it appears to me that there was no problem with fallen angels and sin when the Earth was made.

I believe this is strong evidence that Lucifer's first sin was possessing the body of the Dragon Serpent to decei ...[text shortened]... d day and night, has been cast down. [/quote]

HalleluYaH ! Praise the Lord! Holy! Holy! Holy!

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Originally posted by RJHinds

I believe Job 1:6-8 where God's angels come before God's throne in Heaven along with the one angel now called Satan because of his sin against God as the deceiver and accuser of man eliminates your interpretation.

Because this occurs during the time of Job long after the creation week, and Satan is still the only angel not identified as no longer one of the sons of God.

"Then one day, when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, Satan also came among them." (Job 1:6)

"And Jehovah said to Satan, Where have you come from? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From roving the earth and going about in it. And Jehovah said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job ?" (See Job 1:7-8a)

Satan was the only angel going to and fro over the earth to observe man at that time.

He had obviously not deceived any of the others to follow him because he was alone.

"And Micaiah said, Here therefore the word of Jehovah. I saw Jehovah sitting upon His throne, and all the hosts of heaven standing by Him, on His right hand and on His left.

And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said after this manner, and another said after that manner.

And there came forth a certain spirit and stood before Jehovah and said, I will entice him. And Jehovah said unto him, How? And he said, I will go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, You shall entice him and surely prevail. Go forth, and do so.

So now Jehovah has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets, and Jehovah has spoken evil concerning you." (1 Kings 22:19-23)

And at that moment, after the morsal, Satan entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, What you do, do quickly." (John 13:27)

Is this why you ignored the following portion of my previous post as repeated below?

The sons of God is also used by God at another time when Job is considered a perfect and upright man unlike any other man on earth at that time. This meeting seems to be a meeting in the spirit Heaven of all the angels of God and even the one sinful angel, who is now called Satan.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

If you read on you will see that Satan is already accusing Job just as the dragon is said to be the one that accuses all the brethren in Revelation 12:10.

for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Originally posted by sonship

I believe Job 1:6-8 where God's angels come before God's throne in Heaven along with the one angel now called Satan because of his sin against God as the deceiver and accuser of man eliminates your interpretation.

No it doesn't. [b]Job, the oldest book in the Bible simply records a contest between God and Satan. Nothing about Satan a ...[text shortened]... ty to be a revisiting adversary goes on throughout history until the 1260 last days of this age.[/b]

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

Originally posted by RJHinds

You are mistaken to think that Satan is allowed to return before the thrown of God in Heaven after the war that drove Satan and his angels out of Heaven.

"How you have fallen from heaven O Daystar, son of the dawn."

"How you have fallen from heaven, O Daystar, son of the dawn! How you have been hewn down to earth."

It specifically says there was no longer any place found for them in heaven (Revelation 12:8).

" ... Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you and has great rage, knowing that he has only a short time." (Rev. 12:12)

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ, for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death.

Therefore be glad, O heaven and those who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you and has great rage, knowing that he has only a short time." (Rev. 12:10-12)

Also Christ is said to have replaced Satan's authority in the Kingdom of God in Heaven (Revelation 12:10).

You are also mistaken when you say Job says nothing about Satan appearing before God.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

(Job 1:6 NKJV} What this proves as that Satan is no longer referred to as Lucifer or one of the sons of God because he had already sinned at this time, which is not true of the other angels, because they are still called the "sons of God" as all of them were in Job 38:7.

" Be sober, watch. Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking someone to devour." ( 1 Peter 5:8)

The essence of the objection RJHinds raises is that Revelation 12 is that fulfillment of the utterances of Isaiah and Ezekiel about the anointed cherub or the Daystar being cast down.

There are worse things that a Christian could be mistaken about.
It is good to see Satan is put down, defeated, cast down. I would not ever discourage any believer from saying that Christ has defeated Satan or God has defeated Satan.

I do not want to discourage RJ in any way from grasping Satan being cast down by God.

What is really important is to see that that victory of Christ over Satan has to be transmitted TO the church. Christ is made the head over all things TO the church. This mean a kind of conveying or transmitting His victory in overcoming into the experience of the believing saints in a subjective way.

Here we see Paul teaching that the headship of Christ must be transmitted from Him into His corporate body the church -

"And He [God] subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, he fullness of the One who fills all in all." (Eph. 1:2,23)

"The eyes of our heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies.

Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all."