Recently, many scientists have agreed on a theory that the last of the dinosaurs died on one cataclysmic day. They believe that a widespread mass extinction of animal life occurred when an asteroid collided with earth. It is possible that they are coming closer to the truth in that they realize there was indeed one catastrophic day.

I believe it was the day Lucifer fell.

Any good reference Bible has a mark next to "without form, and void" in Genesis 1:2, which refers to a passage in Jeremiah:

I behold the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

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. For thus hath the LORD, said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
(Jer. 4:23-27)

God caused Jeremiah to look into the past and see the day when judgment fell on "the world that then was" and earth became void.

The prophet clearly describes a horrifying day when light was removed. God removed earth's light, and not just its natural light. Remember, God himself is light (1 John 1:5). God removed life itself from the planet.

Life was nowhere to be found. Even the birds were gone. Of course, when God removed the Light of Life, every creature died in an instant. Mountains and hills shook. All the cities were destroyed. All the cities—not some of them.

Evidently the "world that then was" had cities. Via God's supernatural system, which far surpasses telecommunications of today, Jeremiah watched a "replay" of their violent destruction. What caused such total devastation? "The presence of the LORD, by His fierce anger" (v. 26).

John G. Lake said, "The presence of God is as destructive of evil as it is creative of good."

The Fall of Lucifer
What made God so angry? A rebellion so great that it split the angelic hosts. A revolt against God led by the most beautiful being God had created: the archangel Lucifer. The following passage describes him in the beauty of his creation:

...Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created.

Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
(Ezek. 28:12-15)

Where did the iniquity originate? To meet the criteria for God's handiwork—perfect and glorious—the beings He designed to work with Him must contain a certain "thing." That "thing" is a free will.

God is not a creator of marvelous looking humanoid creatures programmed by microchips to worship and obey Him. Worship is only meaningful when the worshiper wills to worship. Obedience can bring God pleasure only when the "obeyer" chooses to obey.

One's will is his "chooser." With it he makes the choices that determine his eternal destiny. God gave Lucifer—as He gave all the angels—a free will in the day of his creation. Lucifer must have used it to worship and please God for some measure of eternity. How long the Bible does not reveal.

However, it does reveal that Lucifer was the first to turn his will against the Father's, which caused his fall. How did he fall? How did it happen? The following passage begins with those questions, apparently asked by the kings of nations whom Satan deceived (Isa. 14:9-10). And it supplies the answer:

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! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of god: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
(Isa. 14:12-14)

Lucifer's five treasonous "I wills" reveal much.

"I will ascend into heaven."—His kingdom was in a place from which he had to go up to carry out his rebellious plan.

"I will exalt my throne above the stars of God."—Lucifer had a throne, and therefore a kingdom.

"I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north."—This describes the place of God's throne. Lucifer was after the throne of God.

"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds."—The atmosphere of Lucifer's kingdom included clouds—clouds he would surmount in an attempt to exalt his throne. Many Bible scholars agree that his kingdom was here on earth. It was "the world that then was."

"I will be like the most High."—All that this entails, we do not know. But his later temptation of Jesus reveals that he wanted to receive rather than to give worship. Lucifer's rebellion caused a revolt in heaven. There was a real Star Wars!

Lucifer even deceived some of the angels and led an organized revolt against the Most High God. What was the outcome? Jesus told us. "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18).

I believe Lucifer's rebellion angered God so much that He removed Himself from the environs of earth, sending it into a chaotic wasteland covered with dark waters.

One of the reasons that Lucifer fell was because of his free will. He could choose to rebel against God, and he did. But, in the same manner, when we choose to come to God and choose to worship Him, it is a fulfilling act—for both the worshiper and for God. That is why free will, even though many make poor decisions with it, is so important...

...Because worship is only meaningful when it's voluntary.

Source: The Blood and the Glory by Billye Brim.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers.