19d – The Biblical Multiple Earth Ages – How old is the Earth ?
The Biblical Multiple Earth Ages
The Katabole and “the Generations of the Heavens and of the Earth”
Katabole Strong’s #2602: katabole (pronounced kat-ab-ol-ay’)
from 2598; a deposition, i.e. founding; figuratively, conception:–conceive, foundation.
As we will see there has been more than one generation or creation of “the Heavens and of the Earth.”
But first, we must consider ‘Sin,’ as a noun, and its originating source. Sin’ is at the root of every act of sinning. Then also we will see how that sin and death are inextricably linked throughout the Bible.
“Sin” had its beginning with the rebellion of Lucifer against the Lord God. This same Lucifer is often called by other descriptive names in the Bible such as, the Serpent, Devil, Satan, and the Evil One.
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for The Devil Sinneth From The BEGINNING. For this purpose the Son of God [Jesus] was manifested, that he might Destroy The Works of The Devil.” (1 John 3:8)
It was Satan’s work in tempting of Adam and Eve that brought sin and death ‘into the world.’
“… by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world [Gk. cosmos, the arrangement of the universe with fallen mankind in it], and death by sin” (Rom. 5:12).
The “world” here above is the same Greek, ‘kosmos,’ or universe we live in today. Have you ever noticed how many verses reference the Bible phrases “from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34), “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), and “since the foundation of the world” (e.g., Heb. 4:3, Rev. 13:8. 17:8)? From these phrases it is clear that the “foundation of the world” is a significant pivot point in the Biblical history of the creation of “the heavens and the earth.” It’s wonderful to know that God had a ‘plan’ for this age that involved us from “before the foundation of the world.”
“According as he [God] hath chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” (Ephesians 1:4 (KJV)
The word “foundation” is most often translated from the Greek “katabole,” which actually means the “overthrow” of the cosmos, meaning ‘the overthrow of the original arrangement of the heavens and the earth.’
But what is this “katabole” all about?
The ‘katabole’ has everything to do with Lucifer who was God’s original overseer of this ‘world,’ that is ‘the cosmos,” meaning, the universe, including the heavens and the earth.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God [certain of the angelic host] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [a cherubim angel] came also among them. 7And 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.” (Job 1:6-7 (KJV)
When Lucifer rebelled against God, he was cast out from the 3rd heaven, God’s dwelling place, to the lower heavens and the earth where he still rules with his angelic cohorts as “the god of this world.” Perhaps one-third of the angelic host allied themselves with him. Thus, there was a war of cosmic proportions that erupted in God’s universe bringing about the ‘katabole.’
Since the “katabole” or “the overthrow,” Lucifer, who at one time served God’s throne, now known as Satan, the Devil, has been reduced from being God’s overseer of this universe to being “the god of this world,” meaning the false god of this present “age.”
“In whom [Satan as] the god of this world [Grk., aion, age] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Cor 4:4)
To understand the ‘katabole’ we must also understand the word “foundation.” The term “the foundation of the world” has been incorrectly translated several times in the KJV Bible. For example, the Greek word “themelios” (Strong’s #2310) would be properly translated as “foundation” and literally means ‘a foundation to build upon, such as rock.’ By contrast, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Greek word “katabole” is from kataballw – kataballo 2598; a deposition. It has incorrectly been translated as “foundation” even while it means, “a deposition” which is the “removal from an office or position.” We’ve often heard of third world leaders being deposed or overthrown. This particular moment of ‘overthrow’ involved actually marks the time when Lucifer was “deposed” from his high position in the 3rd heaven as God’s servant and overseer of the universe (the heaven and the earth).
The overthrow or “katabole” of Satan occurred when he rebelled against God and was cast from the highest heaven as seen in Isaiah 14:12. He had attempted his overthrow God’s throne and he deceived one-third of the angelic host to go along with him. Again, “katabole” comes from the base word Strong’s 2598, which in this case refers to the “casting down” or “throwing down” of Satan from his high position of power in The World That Was during The First Earth Age… before his katabole (overthrow).Tis then led to what we note as a strange sequence of verses in Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was [became] without form [Heb. tohu, in chaos, tortured], and void [Heb. bohu, empty of life]; and darkness was upon the face of the [then frozen] deep. And the Spirit of God moved [Heb. rahap, brooded] upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
It’s extremely important to understand the overthrow or casting down of Satan as this gives us the proper perspective and the key to understanding two separate time periods noted in Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Recall how that the Greek “themelios” refers to the literal “foundation” of the physical world of the very first creation as documented in Genesis 1:1. But the result of the “katabole” was the overthrow of Satan as seen by the condition of the earth in verse 2 (above)… the world had come to be in chaos and void of life, set in darkness; having been judged and set under frozen water… with no life left to be found.
All this occurred in some unknown time before we read of the recreation account from Genesis 1:3-31, which most people mistake for the original creation account.
Lucifer fell sometime in the gap that occurred after the Genesis 1:1 creation of the heaven and the earth, and before Genesis 1:2. The time between is known as ‘the gap period’ It is the time when Satan sinned and fell from the grace of God. This occurred long after the “themelios” or original founding of the physical creation.
The Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning…” does not tell us when the beginning was. The beginning definitely event did not take place six-thousand years ago as many Christians believe, but rather many, many, eons ago. Genesis 1:1 describes the “themelios,” the original foundation of the Heaven and earth of the World That Was during The First Earth Age. Science tells us the earth is billions of years in age and when we properly understand our Father’s Word there is no Biblical contradiction with that statement.
Now take note of the second verse of Genesis chapter 1 where something must have changed.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form [in chaotic ruin], and void [empty, of life]; and darkness was upon the face of the [frozen] deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Between verses one and two of Genesis 1 we have the passing of a large but undetermined amount of time.
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In verse one of Genesis 1 we are told God created the physical Heaven and the physical earth (the “themelios”). It was wonderfully created, to be inhabited (cf. Isaiah 45:18).
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In verse two we are told, “the earth was without form [in chaotic ruin) and void [empty] and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Essentially, this verse is documenting the “katabole” which included the Judgment and DESTRUCTION of The First Earth Age.
The overthrow of Lucifer occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, before Adam and the recreation of the earth. Mankind as we know him came after the overthrow (the katabole) of Lucifer and God’s judgment of the earthly kingdom of Satan on earth, over which he had ruled but had made havoc.
In Genesis 1:2 we find a word used in the King James Version Bible that needs explanation. The word “was” is #1961 in your Strong’s Concordance, being more properly translated means “became.” This change in words completely alters the sense of this scripture. The word “was” would imply that God created the earth originally as being in chaos and void, which we know is not accurate and because the angels, referred to as “the sons of God,” rejoiced at the original creation (Job 38:4-7).
The word “became” in Gen. 1:2 better indicates that some Event Caused the earth to ‘become without form and void.’ That event was the “katabole,” the “deposing” or “casting down” of Satan from his high position of power in The First Earth Age, in which he had been the ruler of the earth. It was at the time that God judged and cataclysmically destroyed the original creation that lucifer had no doubt corrupted. The evidence of this is geologically obvious.
Isaiah 14:12-15 (KJV) 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! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God (angels): I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Highest. 15 Yet thou shalt [ultimately] be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
We live in the earth age that came after the Katabole by God’s recreation as seen in Genesis 1:3-31. All believers since then are the focus of God’s joy and of His eternal purpose that was set forth to be “in Christ” who was crucified and risen to be ‘the new and eternal life’ in man. Our Lord Jesus is “the God of the living,” not the dead (Mk. 12:27).
1 Peter 1:18-20 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation [empty manner of life as] received by tradition from your fathers; But with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of A LAMB without blemish and without spot: Who verily was FOREORDAINED BEFORE the foundation [‘katabole,’ overthrow] of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Jesus said: “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.” Mark 12:27) The Lord had said to Adam soon after his creation “for in the day that thou eatest thereof [the tree of the knowledge of Good and evil”] thou shalt surely die,” and that day all mankind as ‘the Seed of Adam’ partook of Adam’s Sin that brought death into humanity. Humans are born in sin and are was the walking dead. Yes, Adam lived a long time… but the sentence of death was ultimately fulfilled and so it is with all men. It’s as if man is as a cut flower that still has a bloom at first, but then withers away (cf. Job 14:2). It ceases to be, ceases to exist. Even so, while we are born temporarily alive physically, we are dead spiritually. So, God offers to regenerate us with Christ’s eternal spirit of life… if we will simply believe the gospel of our salvation.
We should contrast the two Biblical races of people – 1) the Adamic race of people, and 2) the race of regenerated Christ people (i.e., Christians). The lost unbelievers Paul says is “dead in trespasses and sins” and the other is ‘eternally alive’ and ready for heaven. Each having to do with which ‘Seed’ birthed them. Those of Adam’s lineage are born of his sin-infected ‘seed,’ so all are born dead toward God. Yet, believers in Christ are of Christ as “the Seed” of the God-life of the Father – all these are born ‘Eternally Alive.’
Paul wrote: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of ONE [SEED], And to thy SEED [Grk. sperma], Which is CHRIST.” (Galatians 3:16 (KJV)
Peter wrote to Israel concerning; “Being born again, not of corruptible [dying] seed [Grk. sperma], but of INCORRUPTIBLE [SEED], by the word of God [Jesus Christ], which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1Pet. 1:23)
Actually, ‘death for a genuine believing Christian’ is an impossibility since Christ is now the ONLY life of the believer. Galatians 2:20a I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…
Thus, we see that in fact every person born into the world does not really have a permanent life – he is as temporal as a cut flower with ‘life on loan.’ All he has is “life” and some “time,” in which he may hear the gospel and receive the Christ who “is life” to then bear the very life of Christ – as the Fathers ‘Seed of life.’ Thereby Christ’s “Spirit of life” regenerates believers with the deposit of His “everlasting life.”
Thankfully, even before Adam sinned God planned for and considered “the last Adam [Jesus]” already as the crucified “lamb of God,” to be crucified and risen as “the life-giving” (1Cor 15:45, Rom. 16:25), to produce the new and final race of humanity called Christians, the Christ-people, born of Christ’s life.
God’s eternal intention was two-fold, for two people groups to be “born of God” with purpose.
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The new-creation believers of the Nation Israel will one dayco-reign with Christ eternally, on the new earth. This is prophesied of the believers of Israel in Revelation 5:10 and 20:6.
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Then also the Gentile grace believers of this grace age will be ‘Raptured’ to dwell heaven (1Thes 4:13-18; 1Cor 15:51-55) to co-reign with Christ in the heavens forever(2Tim, 2:12, 2Cor 5:1b).
Thus, mankind’s redemption was planned before Lucifer sinned and long before Adam disobeyed His creator, and long before Jesus was born of Mary. God as the all-wise and loving creator already in His mind provided for full reconciliation with man by the cross before Adam had sinned. God’s plan and work on man’s behalf was never intended to remove the judgment of death in our sin-laden temporary flesh bodies until death. Rather He planned that the genuine “LIFE” (Gk. Zoë, the eternal resurrected spirit-life) of Christ be made available to indwell any and all men that desire to have union the Father’s life that is in the Son as the life-giving Spirit.
Ephes. 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us [believers] with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him [Christ] BEFORE the foundation [Gk., katabole, overthrow] of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
2 Tim. 1:10b … our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought LIFE [Gk. zoe, God’s life] and IMMORTALITY to light through [faith in] the gospel:
Rom 6:8 if [as much as] we be dead with Christ, we Believe that we shall also LIVE [have eternal life] with him:
Our Lord’s divine perspective is by far less complicated than man’s view. Man’s view is all mixed up and confusing as it evolved by the manipulative religious “traditions of men.” Today our God has only one creation in view – only the ‘new creation man’ that is “in Christ.”
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a New Creature [Gk. ktsis, a new creation of a new race of people]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW.
From the Lord’s perspective, the old humanity is no longer the issue – it’s not an existing entity – it is dead, non-existent. The believing ones “in Christ Jesus” who may have died bodily, God sees them as just being ‘asleep’ since in Christ all are reserved as being ‘eternally alive’ awaiting their new eternal spirit-bodies. Study and believe Jn. 11:1-15; the body Lazarus had been using was dead, but in the spirit ‘the seed of the eternal life’ was only temporarily absent from his remains until he is resurrected from the dead at the Rapture.
1 Peter 1:23-25 Being born again, not of corruptible seed [of Adam], but of incorruptible, by ‘the word’ of God [Christ is the Word of God, cf. Jn 1:1], which liveth and abideth for ever.
For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
From man’s view, there are those who would like to say that some are only spiritually dead; many think the lost unbelievers will suffer in “the lake of fire.” But upon physical death the spirit of the lost will have returned to the Lord (Eccl. 12:7) and with the loss of their spirit … their body and soul are ‘dead.’ “… fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 (KJV)
So, our God knows of no such souls who will be alive to suffer torment in the lake of fire. He says of unbelievers who are in Adam “all are dead,” without hope of life, eternally lost, they’ve simply become non-existent. Yet, unlearned man thinks he sees the living as among Adam’s sin-infected seed; they mistakenly see the unbelieving dead as being alive to suffer. Yet, the truth of all this is, all those alive in Adam are now dead in God’s eyes, the unfaded blossom of human life will inevitably pass.
Job 14:2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
“The lost” have no part the resurrection to eternal life, only unto “everlasting destruction” (2Thes 1:9). By contrast, all who are “in Christ” are eternally alive in their “regenerated” spirit.
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but According To His Mercy He Saved Us, by the washing of Regeneration [in spirit], and renewing [in soul] of [by] the Holy Ghost;” (Titus 3:5)
Believers alive “in Christ” need to know and look to their real home is and be looking for His coming to bring us home to heaven.
“For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who Shall Change Our Vile [corruptible] Body, that it may be Fashioned Like Unto His Glorious Body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Biblical Proof of an Ancient Pre-Adamite World
One that Existed on Earth with ‘Man, Birds, and Vegetation’
Key Text to the “Katabole” – the Upheaval of the Earth
The Original Creation
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning [the dateless past] God Created the heaven and the earth.
In The Dateless Beginning the Earth was habitable
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou [God] hadst formed the earth and the world [Heb. tebel, the habitable earth], even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Isaiah 45:18 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 [cf. Gen 1:2], He Formed It To Be Inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
Genesis 2:4 These are the GENERATIONS of the heavens and of the earth when they were created [from nothing], in the day that the LORD God MADE the earth [Gen. 1:3-21 from what existed after the katabole] and the heavens
Lucifer (Satan) Cast out of Heaven
Isaiah 14:12-18 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground [Heb. eres, earth], which didst weaken [waste] the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars [angels] of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 [You Lucifer] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house [sepulchre, grave].
Judgment of the ‘Original Ancient Creation’
Genesis 1:2a – And the earth was [became] without form [chaotic], and void [emptiness, see Heb. Tohu wa-bohu below]; and darkness was upon the face of the deep [the abyss] …
“Tohu wa-bohu” (תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ), is a Biblical Hebrew phrase found in the Genesis 1:2 after the original ancient creation narrative of Genesis 1:1. Then note Isa. 45:18 and Jer. 4:23-26 describing the condition of the earth before the Gen. 1:3-31 REcreation or REgeneration that began with ‘the 1st day light’ of Genesis 1:3. At that time the world was covered with Darkness and Frozen Water.
Tohu – Strong’s H8414 ‘tohu’; formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness:—chaos (1), confusion (1), desolation (1), emptiness (1), empty space (1), formless (2), futile (2), futile things (1), meaningless (2), meaningless arguments (1), nothing (2), waste (3), waste place (2).
The Result of the Ancient World Being Judged as seen in Genesis 1:2a is Confirmed here:
Jeremiah 4:23-26 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void [Heb. Tohu wa-bohu]; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was NO MAN [REMAINING], and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. (Note: “no man” (v25) is in contrast with Noah’s flood when there were eight survivors)
2Peter 3:4-6 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers [of Israel] fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the Earth Standing Out Of The Water and In The Water:6 Whereby the world [cosmos] that then was, being OVERFLOWED WITH WATER, PERISHED: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are NOW, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.