These are the revealed reasons for the overthrow of this land of

Idumea, and it is followed by 'thorns, nettles, brambles and dragons, wild

beasts, satyrs, screech owls and vultures' (Isa. 34:13-15).

Jeremiah uses the language of Genesis 1:2 to pronounce judgment upon

'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' (Jer. 4:26).

If we abide by the concordant principle of interpretation, the

conclusion is unavoidable.  Genesis 1:2 was a judgment upon some rebellion,

sin or apostacy that took place before the advent of Adam.  Earthquakes

are spoken of frequently in the Scriptures, but not one is recorded as a

matter of scientific interest.  Where explanation is given, we find these

lesser repetitions of Genesis 1:2 are definitely associated with sin.  No

earthquake is recorded in the law of Moses subsequent to Genesis 1:2 until we

reach Numbers 16.  Moses speaks on this wise:

'If the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and

swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down

quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have

provoked the Lord' (Num. 16:30).

The sin of Korah was the sin of usurpation, the usurpation of priestly

At the Second Coming of Christ, when His feet shall stand upon the

Mount of Olives, a great cleavage shall take place, and, said the prophet:

'Ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days

of Uzziah king of Judah' (Zech. 14:5).

In 2 Chronicles 26, we learn that Uzziah was stricken with leprosy for

the sin of usurping the priest's office!

The analogy of the faith is strongly in favour of a similar usurpation

that preceded Genesis 1:2.

One would hardly expect a scholar, or for that matter an average user

of language, to conclude that, while themelioo is related to themelios, as

'to lay a foundation' is to 'the foundation itself', yet, when he looks at

kataballo 'cast down', he goes out of his way to prove that katabole means a

'foundation', and not an 'overthrow', but this we shall see in good time.

When Paul wished to say 'I have laid a foundation' (1 Cor. 3:10,11) he could

have used kataballo and so pleased our critic, but he did not; he used

tithemi and so pleased the Lord.  We must, however, go back to the Old

Testament, the quarry from which the stones of the New Testament are taken,

and see what Hebrew words are used for laying a foundation, and then see what

Greek words the LXX uses.  The following passages speak of 'laying a

foundation' in the Old Testament and all employ the Hebrew word yasad 'to be

founded', Isaiah 44:28; 1 Kings 6:37; Isaiah 28:16 and fifteen other

occurrences.  The LXX uses themelioo to translate these words into Greek, and

while other Greek words are used, kataballo is Never once employed.  The word

kataballo occurs some thirty times, and these we have already set out before

the reader.