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ined.
it
takes on a much different
mean ing. The origina) Hebrew
words for "without form" aod
"void" are
tohu
and
bohu.
When
translated literally into English, they
mean "in confusion, chaotic, waste
and empty."
Even if you don't believe in di–
vine creation, the idea of a newly
created world, fresh off the drawing
board, so to speak, in such a
wretched condition, is illogical -
even ludicrous.
There is, moreover, a scripture in
the Bible which explicitly says that
"God is not the author of con–
fusion ..."
(1
Corinthians 14:33).
Why the discrepancy? Did God
bungle bis job? Or is there a better
explanation? l f there is, what does it
have to do with the existence of a
devil?
Paleontology v s. Theology
The overwhelming majority of
the scientific world, since the sev–
enteenth century, has never been
able to stomach the obnoxiously ad–
amant religious assertion that the
earth is 6,000 years old - and no
more. There is simply too much fas–
sil evidence to the contrary.
These facts of nature have long
been a stumbling block to tradi–
tional religion and have greatly
weakened its position. But they
needn't have. The idea that the
earth is only a few thousand years
old is an imagination of uninformed
theologians, not a biblical truth.
But what does this have to do
with the question of the existence of
a devil? Notice the book of Job,
chapter 38:4-9. We read that the
"sons of God" - meaning angels -
"shouted for joy" when God created
the earth. The earth was a perfect
and beautiful creation, not a place
of darkness and confusion. Isaiah
45:18 reads " ... he [God] created it
(the earth] not in vain." "In vain" is
a rather obscure translation of the
Hebrew word
tohu,
meaning "con–
fusion, disorder, chaos" - the same
word used in Genesis 1:2.
38
Clearly, God did not create the
earth in a state of disorder or chaos.
It
became
that way.
Evidence of this is found in Gen–
esis 1:2, a scripture commonly trans–
lated (in the King James translation
and many others): "The earth
was
without forro, and void. .. ." In
other verses in the Bible, notably
Genesis 19:26, the same Hebrew
word translated "was" in Genesis
1:2 is translated as "became." More
accurate1y, the second sentence in
the Bible reads, "The earth
became
without forro and void."
That simple correction of the
English wording in Genesis 1:2
changes the ent ire picture. For sorne
reasoo the original, beautiful, per–
fect creation fell into complete
chaos, disorder and ultimate de–
struction, necessitating its re-cre–
ation. That re-creation of the
surface of the earth is actually the
second recorded creation - the one
described in the "creation week" of
Genesis
1
and 2.
The big question remains: who,
or what, could have caused that
grea~
destruction on the earth's sur–
face?
Broken Laws
God caused that first world to
function according to natural and
spiritual laws. Only if those laws
were broken could the earth have
been wrecked so completely.
God defines the breaking of any
ofhis laws as sin
(1
John 3:4). Some–
one or somebody must have com–
mitted great sin - but who? There
were no people on the earth at that
time. The Bible makes it plain that
human beings are a product of the
later re-creation of the world. Hu–
manity siroply wasn't around at that
time, to sin or do anything else.
Even the fossil record proves that.
No accepted anthropologist has ever
placed or found evidence of the age
of roan in conjunction with the ear–
lier geological deposits.
A clue to the enigma can be
found in II Peter 2:4: " ... God
spared not the angels that
sinned...." That scripture is in–
cluded in a section analyzing the
results of sin. In succeeding verses,
Noah is mentioned in conjunction
with a physical destruction of most
life on the earth by a ftood. That
Bood
carne as a punishment for the
universal sins of the human popu–
lation at that time
(II
Peter 2:5).
Also mentioned are the infamous
citi.es of Sodoro and Gomorrah . But
the "sin" of angels is mentioned be–
fore the sins of roan in this section -
and for a definite reason.
lt
occurred
first. That "sin of angels" took place
in a world which existed before the
creation of roan. There were aiready
"fallen angels" - angels who had
sioned - before the creat ion of
roan.
Another supporting scripture is
found in verse 6 of Jude: "And the
angels which kept not their first es–
tate [the earth], but left their own
habitation, he [God] hath reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great
day." This scripture refers to a final
punishment those sinning angels of
11
Peter 2:4 will receive for their
rebellion.
Tt
also defines their sin -
they did not keep " their first estate,
but left their own habitation."
An even further amplification is
found in Hebrews 2:5. It says that
the "world to come" - the world
under the government of God men–
tioned so often in the New Testa–
ment - will not be under the
rulership of angels. Read it for your–
self: "For unto the angels hath he
not put in subjection the world to
come, whereof we speak." That
"world to come" has not yet been
established on earth. The earth still
suffers under the various warring
human governments.
That stateroent in Hebrews, how–
ever, implies something further -
that this present world of human
governments is really under the
spiritual subjection of angels! Those
angels are the same ones who have
sinned and are now opposed to God
and everything he stands for. The
PLAIN TRUTH July-August 1973