Stars and solar systems form when huge spinning clouds of debris coalesce, through countless collisions, into a central sun and orbiting planets. The process leaves enough remaining debris travelling through Space to bombard the newly formed sun and planets, at decreasing intensities, for billions of years. Thousands of craters on Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, etc are evidence of our Solar System's violent past

The Bible starts off: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)

The common interpretation that these words refer to the creation of the Universe might be in error. An alternative understanding is that Genesis 1:1 is a summary of the creation account that follows. "Heavens" in that case might better be translated as "sky" and "earth" as "land". "Sky" and "land" is what an observer sees. We, for example "look" up into the "sky". In other words Genesis chapter one is an account of the preparation of the world for humans as a hypothetical observer at land or sea level would have observed it.

The story of creation in Genesis therefore actually starts with verse 2 (since verse 1 is a summary of the whole account which follows).

In verse 2 our planet is shown as already existing!  The land is "formless" and "void", lifeless, covered in water and everything is dark.  Verse 2 mentions the "spirit of God" over the water.

The Hebrew word "ruach" often does mean "spirit".  However, subject to context the Hebrew word "ruach" may, in the Bible also mean "wind". The phrase "wind of God" in Genesis 1:2 would then denote something special or powerful about the wind. In many other Old Testament passages a wind is described as being from God when the wind is especially strong and/or accomplishes something special. (e.g. Genesis 8:1; Exodus 15:10; Numbers 11:31; Psalm 107:25; Isaiah 11:15; Ezekiel 13:13; Jonah 1:4; 4:8)

A footnote to Genesis 1:2 in the Good News Bi­ble gives: "wind from God; or an awesome wind."

Genesis 1:2, therefore, reveals our planet in a state of chaos and destruction — "formless and void”, covered in water, dark and with a wind going over the surface.

The Six days of Creation, described next, are therefore a story of God intervening on a planet which at this point (in Genesis 1:1-2) already existed.  They are not a story of God creating the Universe "ex nihilo" out of nothing.

If the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 which I’ve presented is correct then we can appropriately ask: "Is there any sort of event which could make planet Earth chaotic, dark, windswept, lifeless and covered in water?"

By 1950 twelve impact craters had been identified on Earth. By 1981 the total was about 90. The remains of the biggest craters so far iden­tified on Earth are about 300 or 400 kilometres across. The formation of a crater of that size would require the impact of an asteroid 20-30 kilometres in diameter. The asteroid which is said to have destroyed the Dinosaurs 65 million years ago is said to have been only about 10 kilometres in diameter!

Suppose an asteroid of perhaps 40 or 50 kilome­tres diameter crashed into an ocean! 

The release of energy would be 300 million or more times greater than the Krakatoa eruption of 1883!  What would be the result?

Giant tidal waves would sweep over the highest mountains and water would cover the planet. Wind speeds would still be over 1000 kilometres per hour on the opposite side of the globe to the impact!  Huge chunks of earth and rock would be thrown into the sky and crash down again, causing additional devastation. Trillions of tons of soot, dust and water vapour would soon cover the planet and make the surface pitch black. Probably a huge hole would be punched through the Earth’s crust resulting in gigantic flows of lava. The whole surface of the planet would be in a state of chaos and all life more complex than microbes would cease. 

The darkness over the water would continue for years or until someone with the power to intervene says: "Let there by light" and calls this the "first day".

In conclusion: Genesis 1 does not directly teach that an asteroid hit Earth. What I’ve done is:

     (1)     Noted how the surface of our planet is described in Genesis 1:2;
(2)     Noted what sort of an effect a major asteroid impact would have.

Whether the two descriptions are similar enough to describe the same situation the reader should consider for himself.

If the two descriptions are considered close enough to describe the same event then we can validly investigate when and where the asteroid impact took place. If such an investigation succeeds we would have the point where Genesis and the seven days of creation begin.

(Anonymous)