In my opening introductory post I did promise I would open a thread related to the gap theory. What follows is a sermon from my personal website. While it incorporates the gap, the main emphasis is on the earth and God’s eternal purpose as far as the earth is concerned. I trust that it will be of edification.

THE EARTH THAT WAS , AND IS , AND IS TO COME
( A sermon by brother Tarran Dookie)

Gen.1:1-10 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 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. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: And God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

The first verse of Genesis tells us that God created the heaven and the earth. But the very next verse says that the earth was without form and void. Also darkness was upon the face of the deep. Did the perfect God, in whom is no darkness at all, create the earth without form and void and covered with darkness? No, it became that way. (It should be noted that the Hebrew word ‘hayah’ translated ‘was’ in Gen.1:2 is also translated ‘became’ as in Gen.19:26 ‘But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.’)

THE EARTH BEFORE ADAM

Ezek.28:11-15 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy 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 thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Is.14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven , O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Lucifer, the son of the morning, was perfect in beauty, full of wisdom; he was the anointed cherub that covereth and in the very mountain of God. Also, he was in Eden the garden of God. Lucifer and all the angels were created before Adam. There was an Eden before Adam's time. Lucifer was in that garden and he also had access to the mountain of God. But iniquity was found in him who was perfect from the day he was created. He exalted himself and wanted to be like the Most High God. He had led the angels in worship of God but now led some of them in rebellion against God.

Sin always displeases God and this rebellion of Lucifer, the first sin, incurred the wrath of God. The original earth that the angels and Lucifer walked upon and that contained the Eden of God came under the judgmental hand of God. The earth was submerged under water or the Seas. The perfect earth of God was now without form and void and God who is light covered it with darkness. Gen.1:3-31 and Gen. ch.2 describe the work of God in bringing forth the earth, making it habitable again, and the creation of man. Notice that God did not create the earth and waters on the third day. The earth and the waters were already there. God simply separated the two so that the dry land could appear.

THE FALL OF MAN

Gen.1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Gen.3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shall eat of the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. God did not say fill the earth but replenish the earth. Replenish means to fill again. They had to replenish or refill the earth that was made void because of Satanic rebellion. Adam's commission was to obey God and so prevent Satan from regaining control over the earth. God gave Adam dominion over all creatures.

Genesis chapter 3 describes the fall of man . Adam fell when tempted by Satan. God allowed Satan to be on the earth as he would be the instrument to test Adam. Adam failed the test and the earth became cursed again, judged again. Satan now gained control of the earth and is in high places (see Lk.4:5-6; Eph.6:12). Satan could once again ascend to heaven and there he accuses man before God (see Job 1:6-12; Rev.12:10). Sin again caused the earth to be judgmentally submerged under water in the time of Noah.

THE GROANING OF CREATION

Rom.8:18-22 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same to hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption unto the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Genesis chapter 1 tells us that the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. God caused light to appear and He told Adam and Eve to replenish the earth so it would no longer be void. But nowhere in Genesis are we told that God gave form to the earth. God only separated the dry land from the waters and the dry land appeared. Therefore we conclude that the earth has remained substantially in the same shape and form as it was when it came under God's judgment after the fall of Lucifer. Furthermore, after the fall of man the earth became cursed again and yielded thorns and thistles (Gen.3:17-18). Today the wolf is against the lamb, changes in temperature and climate in many parts of the world are causing alarm, and there is chaos in the environment. The creation is in travail and is groaning.

THE EARTH IN THE MILLENIAL REIGN OF CHRIST

Is.11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' 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.

Is.40:4-5 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places made plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

During the millenial reign of Christ God shall give a foretaste of the perfect earth. The book of Revelation shows that there will be cosmic disturbances prior to the reign of Christ. The mountains and the islands shall be moved out of their places (Rev.6:14; Rev.16:20). Isaiah says every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low. God will reshape the earth. The groaning creation will enter into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Then shall the trees of the field clap their hands and the hills rejoice (Is.55:12-13). The whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

Job 1:6-7 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.

Lk.10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Rev.12:7-8 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

Rev.20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Rev.21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Satan was able to accuse Job before God. He did so in the presence of the sons of God (the angels) in heaven itself. Rev.12:10 tells us that he accuses the brethren before God day and night. Satan has access to heaven. There he accuses us before God. The word of God tells us there is spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph.6:12). Let us understand that heaven itself is tainted with the presence of Satan and his angels.

However, a time is coming when Satan and his angels shall be cast out of heaven and their place in heaven found no more. There is rejoicing in the heavens when this occurs.

But even though Satan is thrown out of heaven and during the millenium he is bound and kept in the bottomless pit this does not give God perfect satisfaction as far as heaven is concerned. Heaven would have been partially judged when the stars fall from heaven and the powers of the heaven are shaken (Mat.24:29; Rev.6:13-14). But even as the earth must be judged resulting in a new earth, God's heart is after a new heaven. Not only must He shake the earth but also heaven (Heb.12:26-29).

After the millennium Satan is loosed for a little season. Even though the earth would have experienced 1000 years of the reign of Christ, Satan is still able to find souls to deceive , whose number is as the sand of the sea. Once again there is rebellion on earth led by Satan. Satan is finally defeated and cast into the lake of fire to be joined by those whose names are not found in the book of life. The earth and heaven flee away before the face of God and there is found no place for them.

Peter says that the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up (2 Pet.3:10). 'Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness' (2 Pet.3:13).

John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Our God is a consuming fire. Sin is an abomination and rebellion a displeasure to God. Seeing that the heavens shall be dissolved and the elements melt with fervent heat, what manner of persons ought we to be? Let us not be found wanting but let us be without spot that we may behold the new heaven and the new earth in God's eternal presence. Amen.

Yours in Christ,
brother Tarran Dookie (strongmeat)