Satan,
as a created being and not
co-eternal with God, is called “…the
anointed cherub…” of God (Ezek 28:14). Also known as Lucifer, Satan
is
thought to have been heaven’s chief musician as God had created pipes
and
tabrets in his body (Ezek 28:13). God had named satan and the angels
the ‘sons
of God’ (Gen 6:2; Job 1:6; Job 2:1), and this is a title not given to
those who
are born of human parents but to those who are spiritual beings created
directly by God. Adam being created directly by God is also given this
title
(Lk 3:38).
In six days
The
scriptures tell us that God created all
things in six days - For in
six days the LORD made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that in them is, and rested the
seventh day: …(Ex 20:11)
Satan, the
stars, the angels, the plants, the animals, the earth, space
and man are included in the phrase “…
and all
that in them is...” and this
is further supported by the phrase “…and
all the host of them…” (Gen 2:1).
Lucifer
created on a day and a morning
As
everything was created in six days, Satan
is included and this is further supported with the scriptures …in the day that thou wast created.
(Ezek 28:13) and from the
day that thou wast created… (Ezek
28:15).
Now if according to the gappists, the first day begins at
Gen 1:3, how
can Lucifer have existed between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2 before the first
day
began? Answer: He can’t.
Furthermore, he is called …O Lucifer, son of the morning! … (Is
14:12) which would indicate he was
created on a morning.
For the gappists to suggest that there were other days
prior to the first
day mentioned in Gen 1, is to add to the scriptures with details of
their own
making to support their gap story.
You see, in Gen 1:5 it says And God
called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening
and the
morning were the first day. (Gen 1:5) thereby demonstrating there is no gap between Gen 1:1 and
Gen 1:2.
The KJB translators carefully and wisely chose the word first rather than the way many of
the new translations, that say it was
“a day” or “one day” to allow room for the gap theory.
So Satan was created during the six day creation week
with scripture
leaving no room for a period of time prior to the first day.
On
which day was satan created?
In the book of Job,
God rebukes Job with Where wast
thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? … (Job 38:4) and
explains that all the sons of God shouted for joy
because God had just laid the foundations of the earth
(Job
38:4,7). This shows that he was created prior to the earth’s
foundations
being laid.
The
foundations probably refer to ‘land’
appearing on the third day of creation (Gen 1:9). And so, the creation
of Satan
most likely occurred on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd
day of God’s creation.
With the
scripture that refers to satan as the son of the morning
(Is 14:12), this
places his creation on the morning of one of the first three days. The
scriptures invalidate that he fell prior to the six days of creation.
The timing
of Satan’s fall is important
The timing
of his fall is extremely important
to the integrity of the gap theory, since its proponents use it to mark
the end
of the gap and the beginning of Gen 1:2. An answer to the time of his
fall can
be found with a careful look at the scriptural accounts of this event.
The first
clue, found in Is 14:14, records the
words of Satan at the time of his fall I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High. (Is 14:14). Since the clouds
could not have been formed prior to God’s creation of water on day one,
he fell
after day one.
Referring back to Job
38:4-7 that Satan was shouting for joy as
the foundations were being laid, his fall must have occurred after day
two or
day three.
Is 14:13 also reveals
to us that his fall must have occurred after
the creation of the stars which occurred on day four.
Certainly, these
verses imply he could not have fallen before creation.
The Bible gives the
most influential clue about the timing of his fall in Ezek 28:13-16,17,
which
presents a picture of what Satan was like prior to God’s discovery of
the
iniquity in his heart. God revealed that Lucifer, in an unfallen
state,
existed in the garden of Eden, which was not created until day six.
Gap theorists have
tried to explain this by saying that the garden of Eden in Ezek
28:13-16,17 could
not have been the one described in the book of Genesis. To preserve
their
theory, they invented another garden just as they invented another
flood. Neither is ever mentioned in
God’s word. The gappists’ opinion comes from the
fact that Ezekiel describes the garden of Eden as having every
precious stone (Ezek 29:13) which they say is different from
the Genesis account. This difference is unsubstantiated since the
Genesis Eden
is described as having precious stones.
Eden
was very good
God said in Gen 1:31
that he saw everything that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good.
And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen
1:31). If Satan
had already fallen, God could not have made this statement and so the
scriptures confirm that Satan could not have fallen until after
day six.
How long after did he
fall?
One of God’s initial
commandments given to Adam and Eve was to fill the earth and it is very
unlikely that they would have gone for a long time without following
his
request.
So during these first
few days, weeks or months or years before being expelled from the
garden of
Eden, Adam and Eve would have been in close fellowship with God. Satan
in
observing this relationship, became jealous and wanted man to worship
him
instead of God. This iniquity resulted in his fall.
Does
the Gap Theory really matter?
The
following scriptures show us very clearly the nature of God, in that
he makes his words extremely plain and clearly to be understood.
Furthermore,
the simple will understand.
…
I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches; …
(Num 12:8) For this
commandment … it is not hidden
from thee, neither is it far
off. (Deut 30:11) …I have
not spoken in secret from the beginning; … (Is
48:16) Jesus
answered him, I
spake openly… and in secret have I
said nothing. (Jn 18:20) I have not
spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: …(Is
45:19)
God has made his word
plain and simple so that all may understand and believe as The
entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Ps 119:130).
Now many
theologians interpret the scriptures
with a mind clouded by opinions and preconceived ideas and they then
twist the
scriptures into agreeing with their theories.
God does
not write his word with tricky and
cryptic language and the scriptures are compromised if the world’s
philosophy
is used.
If the gap
theory were true, the average
person is not capable of reading the Bible and understanding it without
some
gnostic guru telling them what it really means.
Secondly,
if the gap theory were true, would Satan’s rebellion be classed as sin?
Of
course it must. However, this would violate scripture, as by one man sin entered into the world, (Rom 5:12), therefore the gap
theory is false.
Thirdly, the gappists attack the credibility of Christ, as on
several occasions
he quotes or refers to the Genesis account when talking of the creation
account:
… he which made them
at the beginning made them male and
female, (Matt 19:4)
But from
the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. (Mk 10:6)
And,
Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast
laid the foundation of the earth; …(Heb
1:10)
Now, clearly the beginning was the start of the creation
week in Gen 1:1.
Fourthly, does it seem odd that God would not reveal on what day
he created
Lucifer and the angels? The fact is that the Genesis account is God’s physical creation prepared
especially
for a physical man and Lucifer is
never mentioned and has no part of
it! A perfect earth for a perfect man. It’s as if God sees the
creation
of Lucifer and the angels of secondary importance, however, typical of
his
style, Satan will always enviously seek to insert himself.
Conclusion
…
Responding to the
attacks of science on the scriptures, Chalmers hatched the gap theory
as a way
to join the avalanche of the scientific ‘truth’ of his day of an old
earth,
with the genuine truth of the six day creation of the Bible. His
mistake was
that he grew this out of his own reasoning and not from the scriptures.
Unfortunately Scofield and Larkin took Chalmers on board as continuing
attacks
from science assailed the scriptures. However, it should be said in
their
defence, that these men sincerely loved the Lord and spent their lives
propagating the gospel. Even today, godly men support the gap theory,
having
been innocently misled.
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