What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "What does it mean that the earth was 'formless and void' in Genesis 1:2?"
Answer
The phrase ‘formless and void’ (and the darkness over the deep) describes the earth in its original state of chaos, confusion, and darkness at the beginning of the creation week. At that time the earth was still unformed, covered with water and dense vapors, and without light or atmosphere, before God, through His acts of creation, brought order and life. In Adventist writings this primordial state of desolation and emptiness is also understood as a prophetic picture of the earth during the millennium.
The Earth in the State of Original Chaos
»Regarding the condition of the earth ‘at the beginning’ the biblical account says that it was ‘formless and void; and darkness was upon the deep’. [...] That the term ‘abyss’ depicts the earth in a state of confusion and darkness is evident from other passages. Prophecy teaches that it will, at least partially, be returned to this condition.«
Meaning of the Darkness and the Primeval Deep
»The original word means abyss, bottomless, deep, unfathomable. Its use seems to show that the word denotes any place of darkness, desolation, and death. [...] where we read that ‘darkness was upon the deep’. The word translated there as ‘deep’ is the same word that is rendered here as bottomless abyss [...]. But we all know what is meant by the word ‘deep’ there; it is applied to this earth in its chaotic condition.«
The Beginning of Creation Without Form and Light
»On the first day of time God created heaven and earth. The earth thus called into being was formless and void; and total darkness covered the work of the Creator. [...] The dry land had not yet appeared; consequently the earth was covered with water. Since no atmosphere existed yet, dense vapors lay on the surface of the water...«
The Earth in the State of Primeval Chaos
»In [Genesis] the same word is rendered as ‘deep’ in the statement: ‘and darkness was upon the deep’; and here it must refer to the whole earth in its state of primeval chaos.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
