In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:1-2 Why I Cannot accept the Gap Theory
INTRO: The Gap theory is the idea that there is a long period of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. During this time Satan had a kingdom on the Earth ruling over beings whose identity is yet unknown. He became lifted up with pride and fell causing judgment and destruction on the original creation. All of the geological ages took place during this "kingdom" or the following chaos. There are variations of the theory and not all adherents hold to all points. The basic agreement is that the present creation is merely a re-creation beginning in Genesis 1:3 .
I. CONCEPTION
The Gap theory was first presented by a Scottish Theologian named Thomas Chalmers in 1814. Chalmers was born in 1780 and died in 1847. He was a professor at Edinburgh University contemporary with Charles Lyell, the geologist whose uniformitarian ideas laid the groundwork for Darwin and influenced him to write On the Origin of Species . Lyell got his ideas on geology from James Hutton who preceded Chalmers at Edinburgh. In 1785 Hutton published The Theory of the Earth . This book was one of the first science books which proposed that the earth was more than 6,000 years old and attacked the idea that Noah's flood was responsible for the geologic formations around the world. Chalmers enrolled in Edinburgh in 1795 just 10 years after Hutton published his book. According to Chalmers' biography published by the Free Church of Scotland, he was an avid student of geology. Since Hutton was the leading geologist at Edinburgh it is obvious he was influenced by Hutton's uniformitarian ideas. This is demonstrated by Chalmers own statement about geology:
"There is a prejudice against the speculations of the geologist which I am anxious to remove. ... By referring the origin of the globe to a higher antiquity than is assigned to it by the writing of Moses, it has been said that geology undermines our faith in the inspiration of the Bible, and in all the animating prospects of immortality which it unfolds. This is a false alarm. The writings of Moses do not fix the antiquity of the globe. If they fix anything at all, it is only the antiquity of the species. It is not the interest of Christianity to repress liberty of discussion."
II. COMPROMISE
It is plain to see that the "speculations" of James Hutton had their effect on Chalmers. He accepts Hutton's idea that the earth was older than 6,000 years based on uniformitarianism and then goes on to question whether Genesis fixes anything at all, opening the door for all kinds of compromise. This is the foundation of the Gap Theory and the same kind of compromise which says "Science has proven so and so therefore we must reinterpret the Bible to fit it. Isn't it strange that for about 3,000 years after Genesis was written, it was always understood to be a literal consecutive account with no gaps, and then just a few years after "science" begins to question the age of the earth, this theory magically appears. A doctrine can be no stronger than it's foundation and the foundation of the Gap theory is COMPROMISE ! Scofield's note on Gen 1:1 illustrates this compromise:
"But three creative acts of God are recorded in this chapter (1) the heavens and the earth... The first creative act refers to the dateless past and gives scope for all the geologic ages."and in verse 11 he says:
.. Relegate fossils to the primitive creation and no conflict of science with the Genesis cosmogony remains.
In both of these quotes we see Scofield using the gap theory to reconcile the Bible with science falsely so called.
Consider this account of the formation of the earth:
The time was when our earth was a globular mass of molten matter surrounded by an atmosphere of gaseous and metallic vapors. .... In the course of time - and the formation of our solar system took thousands upon thousands of years- the earth cooled off sufficiently to permit the oxygen and hydrogen to form water that fell in the form of rain .. As time passed the rocky surface of the earth was disintegrated and formed soil, and when the soil was fit, vegetation trees and plant life appeared. Then came the lower orders of marine life followed by fish and fowl
Now this is pure evolution just like something out of a public school text book. However this is from page 22 of "Dispensational Truth" by Clarence Larkin. He goes on to talk about other beings inhabiting the "original earth" and how it takes thousands of years to form coal beds. Now Larkin was deceived by the seducing spirits preaching science falsely so called. I Tim 6:20
III. Confirmation of true science makes compromise unnecessary
The Word of God doesn't need our help. The Gap theory was invented to fit in with a "scientific" theory which has no evidence! There is not one shred of scientific proof that the universe is one minute over 6,000 years old. Radiometric dating has been proven to be inaccurate. The shrinking sun, the dust on the moon and the decaying magnetic field all point to a young earth. All the geology of the Grand Canyon could form in 1 year as was proven at Mt St Helens. There is also no need to "relegate fossils" to some imaginary time period when you find giant human footprints in the same rock with dinosaur footprints. This fits perfectly into Genesis chapter 6. Sea shells on mountain tops fit in just fine with Genesis 7 and 8. So where is the conflict?
IV. CHANGING THE BIBLE
A. Was/Became. The next step Chalmers takes in his compromise is to say that the word was in Gen 1:2 is a mistranslation and should be translated became . Everyone who accepts the Gap theory believes this whether consciously or not, admitted or not because this is exactly what the gap theory teaches and this was the first proof text used by the man who invented it.
B. Made to appear Scofield, Larkin and others say the sun moon and stars were not made on day 4 like the Bible says they were. Instead, they were just made to appear. This is really twisting the Scripture to fit their own ideas.
C. Waste In Isaiah 45:18 The Bible says "he created it not in vain" but most "Gap theorists" go into the Hebrew to try to tie this into Gen 1:2 In so doing they follow the ASV and RSV which say waste or chaos. "Not in vain" means He had a purpose.
I cannot accept a doctrine which is based on compromising with evolutionists and changing the Bible. Now this is not to say that everyone who believes the Gap theory agrees with compromising with evolution and changing God's word, but everyone who accepts the gap theory is accepting a theory built on COMPROMISE AND CHANGING THE BIBLE ! You have to believe that God kept His Truth secret for thousands of years and finally chose to reveal it to men who had so little respect for His Words that they would change them to compromise with agnostics who ridiculed the Bible!
V. Contradiction against the Scriptures
A} Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day:
The key words in this verse are IN , ALL and IS. Heaven and earth were made IN the six days, not some time before. Heaven is singular here just like it is in Genesis 1:1. ALL includes: Angels, Lucifer, dinosaurs, and everything buried in the ground or floating around in outer space. IS means existing in the present. (what does 'is' really mean anyway?) This is basic simple English! Our former president may not understand it, but lets not resort to those tactics when studying the Bible. Everything that exists in heaven, earth or the sea was made during the six days. Do angels exist? They were made during the six days. Do fossils of dinosaurs exist in the present? Dinosaurs were made during the six days! Lest some say that created and made describe two separate events; Gen 2:4 uses both words to describe the same event.
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
Col 1:16 says that all things in heaven and earth were created- not just made.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:B} Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
This is also very simple- it was THE FIRST DAY! there were no
days or time before this. From verse 1 to 5 was only 24 hours. I believe God created the earth around 6 in the evening (it was dark) and then by 6 in the morning He said "let there be light" and it was the First Day. There is no such thing as "Prehistoric". The word does not exist in the Webster's 1828 dictionary. The listing goes from PREHEN'SION to PREHN'ITE . That word was invented after people started denying the Bible. We have history from the beginning of the first day. Many of the perverted bibles change this to "one day." I believe every word in the Bible means just what it says. THE FIRST DAY leaves no room for thousands or millions of years before that for Lucifer to have a kingdom on the earth. Lucifer could not have been created before this because Ezek 28:15 says "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the DAY that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." He was created on a DAY! It could not be before the first day.C} Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
At the end of the 6th day EVERYTHING God had made was VERY good. This includes Lucifer. There is no room in a very good creation for a devil plotting to destroy man or for billions of dead animals buried in the rocks beneath their feet. Look again at Ezekiel 28
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.Only four personalities are said to have been in Eden. God, Adam, Eve and the Serpent. Notice "in Eden" Lucifer was "perfect" TILL iniquity was found in him! The fall of Lucifer took place after the creation of the garden of Eden!
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of
God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
D} I Cor 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.BY MAN CAME DEATH!! Fossils are dead things! Death and destruction all came after man sinned. Adam brought death into the world not Lucifer. The very first animal that died on this planet was the lamb which God used to cover Adam and Eve.Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
VI. Convincing Scriptures don't prove theory
A} Gen 1:2/ Isa 45:18It is contended by gappers that the conditions in verse 2 are the result of judgment and contrary to the character of God. The "proof" text is
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.Isa 45:18: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.God took six days to give us a pattern to live by, (Ex 20:11), and to teach us some things about His plan for the future. Col 2:16-17. God could have spoken the whole creation into existence perfect and complete in less than a nanosecond, but He chose to take six days. Now it goes without saying that if God is going to take six days to do something that it is not going to be finished as soon as He gets started. (deep ain't it?!) Without form and void simply means without form and void! I care not for tohus boo hoos or tofu! Without form means that He hasn't shaped it yet and void means that He hasn't filled it yet! That is what He takes six days to do. Others who say that darkness is the result of sin and judgment need to look at
Isa 45:7: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.God created darkness as a natural part of creation. Without darkness to contrast with light we could not see. If you doubt this go stare at a light bulb for about ten minutes. God is the one who created evil not Lucifer! God created evil to give his creatures a choice.Much is made out of the word replenish in the above verse, and in fact this is what caused me to believe the gap theory at one time. To RE-plenish something must mean it was plenished before, right? First of all there is no such word as plenish, and just because a word starts with re that doesn't automatically mean to do it over again. When studying the word replenish I found that it comes from the Latin word replener which is related to the word replete which simply means completely full. In the 1828 Webster's, The primary definition is TO FILL ! God is simply telling Adam to fill up the earth completely. Today people look at anything with an re to mean 'again', but in 1611 there was no meaning other than to fill completely. The word replenish is a good word. This is accurately carried over from the Hebrew word which means "to fill." There is no "again" in the English definition in 1611 and there is no "again" in the Hebrew definition (Strongs #4390).B} Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
C} II Pet. 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
They claim this verse describes The pre-Adamic creation which was overflowed with water in Genesis 1:2. They key in on the phrase "the world that then was." However the "world that then was" is defined by Peter himself one chapter earlier.2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;The world that perished was Noah's world. Interpreting Scripture with Scripture without private interpretation makes it perfectly clear. Standing in the water and out of the waters describe the waters raised above the firmament in Gen 1:6-8 whereby the world was flooded in chapter 7.
VII. Chronology of Creation
One of the greatest difficulties many people have in reading Genesis 1 is wondering where do the angels fit in. Also, when did God make His dwelling place? Where did the light come from before day 4? Psalm 104 is a psalm of praise about creation and the flood. Verses 1-5 deal with creation and give us the answers to these questions. Insert the verses of Psalm 104 in order into Genesis 1 and you can fill in the missing details of the first three days.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment:And God said Let there be light... the first day. Gen 1:3-5
..who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Gen 1:6
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:.. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Gen 1:8
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear ...Gen 1:9.
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?... .. and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4,7
In verse 2 we see Let there be light of(Gen 1:3) on the first day. So the light came from God Himself. When God created the firmament, He stretched out a space between the waters.In verse 3 He creates the third heaven resting on the waters above the second heaven (Psalm 148:4) and then makes the angels in verse 4 all on day 2 just in time to shout for joy on day 3 when He lays the foundations of the earth in verse 5. Notice here that we filled in the details with scriptures which use the same words and phrases found in the first passage. We did not make up stories about some "world" which the Bible never describes.
In conclusion, the overwhelming weight of Scripture requires a literal reading of the creation account with no gaps, long ages or imaginary kingdoms mixed in. God's first act of creation began around 6 pm one Saturday evening about 6000 years ago and finished up exactly 6 days later on Friday evening. The Jews still begin their sabbath at 6 pm on Friday to commemorate this fact. The whole concept of compromising with the scientists is not only spiritually devastating but unnecessary as well because true science confirms the literal reading. It boggles my mind that Bible believers would accept a theory which changes the Bible and contradicts several clear statements in other verses of Scripture. The very few Scriptures which could be interpreted in favor of the Gap fail to be convincing when taken in context. And finally God has given us the details of His chronology so that everything fits perfectly into place when we just believe what the Bible says rather than worrying about what it doesn't say.
Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:128
