IN THE BEGINNING

`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'.

According to some authorities Genesis 1:2 may be translated `And the earth became without form and void'.

The heaven and earth as created by God was perfect, but the Scriptures lead us to conclude that judgment on that

first creation resulted in its destruction, possibly connected with the fall of Satan. Isaiah 45:18 reads:

`For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath

established it, He created it not in vain'.

The Hebrew word tohu is translated in Genesis 1 `without form', and in Isaiah 45 ` in vain'. Thus, the Holy

Spirit is saying that God did not create the earth in the form described in Genesis 1:2. It is significant that the words

`without form and void' occur again in Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23, and both contexts deal with DIVINE

JUDGMENT.

Reference to 2 Peter 3:6 shows that `... the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished'. The

fossils and remains that are the subject of scientific study evidently belong to this first creation. The heavens and

earth which are now, by the same word of God (which Word created the first world) are reserved unto fire in the day

of judgment that is yet to come. This is a reference to the prophetic period called the Day of the Lord that shall

come as a thief in the night. But there is still the promise that there shall be `new heavens and a new earth, wherein

dwelleth righteousness' (2 Pet. 3:13).

The following outline is a summary of the information given in 2 Peter 3.

(Gen. 1:1,2)

WORLD THAT THEN WAS

- NOW (Gen. 1:3-31)

HEAVENS AND EARTH

PASS AWAY

(Rev. 21:1)

NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH

(N.B. In Rev. 21:1 `first' may be rendered `former' as in Rev. 21:4, the former heaven and earth were passed away).

As we read on in Genesis chapter 1, we find that the Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the deep and God

said `Let there be light: (lit. Light be) and there was light' (lit. Light was). In verse 4 God divided the light from

darkness and the light was called Day and the darkness Night. The next stage as described in verse 6 is very

interesting. `Let there be a firmament (or expansion) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the

The diagram that follows indicates the waters which are above the firmament and the waters that are under it.

The Firmament was called heaven and the waters under the firmament are next referred to as the waters under

heaven. These are gathered into one place and the dry land appears. Earth and Seas are given their names and God