Creation of Heaven and Hell
In Genesis 1 it says that God created the heavens. When was heaven created? Also, when was hell created. Was it before or after the fall of Lucifer and his angels?
You bring up some great questions. The problems you address are some of the reasons that I believe there was a space of time between the original creation of God's heaven and earth and the six-day creation that makes up the bulk of Genesis chapter one. The six days of creation do not mention the creation of God's heaven or the creation of hell. Neither do they mention the creation of the angelic beings. Here is my belief concerning the creation of these things.
First, God created His heaven. This is recorded in Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
See All.... The wisdom of the King James Bible is seen in the fact that Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
See All... states that God created the "heaven" (singular) and the earth in the beginning. That heaven is the third heaven mentioned by Paul in 2Corinthians 12:2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
See All.... At this time, He also created the original earth. This should not surprise us since there is going to be a new earth one of these days.
Second, God created the heavenly beings. There was no need to create the angels before there was a place for them to dwell. This creation would include the creation of Lucifer before he sinned.
Third, in this initial world, God gave Lucifer rule but his fall led to the entire destruction of that world. This doctrine is controversial, but it will explain the problems you are dealing with and others as well. The pride and fall of Lucifer as described in Isaiah 14:12-15 [12] 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!
[13] 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:
[14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
[15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
See All... is best put in this time.
Fourth, God created hell for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
See All... states, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Two points: first, there was no point in creating this place of punishment before the devil and his angels rebelled; and, second, it must have been created before the fall of Adam or else it would have been created for him and his descendants too.
Fifth, after all of the above, we have the six-day creation that makes up the bulk of Genesis chapter one.