There is an interesting theory that has always existed which brings science and the bible together to a certain degree. "It is called 'The Gap Theory' ".
People that agree with "The Gap Theory" are Old Earth Creationist!!!
Was earth re-created from a previous Catastrophe ? Many say yes, while others choose to believe No. Scriptures back up this theory as well !!
Saying the earth is as old as Science says but it was simply re-created.
God (YHWH = His Name) is Perfect !! Everything He creates, is done with perfection!
In the beginning of time, YHWH was. He has always existed in Heaven. He created angels, which are messengers of His, and do many others things for Him.
One of the angels He created was named Lucifer. Lucifer, was an arch-angel that had a third of all the angels under him.
Lucifer beheld his own glory, and looked within himself and said he wanted to be God now. He took a third of the angels, and caused a rebellion in Heaven, trying the dethrown God(YHWH !!). But he failed. Another archangel in heaven named "Michael", who was a warrior angel, defeated Lucifer and Lucifer was cast out of heaven by God. Lucifers name was changed to Satan. At this point he came to the earth which had already been in existence. And satan became the god of this world.
God always creates perfection. But He also gave His angels free will. When iniquity(or willful sin) was found in him, he was cast out of heaven.
When the original sin of satan came to earth, it caused the earth to become formless and void. Gen. 1:2 And the earth "was" formless and void. Was here in the original hebrew means "became" - the Hebrew word for was in Genesis 1:2 is hayah .
The pre-existing earth became wasted and ruined and God refashioned or recreated it.
First, no one knows how long, or what the duration of "The Gap" is between Gen. 1:1 and Gen 1:2. God did not make it known in the Bible.
Many that agree with the gap theory state that there were man/ape like creatures living in the Pre-Adamic era. The evidence is most certain. There fossils have been discovered.
The earth was without form and void, it was in confusion and emptiness, as the words are rendered in Isaiah. 34:11. And the Spirit of God moved, continued hoovering over, working on the dead and discordant elements, combined, and arranged and ripened the earth into a state adapted for being the scene of a new creation of the earth. If the bible did not support "The Gap" theory, then there would be no scholarly writing about it !! In Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God 'created' (the word here is bara in the original Hebrew). Bara means to create out of nothing. Gen 1:2 "was" in the original Hebrew is "asah" meaning to fashion, to make out of pre-existing material !!
Was there sin before Adam and Eve ? Yes and scripture supports this.
Revelation 12:4-9 is talking about a Long..........time past event that happened.
These verses show that there was sin long before adam and eve. Sin actually has a long pre-history.
The earth had pre-existed in Genesis 1:1 and was filled with dead and buried fossils from a previous catastrophe that had turned the earth into a cosmic wasteland! When Lucifer fell from grace, when he fell from heaven it not only had a catastrophic impact on the earth, but on the entire solar system; causing even huge meteor showers to hit the earth.
Ezekial chapter 28 describes the spiritual career of Lucifer before he fell, when he tried to dethrown God. Read the chapter, it says Lucifer was perfect is wisdom and beauty. He was one of the cherubs(angels) that covered the thrown of God with his wings.
Lucifer had one of the greatest, top positions in heaven at one time. Ezekial 28:12-17 states that Lucifer was an annointed cherub(angel) of God, who walked in the very presence of the glory of God, and walked on earth, where his thrown was. But Lucifer wanted God's thrown. But iniquity was found in Lucifer.
Lucifer had free will just like humans do.
Violence, Pride - Sin was found in Lucifer, and because of his beauty, Lucifer lifted himself up,
and he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splender and God cast him down to the earth. The earth became a desolation, a wasteland.
Isaish 14:12-15 states the "I will's" of sin Lucifer said, at the onset of this rebellion in heaven. But the absolute worst "I will" lucifer said was "I Will be the Most High God!!" And he attempted to dethrown God. Lucifer wanted to be worshipped as God. Thus the rebellion began. Original sin took place!!
Revelation 12:4,7-8 says satan was cast out of heaven taking a third of the angels(now are demons) with him. The warrior arch-angel Michael defeated Lucifer these verses state and a third of the angels went with him. And Jesus, called then "The Word"(John 1:10 witnessed this event. Luke 10:18, and Jesus said to them, "And I saw satan fall like lightening from heaven."
Because of this attempt by satan and one third of the angels that followed him, the war in heaven left evidence throughout the earth's surface and solar system. There is ample evidence of the ancient catatrophic events in the solar system. The craters on the moon, the rings on Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Jupiter -the asteroid belt which is the complete shattering of another planet, & the erratic orbit of Pluto, the comet/asteroid/meteor that hit the earth creating the Gulf of Mexico, all evidence of the ancient catarophic event that took place from "Lucifer's Fall" - the effect sin had of the solar system. God creates in perfection Gen.1:1. Sin from satan's fall caused desolation on earth and in the solar system.
In Gen.1:1-2 = the original Hebrew words translated "without form" and "void" are
"tohuw = formless, confusion, vain, unreality, wasteland, wilderness, place of chaos". And "bohuw = emptiness, void, waste."
Gen. 1:2 "was" in original Hebrew is translated
"hayah" meaning "became"
I'm running out of space, so I'll conclude soon!!
There was a pre-adamic world, and this world was the original creation in Genesis 1:1. This world was created perfect and filled with many various lifeforms. Lucifer was commissioned to be the ruler of this world. But much later through his sin, the rebellion of a third of the angels, a war in heaven accured. Refer to all the sccriptures above and read them. His fall, his sin led to the destruction of the earth and extinction of all life! The life forms of this former world were all fossilized and buried under a vast sheet of global water.
Gen. 1:2 and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
There was a pre-flood world (before Noah) and this pre-flood world was the world that existed
from the recreation of the earth in Genesis One to its destruction in the flood of Noah as documented in Genesis chapter 6. This world was the world of Adam and the world of the long lived patriarchs. And this world was brought into judgement because it was corrupt and extremely wicked. Like the pre-Adamic world it also was destroyed and purified with water.
Our present world began when Noah disembarked from the ark. This is the present world mankind now lives in. Sin still exists as long as satan is the god (small g ) of this world.
But his time grows to a close soon ! When satan is destroyed spiritually by Jesus Christ at Jesus' return, Jesus will bring heaven to earth as the ruler of this world. And we will not go upto heaven, Jesus will bring New Jerusalem and New heaven down to earth where we will remain forever with YHWH and Jesus Christ. The new and improved Eden !!!
This is the "Gap Theory" from Old Earth Creationists.
So you see, not all lean toward only Evolution or Creation alone.
Hope you patiently read all of this and find it quite interesting as I did when I read it.
It all leaves Much food for thought.