The words "without form" are from the Hebrew word "tohu," which means waste, desolation, or confusion. How could Earth become tohu if it isn't even created yet? Answer: it was created in Genesis 1:1, and in Genesis 1:2, it was annihilated. Thus the heavens and Earth were completed and inhabited, and then Earth was flooded in Genesis 1:2 before the beginning of the six days of Genesis 1:3-2:25. From these passages, it should be clear what Genesis 1:2 is actually saying. God did not originally create Earth in a state of chaotic desolation. Earth was created, complete, and inhabited in Genesis 1:1, then became tohu in Genesis 1:2.

Genesis 1:2 (bracketed comments added)
And the earth was [became] without form [destroyed], and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep [water covered the Earth]. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters [which covered the entire Earth, leaving no survivors].

While there's a great deal more scriptural interpretation I'm skipping in this article, (which I include in my free online book Aliens and the Antichrist on my website at http://www.AliensAndTheAntichrist.com), I'm going to put a magnifying glass on just a few scriptures that also point to Genesis 1:3-2:25 as being the recreation of the Earth to a habitable state, rather than an original creation. The point of this exercise is to demonstrate that the Bible actually teaches that the Earth was inhabited by beings prior to the creation of Adam and Eve. The ancient history of the Earth predating Adam and Eve is actually where Earth's significance in the cosmos takes its shape.

Reiterating Genesis 1:1, God first created the heavens and Earth. After that, perhaps several billion years transpired between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2; scripture states in Job 38:5-7 that there was a period of time when angels dwelled among the stars in harmony with God. Concluding the dispensation of angels, as theologians call it, was Satan's deceptive cavorting around the universe, deceiving the angels into his scheme to invade heaven and overthrow God. It was at this point that Earth was destroyed (Genesis 1:2).

But wait a minute. Why destroy Earth? Did God think, "Gee, Lucifer over here has deceived a bunch of his fellow angels, so I think I'll change his name to Satan, and then go and destroy this obscure little planet on the south side of the universe for no particular reason"? Was destroying Earth God's way of beating a pillow in frustration? The fact that Earth was destroyed before the creation of Adam and Eve is the first clue indicating that its destruction was linked to Lucifer's fall from glory. But what does Lucifer's rebellion against God have to do with the destruction of Earth? The answer is simple; Earth was his home, and it was destroyed by a worldwide flood that predates the creation of Adam and Eve.