The GAP theory a theory no longer? Long ages STILL possible in a previous creation.......Hmmmm!

THE GENESIS 1:1  GENESIS 1:2

 

 

 

 

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GAP TIMEFRAME

 

God exists in the eternal past

 

Psalms 93:2

 

"Thy Throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting."

Before he made the universe and the heavens God makes his plans

Hebrews 1:1-8

 

"God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father and he will be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy Kingdom. 

 

The Creation of the Heavens, this means God's heaven and his Angels because they were made before the rest of creation, then he created the two heavens around the earth, it's atmosphere and the starry heavens above it!

Genesis 1:1

 

 "In the beginning God created the Heaven(s) and the Earth."


The Creation of the Spirit World

 Job 38:4-8
 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?"

The Earth made perfect the first time


Isaiah 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.


Creation of the world (Kosmos, social order) that then was


2 Pet 3:5-7
 

"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: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

Lucifer's (The bearer of God's Light) reign over the world that then was, no one knows the exact length of this reign but could have been a long one before he fell.



Other thrones, dominions, principalities and powers placed over other parts of the universe

Colossians 1:15-19 

  "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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:
 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; "

 

The kingdom of God universal; God the Supreme Moral Governor of the universe, and all in harmony with him:

Daniel 4:17

"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men."

Lucifer, the original ruler of the earth, conceives the idea that he can get the cooperation of other angelic beings of the universe, dethrone God, and become the exalted supreme ruler of the universe.
 

Ezekiel 28:12-17 

 

 "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 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.  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.
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee."

 

 

Lucifer carries out his plans, and through pride falls and incites rebellion by slander and accusations against the Almighty. He causes his own subjects and one-third of God's angels to rebel against him. The earth enters it's first sinful state.

 

 

 

Revelation 12:4

"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."

 

Revelation 12:7-9 

^" And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

 

 

Lucifer instigates rebellion and persuades others to rebel. He openly breaks relations with God and his government, and leads his rebels from the appointed place of mobilization on earth into Heaven to dethrone God.

 

 

Isaiah 14:12-17

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! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

 

 

 

He is then met by Michael and the faithful angels, and is defeated and cast as lightning back to the earth:

 

 

Revelation 12:7-9 

 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

 

Luke 10:18

"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

 

God completely destroys Lucifer's kingdom and curses the earth by destroying all life. A great flood leaves the earth an empty wasteland, there is the possibility that it was a frozen wasteland until it all melted by Genesis 1:2

 

 

 

 

Genesis 1:2 

 

"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."

Job 38:30

 "The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."

Jeremiah 4:23

^" I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light."

The possibilities for the geologic ages are endless here and at the same time it keeps the 6,000 years intact, no reason to panic. It seems to fit well with a literal interpretation of Genesis once the other scriptures are brought to bear on it. And please keep in mind that scripture can have double meanings without losing it's integrity.

This theory is also called the restitution or recreation theory. Arthur C. Custance, who has written an excellent book in the theory’s defense, traces it to certain early Jewish writers, some of the church fathers, and even to some ancient Sumerian and Babylonian documents.

It crops up in the Middle Ages as well. It was in Scotland at the beginning of the last century, through the work of the capable pastor and writer Thomas Chalmers, that the idea gained real coherence and visibility. And this was LONG before Darwin's theory of beginnings took hold so we are not copying the World's views at all.

This theory is biblical first and commented upon before Evolution was conceived.





Pember wrote, “It is thus clear that the second verse of Genesis describes the earth as a ruin; but there is no hint of the time which elapsed between creation and this ruin.

Age after age may have rolled away, and it was probably during their course that the strata of the earth’s crust were gradually developed. Hence we see that geological attacks upon the Scriptures are altogether wide of the mark, are a mere beating of the air.

 There is room for any length of time between the first and second verses of the Bible. And again, since we have no inspired account of the geological formations, we are at liberty to believe that they were developed just in the order in which we find them.

The whole process took place in preadamite times, in connection, perhaps, with another race of beings, and, consequently, does not at present concern us”

 (G. H. Pember, Earth’s Earliest Ages and Their Connection with Modern Spiritualism and Theosophy. London and Glasgow: Pickering & Inglis, n.d., 28).

 Harry Rimmer was another influential writer. In 1941 he authored a book entitled Modern Science and the Genesis Record. In it he said, “The original creation of the heaven and the earth, then, is covered in the first verse of Genesis. Only God knows how many ages rolled by before the ruin wrought by Lucifer fell upon the earth, but it may have been an incalculable span of time.

Nor can any students say how long the period of chaos lasted; there is not even a hint given. But let us clearly recognize in these studies that Moses, in the record of the first week of creation, is telling the story of God’s reconstruction; rather than the story of an original creation”

 (Harry Rimmer, Modern Science and the Genesis Record (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1941, 28).

 

The "Gap Theory" or Ruin, reconstruction Theory was NOT invented by Christians trying to fit evolution into the creation story, that's a lie perpetuated by Young Earth creationists. It goes without saying that the earth in this present creation is only around 10.000 years to just over 6,000 years old BUT if we look at scripture there are many verses that describe a destruction of the EARTH not just a kingdom of Israel that DID NOT HAPPEN IN NOAH'S FLOOD.

 

It must also be remembered that in the young earth creation of 6,000 plus years, that every genealogy has major gaps in them, also the understanding of Adam's creation in no way dictate's a timeframe for the Fall of man after his walking with God.

 

The literal 6 days of remaking the surface of the earth into a paradise is the only actual dating that took place, prior to this making, the Ice age after previous destruction took place!

 

Adam could have walked with God for thousands of years before Eve and many more years after that BEFORE THE FALL, so dating is very premature concerning the young earth dates! 

  

"Many of the early Church Fathers and other biblical scholars interpret the creation days of Genesis 1 as long periods of time. The list includes the Jewish historian Josephus (1st century); Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, apologist and martyr (2nd century); Origen, who rebutted heathen attacks on Christian doctrine (3rd century); Basil (4th century); Augustine (5th century); and, later, Aquinas (13th century), to name a few!

 

The significance of this list lies not only in the prominence of these individuals as biblical scholars, defenders of the faith, and pillars of the early church (except Josephus), but also in that their scriptural views cannot be said to have been shaped to accommodate secular opinion. Astronomical, paleontological, and geological evidences for the antiquity of the universe, of the earth, and of life did not come forth until the nineteenth century." (Ross 1991: 141)

 

In saying I believe in an OLDER CREATION date it does not mean that I have rejected the 6,000 year creation or better re-make date of Genesis 1:2 I simply have added the original creation period BEFORE this current one.

 

Think of it this way, you own a Car from the 1970's but it needs new parts put on that are just as exact as the parts being replaced. Part of your Car is newer than other parts of it, no confusion or contradiction it's simply one Car with Older and newer parts! God's original creation in Genesis 1:1 was perfect, Lucifer's fall from heaven to earth and consequent rebellion ruined it's perfection, God destroys this creation leaving it without form and void. Enter Genesis 1:2 and God remakes the earth's surface because we must remember that the EARTH was already made in 1:1.

 

 

 

HOW STRONG IS THIS EVIDENCE?

 

First, in the Masoretic text of Genesis, in which ancient Jewish scholars attempted to incorporate a sufficient number of “indicators” to guide the reader in proper pronunciation and interpretation of the text, there is a small mark known as a rebia following verse 1.

The rebia is a disjunctive accent. That is, it serves to inform the reader that there is a break in the narrative at this point and that he should pause before going on to the next verse.

The rebia might also indicate that the conjunction that begins verse 2, a waw, should be translated “but” rather than the more common “and.”

This has bearing on how the second verse should be translated because, as we will see, it could be rendered “But the earth became a ruin.”

 To be sure, the rebia was not in the original text of Genesis and therefore represents only the considered judgment of the Masoretes, but their opinion may guide us to a correct interpretation.

Second, there is the structure of the creation account itself. Each of the accounts of the activity of God on one of the creative days ends with the words, “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first [second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth] day.”

 In other words, there is a very marked parallelism. Moreover, on the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days, those same sections begin, “And God said. …” It is only natural, therefore, to assume that the account of the first day of creation begins, not with verse 1 but with verse 3 where the parallel phrase occurs (“And God said, ‘Let there be light’ ”).

 

 If this is so, then the first two verses stand apart from the rest of the account and describe a creation prior to the work of God on the first day.

Third, there is the possibility (some would say necessity) of translating the Hebrew verb “to be” (hayah), which occurs in verse 2, not “was” but “became.” So the verse would read, “But the earth became formless [that is, a ruinous mass] and empty [that is, devoid of life].”

It is also possible that the verb is to be taken as pluperfect with the meaning, “But the earth had become… .”

 

 

This also clears up the Creation week without mixing up things as young Earth creationism have had to do, the stars, the sun, the moon were previously created in verse one but their light because of judgment wasn't allowed to shine and thus God SAYS "LET THERE BE LIGHT" instead of creating light after the earth was made.

In Arthur Custance’s defense of the gap theory’s exegetical base, the point is made that the Hebrew verb hayah, while frequently translated “was” rather than “became,” nevertheless primarily means “became” for the simple reason that the Hebrew language does not really need a verb for “be.”

 That is, if a Hebrew-speaking person wanted to say “The man is good,” he would not use a verb at all but would simply say, “The man good.”

The verb would be implied. This sentence differs from the descriptive phrase “The good man,” because the Hebrew way of saying that is “The man the good.”

 

 Fourth, the words “formless and empty” (tohu wa bohu) may be verbal clues to a preadamic judgment of God on our planet. True, the words have various shades of meaning and do not necessarily indicate the destruction of something that had formerly been beautiful.

But they sometimes do. Besides, there is the important text in Isaiah 45:18 that says, using the words of Genesis 1:2, that God did not create the world a ruin. If this is a direct reference to Genesis, as it may be, it says that God did not create the world in the state portrayed in Genesis 1:2.

One serious criticism of the gap theory is that it gives one of the grandest and most important passages in the Bible an unnatural and perhaps even a peculiar interpretation.

 

This is hardly a conclusive argument, but it is probably the point at which most other Bible students and scholars begin to hesitate.

Ramm puts it like this: “From the earliest of Bible interpretation this passage has been interpreted by Jews, Catholics and Protestants as the original creation of the universe. In seven majestic days the universe and all of life is brought into being. But according to Rimmer’s view the great first chapter of Genesis, save for the first verse, is not about original creation at all, but about reconstruction.

The primary origin of the universe is stated in but one verse. This is not the most telling blow against the theory, but it certainly indicates that something has been lost to make the six days of creation anticlimactic” (Ramm, Christian View, 201).

This same argument may also be stated biblically, which Ramm does not do but which would presumably have more weight with the gap theory advocates.

To give just one example, we read in Exodus 20:11, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” A person might point out that the verb used here is “made,” not the powerful Hebrew verb “created” (baraʾ), and that this allows for a recreation or reforming.

 But that aside, the verse does sound like a description of an original creation. “It neither states nor implies recreation to most people”

(L. Duane Thuman, How to Think about Evolution & Other Bible-Science Controversies . Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1978, 121).

Second, the exegetical data, while impressive, is nevertheless far from certain. And it must be certain if we are to be expected to embrace such an unusual theory. I have argued above that critics of the gap theory have been far too cavalier in dismissing its supporters’ exegetical arguments, but those arguments are still not clearly right.

 The Hebrew verb hayah may mean “became,” but there is no doubt that it is also correctly translated “was” and that far more frequently. Again, waw may even mean “but,” although it more commonly means “and.” And as for tohu wa bohu, this may simply mean that the land in question was uninhabitable. Whether that condition was the result of God’s judgment on the earth or was due to some other factor is to be determined from the context and not from the words themselves (cf. Isa. 24:1 and 45:18; Jer. 4:23–26).

It is significant in this regard that, although the New International Version supports the possibility of translating the Hebrew hayah as “become” in a footnote to Genesis 1:2, it does not render Isaiah 45:18 in a way that would support the gap theory.

HERE'S PART 2