Genesis 1.2
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
KJV
"And the earth was without form, and void;"
We come now to the time immediately before God created Adam and Eve. Omitting to relate thousands of millions of years of history, God brings us swiftly to the matter in hand.
The same figure of speech**, but on a much smaller time scale, is used in Genesis 4 verse 2, where Abel was born, then was old enough to be tending flocks;
Gen 4:2
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, . . .
KJV
Now the earth was wasted and empty. There was darkness.
We see conditions like these prophesied by Jeremiah, and they were the result of God's anger directed against Judah and Jerusalem.
Jer 4:23,8
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
. . . 8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
KJV
And so we speculate that the darkness, waste and emptiness in Gen 1.2 was also the result of God's anger. At a later date we will investigate verses like Isaiah 14.12 - (indirectly referring to Satan?), 2 Peter 2:4 (angels that sinned were imprisoned).
Isa 14:12-15
12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
(from New International Version)
2 Peter 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
(from New International Version)
There is no reason to believe the dinosaurs sinned, but they would have suffered anihilation in the catastrophes wrought by God upon the prehistoric world.
"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"
The Word, who was to be born the Son of God, directed the Spirit to model and re-shape the earth's surface suitable for our generations.
Ex 20:11
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
(from New International Version)
**figure of speech - of which there are many types (e.g. exaggeration, metaphor) - is just a way of saying something (which may include pauses).
[ I once spent some time seeking a definition which would include (or fit) all the recognised figures of speech. The above definition is my best shot ]
created 24nov04 upd.21aug06
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