It might be a bit strange, I admit, to consult chaos theory, the study of systems that exhibit apparent randomness, in an attempt to make sense of time periods in the Bible. After all, it is common for Christians to say that the Lord is a God of order, not chaos, that He is “orderly.” Why would an orderly God create a chaotic universe? Part of the answer is that, in scientific terms, “chaotic” means unpredictable more than it means disorderly. But I will get to that. For now, I merely state my hypotheses: the universe was in a chaotic state some time period before the separation of light from darkness, returned to chaos with the rebellion of Adam and Eve, and will come into everlasting orderliness at the fall of Satan and the destruction of death. You could be laughing, you could be appalled, but to me these are exciting hypotheses! And even if they don’t hold water, I believe that we can still learn a few things about God, and about chaos theory, from a healthy consideration of these ideas.