[Winman]

You Gap guys are reading things into the Bible that simply aren't there. Look at every verse in Genesis chapter 1. The first verse starts "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". Now, look closely, every single verse after that starts with the word "And" which ties them all together. And Gen 2:1 is tied or connected to Chapter 1 by the word "Thus". This is the whole purpose of these words, to tie or connect. So, there is no gap.

Noah's flood could easily account for the fossil record. It was not just rain, although rain alone could do the job, but "all" the fountains of the deep were broken up. This catastrophe was on a gigantic scale that I don't think anyone can truly appreciate. Geysers shooting thousands of feet into the atmosphere would freeze and cover areas quickly with snow, probably hundreds of feet deep. This would account for the wooly mammoths and such (dinosaurs have also been found in ice). There would have been massive floods and landslides burying animals quickly where they would fossilize under tremendous pressure. Much of the strata layers would be formed, it is no different than putting different soils in a glass of water, then shaking. You will see layers form very quickly. The idea of strata layers forming from millions and billions of years of meteorite dust is not even accepted by evolutionists anymore. They have found petrified trees who's trunk passes through many layers proving the deposits happened almost immediately. Vast areas of vegetation would be quickly buried and form oil under heat and pressure. That's where we get our gasoline from folks!

On the sixth day, God declared every thing he had made VERY GOOD. Look at the verses before Gen 1:31, they only say good. So, when God had completed his six day creation he was delighted with his work.

Now you can say whatever you want about Satan or Lucifer rebelling against God between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2, but it doesn't say anything about that in my Bible. And when Gen 1:31 says God saw "every thing he had made" that would have to include Satan and all the angels that later rebelled. But as of the sixth day, Satan had not rebelled against God, and so he could rightfully call every thing He had made VERY GOOD. That's what it says.

When did Satan rebel? No one knows for sure, but we have some information that gives a very "general" time. We know for instance, that Adam did not "know" his wife until after they sinned and were sent out of the garden. Afterward, Cain, and then Abel were born. We can fairly safely assume that Cain and Abel reached adulthood before Cain slew Abel. They were very likely in their 20s or 30s as they both had livelihoods. After Cain slew Abel, Eve gave birth to Seth. And we know precisely when Seth was born.

Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

So, assuming that Cain was at least 30 years of age when Seth was born, Then Satan could have rebelled anytime between day six of creation until Adam was about 100 years old.

But that is all we know. There is no mention of a gap between Gen 1:1 and 1:2. It is not there.

Satan and the angels may have been included under "heaven" in Gen 1:1. Now they would have several days to observe God's creation. The earth is described as "without form, and void" in verse 2. To me, "without form" would suggest the earth had no features. It was a ball covered with water. The word "void" to me would suggest it had no life as yet.

Now, we don't see any real features on the earth itself until verses Gen 1:9-13 which was the third day. This may have been when God "laid the foundations of the earth" in Job 38:4. I don't know what others think, but I used to build houses when I was young. The first thing you do is lay the foundation to support the structure above it. Until the dry land appeared, there was no structure, the earth was completely covered in water and without form.

So, if Satan and the angels were created on day one, they would have observed God's creation, and would have observed when God laid the foundations of the earth on day three.

Also, on day three God created vegetation, so not only was the world not without form any longer, it was no longer void either.