ANSWER: Massive devastation occurred when God cast Satan and his demons to the earth when they rebelled (Revelation 12:4). The earth was covered by thick clouds of dust and ash. No light penetrated the earth's atmosphere. In recreating the surface of the earth, the first thing God did was remove the thick dark clouds to allow sunlight to reach the surface of the earth once again. In Genesis 1:2 we read: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." Then on the fourth day, God completely cleared the atmosphere so that the sun, moon, and stars could be clearly seen.

Genesis 1:16-18 states: "Then God made [Hebrew - asah] two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good." The word "made" in verse 16 can be translated: "made," "had made," or "will have made." Any of these renderings could be correct. The correct translation must be determined in context. By looking at the context is apparent that God "had made" the sun, moon, and stars long before the fourth day of creation, and that they were made visible again on the fourth day of the recreation week.