An Old Earth Verses a Young Earth
Some believers are so zealous
against the possibility of a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 as to
call gap theory advocates “unsaved.” That is very wrong and unscriptural. A “gap
principle” does no injustice to the Scriptures; but it does discredit the
testimony of Christians who deny the plain evidence of science. There IS
MUCH SCIENCE to prove an old earth. It is humanity that has only existed for
6000 years; but the earth has been here for a very long time.
Many Christian scholars have tried to explain
the issue of dinosaurs by saying that they existed at the time of Genesis.
Dr. Walt Brown of CreationScience.com teaches that dinosaurs boarded the
Ark. That is ridiculous!
Some scholars claim that the word “behemoth” in Job 40:15 may refer to a
dinosaur. Job lived at the time of Genesis, before the Law was given to
Moses.
We know that our present sun, moon and stars
were REMODELED on the fourth day of creation in Genesis. I DON'T believe in
theistic evolution, i.e., I don't believe that God created the universe and then
it evolved. God created Adam
and Eve, highly intelligent and human in every way. God created the universe
by intelligent design, as a master watchmaker who
meticulously assembles the hundreds of intricate parts into the watch
(watch how a $150,000 Swiss watch is handmade). There is no such thing
as the “Missing Link,” i.e., a caveman linking a lower form of life
and development to intelligent modern man. Man did not evolve. The
Neanderthal man never existed!!! Our civilizations have
evolved over 6000 years into the modern Industrial Revolution; but man's
body and soul have not evolved.
I believe in an old earth, as did Dr.
Curtis Hutson (1934-1995). Dr Hutson preached a fascinating Bible study
series in the 1970's titled: DEMONOLOGY,
available from the SWORD
OF THE LORD publishers.
Pastor Max D. Younce also believes in an old
earth and has written a compelling book addressing this issue in depth,
titled: THE TRUTH ABOUT EVOLUTION
OR; DON'T LET SATAN MAKE A MONKEY OUT OF YOU! You can freely
read the book
online in .PDF format.
Certainly, whether you believe in a young earth
or an old earth does NOT have any effect on your salvation. Although some
people have been won to the Lord upon hearing a Biblical explanation of how
dinosaurs fit in with the Bible.
Consider the following
powerful statement by Pastor Max D. Younce...
“Should one desire a
continued, concentrated study of the years from the flood to the
birth of Christ, they would arrive at approximately 2,345 years.
Thus, from Adam to Christ is close to the figure of 4,000 years.
Add another 2,000 plus from Christ to the present, and you have
man on the earth for only 6,000 years. Therefore, the Gap
Principle, as documented in Scripture makes evolution an
absolute impossibility.
The Gap Principle
made it possible for me to lead many people to Jesus Christ as
their Savior, who had been influenced by the evolutionary
philosophy.”
[emphasis added]
SOURCE:
The Truth About Evolution; Or, Don't Let Satan Make A Monkey Out Of You,
by Dr. Max D. Younce.
I
absolutely DO believe in a literal 6 day creation in Genesis. There
is no debating the plain teachings of the Word of God. But there are many
Scriptures that support the idea of an old earth. In Isaiah 14:14 Lucifer
said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
most High.” When was Lucifer below the clouds?” When was Lucifer below
the clouds in the Old Testament? Revelation 20:2 identifies the
serpent in the Garden Of Eden as Satan (see also Ezekiel 28:13). So
Lucifer had already fallen and was Satan in Genesis. I will explain
demonology more in detail in the next section.
Dr. Kent Hovind's Heresy
On No Sin Before Creation Of Mankind
I love Dr. Hovind as my Christian Brother and I know God is angry at
what Florida's courts
did to him for refusing a State-license. I just took a look at
Eric
Hovind's website and they strongly teach Lordship Salvation and
a false Gospel of self-righteousness. Dr. Hovind's son has taken
over the ministry and changed it for the worse in my opinion. I also
disagree with Dr. Kent Hovind on some of his false theology, such as
this quote he makes:
"Without
a doubt, the foundation upon which our salvation and hope rests
is the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. God created
a perfect, sinless earth and placed upon it a perfect, sinless
man. This man, Adam, enjoyed close fellowship with his Creator
until he sinned and broke the perfect relationship between God
and man. Ever since that time, death and degradation have
plagued God’s once-perfect creation, and man has been separated
from God. However, the shedding of Christ’s innocent blood on
the cross can restore man’s fellowship with God and provide him
eternal life. Through Adam’s sin, death entered into the world;
but through Christ’s sacrifice, salvation is made possible
(Romans 5:19). Therein lies the gap theory’s
greatest error, the placement of sin and death prior to the
existence of Adam. If death existed prior to Adam’s sin, then
how could it be the result of sin?"
SOURCE:
Creation Today » The Gap Theory Denies the Purpose of the Cross
Remember, Adam merely let sin into the
world, but he didn't manufacture sin. Sin was already at his
doorstep waiting to enter in. Adam simply opened the door, and it
became a Pandora's Box (Greek mythology: a box that Zeus gave to
Pandora with instructions that she not open it; she gave in to her
curiosity and opened it; all the miseries and evils flew out to
afflict mankind). In reality, Satan came to Eve and tempted her to
do evil. God planted the tree of knowledge; thus providing their
only opportunity to sin. Satan will always tempt us to do evil, but
it is God who gives us the opportunity and freewill to do right or
wrong. Life
is a test. God tested Job. God led the Jews into scorpions, thirst,
snakes and hunger in the Wilderness to test them,
to see if
they would keep His Commandments (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).
Dr. Hovind fails to address the issue
of man's sin by itself. We're talking about the human race, not
Lucifer or the fallen angels. Romans 5:12 plainly teaches that
Adam's sin opened the floodgate of sin and death; which passed upon
the world through conceiving children unto this day. Whatever sins
that the fallen angels or Lucifer commit prior to mankind has
nothing to do with the opportunity given to Adam and Eve to live in
paradise for ever. Had Eve known about the serpent and what would
happen, she never would have gone near that tree. Albeit, God
planted the tree of knowledge to test Adam and Eve. They failed the
test. God always tests us, even in His perfect will. God will not
tempt us, but He will place us in situation where we have a freewill
and the opportunity to do evil if we so choose.
So you see, there was sin prior to
mankind; but it was the sin of Lucifer and one-third of the angels
who rebelled and fell. Notice that the Bible mentions the angels
THAT SINNED...
2nd Peter
2:4, “For if God spared not the
angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of
darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
It appears Biblically that God cast
some of the worst angels into Hell right away; but cast others to
the earth with Lucifer, for where did these demons come from...
Matthew
8:28-29, “And when he was come to the other side into the
country of the Gergesenes, there met him two
possessed with devils,
coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might
pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have
we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?
art thou come hither to
torment us before the time?”
So some demons are bound in chains in
Hell, reserved for judgment; and yet there are others still free to
do evil upon the earth and afflict men's lives. We call them “fallen” angels, but actually
they chose to rebel and then they were cast out of Heaven down to
the earth. So they didn't fall in that sense. We call them “fallen”
because of their fallen moral character.
I don't like the term 'Gap Theory';
because it's a FACT and not a theory. It's best to just call it the
'Gap Principle.' Dr. Kent Hovind accuses proponents of an Old
Earth theory of attacking the cross of Calvary. Those are very
serious charges indeed!!! Christ died for man's sins, not the
angel's sins. Thank God for the gift of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.
Dr. Hovind argues that since Adam's sin
brought DEATH into the world (Romans 5:12), then how could there
have been a pre-Adamic world where dinosaurs lived and DIED? Lucifer
sinned prior to the fall of man in Eden. The fallen angels sinned
prior to the creation of man. These truths cannot be denied. If all
things were created 6,000 years ago, then there's a problem; because
God didn't make a devil. God made Lucifer and Lucifer walked and
served in the presence of God until Lucifer was lifted up in sinful
pride and haughty arrogance and fell, according to Ezekiel
28:13-19...
Ezekiel
28:13-19, “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.
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine
iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I
bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee,
and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of
all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the
people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and
never shalt thou be any more.”
Lucifer was cast down to the earth in
his anger no doubt. Science plainly teaches that an EVENT wiped out
the dinosaurs. Genesis 1:1-2 tells us that the world which God
created BECAME void. This would explain the ice age. Something
chaotic happened after Genesis 1:1 and the earth was (Hebrew: HAYAH)
without form, void and dark. This reality cannot just be ignored in
the Scriptures. END
CREATION / GAP THEORY
by Pastor Steve Frederick and Pastor Harold
Head
Creationism Science believes that the
heavens and the earth were created originally in six twenty four days and that
there is no gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Creationism Science says that the
earth is relatively young, being only 6,000 to 10,000 years old, and that
Lucifer rebelled and fell sometime after the six days of creation and before his
appearance to Adam and Eve in the Garden. They claim Lucifer's fall could not
have occurred before or during the six days of Creation because God said
everything was GOOD when He rested on the 7th day.
They claim that Adam and the
original creation of the earth were both in that original creation week, because
Jesus said in Matthew 19 that man and woman were created 'in the beginning'.
They would say the ICE AGE science speaks of occurred for a few hundred years
after Noah's worldwide flood, and was caused directly by the flood itself, and
this ice age left only a livable area near the equator and Bible lands during
this time. They would say Dinosaurs and mammoths, even the frozen ones, existed
during the Noah's day, and since Adam brought death into the world, no life
existed and died on a Pre-Adamic earth.
When God used different words such as
create, make, and form in Genesis one, these words were used in an
interchangeable way, and all meant basically the same thing. When God told Adam
to replenish the earth, it did not mean to 'refill' but simply meant to fill,
because before 1650 'replenish' meant 'to fill', and only after 1650 did it take
on the meaning of 're-fill'. Creationism Science says that the fossil record
was put in the earth by the flood in Noah's Day and the Grand Canyon was caused
by the ICE AGE which resulted after the flood. Many good Godly men believe the
Bible teaches Creationism Science, and it is certainly the most popular
interpretation held in Christian circles today.
"GAP THEORY"
Another Theory, known as the 'Gap
Theory' is held by many good and Godly Men of the past. While there have been
several variations of the Gap Theory over the years, I will present the most
commonly held aspects of this theory today.
Proponents of this view
believe many of the points of Creationism Science, but differ in that they
believe there was a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 in which Lucifer reigned
over this Pre-Adamic earth with a host of angels and that his rebellion and fall
occurred and God Judged this sin resulting in a chaotic and ruined earth in
Genesis 1:2.
Gap Theorists believe what we see in rest of Genesis 1:3-31 is
'reconstruction' or
re-creation
of earth to make it livable for man.
(Donald Grey Barnhouse, The Invisible War, page 21-26)
Genesis 1:1-2
"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."
After many years of careful study, I tend to
believe aspects of both of these views are the correct one. We must be careful
to note there are many "Gap Theories" out there, and we must not lump them all
together. Many 'Gap Theory' teachings are not correct, but I believe some the
teachings do line up with the Creationism Science.
In summary, I believe Satan
did fall between verses 1 and 2, and was over a civilization of angels on a Pre-Adamite
earth which was created in verse one. We don't know how much time transpired
between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 while Lucifer was on this earth, but it need not be
a very long period of time at all, certainly not the billions of years
evolutionists tell us about! I believe the 6 days of Genesis 1:3 thru 1:28 are
indeed six 24-hour days of RE-creation. We see 'Create' (out of nothing) used
only 3 times in this chapter, and other times the words 'made' and 'formed' are
used, meaning already existing materials are used.
Now to me, this is a hard argument to
overcome. Why is 'Create' only used 3 times, and all the other things already
existed but are just 'made to appear'? I believe all the animals and dinosaurs
lived with Adam on the Pre-flood earth and that Adam is only around 6000 years
old. Many Aspects of an 'ICE-AGE' science talks about, I believe, were the
result of the World Wide flood of Noah's Day. Carbon-Dating that shows
dinosaurs and animals living millions of years ago is about as reliable as a
3-dollar bill. Carbon Dating has recently showed freshly killed animals to be
thousands or millions of years old!
Below we will look at aspects of the Gap
Theory and show which ones actually fit with Creationism Science, thus giving us
the correct Biblical View of Creation, I believe.
Proponents of this
'RECONSTRUCTION' view or GAP THEORY believe that the heavens and the earth were
created in Genesis 1:1 at some undisclosed time in the past, and that Lucifer
was put in charge of the earth along with a host of his angels. Due to
Lucifer’s rebellion as described in Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:12-17, God
brought Judgment upon the earth and the universe where it became waste and
desolate as described in Genesis 1:2.
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! 13 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:14 I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 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; 17 That made the world
as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of
his prisoners?
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.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.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.16 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.17 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.
Was Lucifer on a Pre-Adamic
Earth?
Notice from these two passages we see they
seem to teach Lucifer was ON THE EARTH when he rebelled. God evidently placed
him on earth to rule it and an angelic civilization.
"That made the world as a wilderness, and
destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his
prisoners?" (Isaiah 14:17)
M.R. Dehaan believes Lucifer was placed over
an Angelic civilization on this pre-adamic earth complete with 'cities' of
angels in this angelic civilization with lush vegetation.
(M.R. Dehaan, GENESIS & EVOLUTION, p26-28)
Notice Ezekiel 28:13-17 says Lucifer
'was' in the garden of Eden' BEFORE iniquity was found in him. Wouldn't this
teach that he was in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve, possibly on a Pre-Adamic
earth?
"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of
God..... from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in
thee."
Some would argue that the Garden of Eden
didn't exist until Genesis 2:8 when it says,
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward
in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."
Well, wait a minute....Here it says
that God planted a Garden in Eden....
That doesn't mean there could not have been
a garden in Eden on the Pre-adamic earth too....Remember, if this
'Reconstruction' or 'RE-CREATION' view is correct, God 're-creates' and 'makes
to appear again' several things....in these first chapters of Genesis....
Isaiah 14:12 says that Lucifer
declared he would 'ascend above the clouds' in his rebellion to be like God.
This would imply he was on the earth BELOW THE CLOUDS would it not?
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!13 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:14 I will ascend above the heights of
the clouds; I will be like the most High.
What Caused Chaos in
Genesis 1:2?
If this
is so, Lucifer's rebellion could have brought God's Judgment upon Lucifer and
the Pre-Adamic earth and Universe!
J.Vernon McGee describes
the moon’s surface as a good example of this judgment from God in Genesis 1:2.
(From J.Vernon McGee,
THRU THE BIBLE, vol 1 Gen-Deut, p13)
The
Bible seems to teach in Isaiah 45:18 that God didn’t create the earth in this
state originally, and that something happened later to cause the chaotic state.
(See H.A.Ironside, DR.
IRONSIDE'S BIBLE, p25)
Could
the whole universe, including the earth, have looked like the moon and other
planets in our solar system, when God brought judgment upon the original earth?
(See Arthur Pink,
GLEANINGS IN GENESIS, p10)
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."
Gap theorists deduce
that if God didn't create the earth in this shape, in vain and without form,
something must have happened to cause it to become that way in Genesis 1:2! It
must have been due to Lucifer's fall!
(From Donald Grey
Barnhouse, GENESIS, P10)
(W.A.Criswell, Great Doctrines of
Bible, vol 7, Angelology, p89)
Are Demons these Fallen Angels?
Are these angels who rebelled with Lucifer
on the Pre-Adamic earth now the disembodied spirits we know as 'DEMONS' today?
Many good Bible teachers believe so.
(See Curtis Hutson, DEMONOLOGY OUTLINES,
p3A)
(See Lehmann Strauss, DEMONS, YES, BUT THANK
GOD FOR GOOD ANGELS, p9)
Some who hold to a 'Gap Theory', such as
Clarence Larkin, that these disembodied spirits of demons today were from the
race of "Pre-Adamic Men"....I just don't believe there were men on earth before
Adam, because the Bible does say Adam was the FIRST man....I believe, like M.R.
Dehaan, that Angels were on the earth with Lucifer in the 'Gap' between Genesis
1:1 and 1:2.
This brings us to an important note. Just
because one believes there could have been a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2,
that doesn't mean that ALL of the teachings of all Gap Theorists are correct. I
believe this is were opponents of the Gap Theory have erred. In their writings
I have studied, opponents take the wildest speculations of Gap Theorists and
lump them all together as 'THE GAP THEORY' and use these to ridicule all aspects
of the Gap Theory to show how ridiculous it is.
AN ICE AGE?
If this GAP THEORY be
true, than the “ICE AGE” science talks about could have been the result of this
“judgment” in Genesis 1:2. Science says there was a catastrophic Ice Age on
earth in the past. The Gap Theorists would also say it is possible for the 'ICE
AGE' to have occurred after the FLOOD in Noah's Day as Creation Science claims,
whereby the Northern and Southern parts of the continents experienced the "ICE
AGE" due to the result of the world wide flood, yet area near the equator and
Bible lands was still livable for Noah's ancestors.
The Gap Theory allows for
the ICE AGE to have happened at either of these times. If there were animals on
this pre-Adamic earth, could this ICE-AGE be the result of God's Judgment upon
Lucifer and the earth due to Lucifer's rebellion as described in Ezekiel 28 and
Isaiah 14? Could that Ice Age have instantaneously killed the animals on the
Pre-Adamic earth that Lucifer ruled? Scientists have found a huge mammoth
frozen to death with undigested food in stomach eaten ½ hours earlier frozen in
ice.
Could this ICE AGE have done that? The Gap Theory would allow the
possibility of animals on this Pre-Adamic earth with Lucifer and the Angelic
'civilization', or it would allow that no animals were on the Pre-Adamic earth,
just Lucifer and the angels. I personally tend to believe the frozen
mammoth
walked on the earth during the days of Noah, and the ICE AGE after the flood
caused huge glaciers to slide down from the North and suddenly catch a mammoth
off guard and entomb it in its icy grave, thoroughly preserving it. Dr. Hovind
has a very interesting theory that an asteroid or meteor hit the earth to cause
this extreme temperature that would freeze a mammoth so quickly.
His theory
makes sense to me. I'm told many such frozen mammoths are found in Alaska and
Russia and the meat is so preserved it is served as Mammoth burgers today! No
kidding. It is certainly possible that the mammoth and Dinosaurs existed only
on the re-created earth with Adam and Eve until the flood too, or they could
have existed BOTH on the Pre-Adamic Earth with Lucifer AND on the Re-created
earth with Adam and Eve. Either possibility fits the Gap Theory. Footprints of
humans have been found along side fossils of dinosaurs, showing that dinosaurs
lived since Adam's creation, but many species still exist in parts of the world
today!
'WITHOUT FORM AND VOID'
Gap Theorists would say
that this phrase found in Genesis 1:2 ‘without form and void’ (TOHU WA BOHU) is
found in 3 other instances in the Bible (Isa.34;11; 45:18; Jeremiah.4:23)
and it always refers an act of Divine Judgment from God. They would also add
that Hebrew wording “the earth WAS without form and void” COULD be read to mean
SOMETHING caused this judgment upon the earth, as to read ‘it became that way’.
(See James M.Gray,
CHRISTIAN WORKERS' COMMENTARY, P11)
This
same Hebrew word is translated as such in Genesis 19:26 where it says “Lot’s
wife BECAME a pillar of salt”.
(From E.Schuyler
English, PILGRIM STUDY BIBLE, p1 footnotes)
We're not 'Changing' the words of the Bible when we
make this distinction!
Now Bible-Believing Christians would protest
that one is trying to 'Change' the Words of the King James Bible, just
like the New Translations do.....
Now wait just a minute. That is not what we're doing at all. The word 'was'
can also mean 'became' just like it does today...If I say my wife was
angry....it would probably be correct to say she BECAME angry because of
something that happened earlier! Correct? To say one is 'adding to the Word of
God' by doing this is just not correct.
RESTORATION OR RE-CREATION OF EARTH?
When
we come to Genesis 1:3-31 we see the ‘RE-CREATION’ or “RESTORATION” of the earth
in 6 literal 24-hour days and it is here we have the creation of Adam.
(See William R. Newell,
STUDIES IN THE PENTATEUCH, p34)
(See Erich Sauer, THE DAWN OF WORLD
REDEMPTION, p35)
The Six Days in this first chapter of
Genesis, according to Gap Theorists, do not describe the original
creation earth, but a 'reconstruction' with a view to it becoming the habitation
of man.
(See J. Sidlow Baxter, EXPLORE THE BOOK,
p35)
(See Charles Baker, A DISPENSATIONAL
THEOLOGY, p168)
This ‘re-creation’ in
Genesis 1:3-31 occurred about 6000 years ago or so, but we don’t know when the
heavens and earth were ORIGINALLY created in Genesis 1:1. If this 'gap' between
v1 and v2 is correct, there could have been an unknown amount of years between
the original creation and this 're-creation' or restoration in Genesis
1:3-31. It could have been millions of years OR just a short amount of time
from Lucifer's creation along with the other angels and the fall of Lucifer.
(From G. Campbell Morgan
[by Jill Morgan], THIS WAS HIS FAITH, p39)
Opponents would say Gap Theorists are just
trying to appease Science and Evolutionists which say the earth is billions of
years old. That is just not true. If the Gap Theory is true, and there is a
gap between Gen. 1:1 & 2, then we just don't know how much times transpired
between these verses....and neither does anyone else.
"REPLENISH THE EARTH"
This
theory believes this is why God told Adam in Genesis 1:28 to “REPLENISH” the
earth. There had to be something on the earth BEFORE in order for Adam and Eve
to 'replenish' it, the Gap Theorists would say.
Genesis 1:28 And
God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it:
The same word
'replenish' is used in Genesis 9:1 AFTER THE FLOOD when God tells NOAH to
'REPLENISH' the earth.
Genesis 9:1 And
God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth.
Now opponents would argue, and I believe
correctly so, that 'REPLENISH' originally mean 'to fill' and only changed in
meaning to 'refill' in the later 1600's.....just like many words have changed
meanings today. I used to remember when 'cool' meant not not, and 'gay' meant
to be happy...These words have changed today. Replenish seems to be an example
of that too. Another Hebrew word meaning to 'fill again' could have been used,
but it was not. I believe the opponents of the Gap Theory are correct here.
A look at the Strong's
Concordance does seem to indicate 'REPLENISH' originally meant 'to fill', but
this fact actually is mute and does not prove or disprove either the Gap Theory
or Creationism Science. In both cases, with Adam and with Noah, it means to
FILL the earth. But please notice, With Noah it certainly did mean to fill
the earth AGAIN. Would you agree? 'Replenish' the earth COULD be used to
support the Gap Theory as well.
So from this passage we see REPLENISH
certainly can mean to 'refill' in the Bible.
WHY ONLY 3 CREATIVE ACTS IN GENESIS CHAPTER ONE?
I personally believe this is one of the
strongest arguments the opponents of the Gap Theory have to deal with. The fact
that the word for CREATE is used only 3 times is Genesis 1 is one of the
strongest arguments for the GAP THEORY and its belief that Genesis 1 desribes
the 'Re-Creation' of the earth in 6 days!
This Gap theory would
explain why ONLY 3 creative acts are found in Genesis chapter 1:
1. In verse 1 we see the
word ‘bara’ (create out of nothing) used when
the heavens and the earth
were originally created.
2. It is again used in
Gen. 1:21 in the creation of
fowl and fish.
3. It is used again in
Genesis 1:24-25 when referring to creation of
animal and man.
This word 'BARA' is not used in the other days where the sun, moon, stars were
‘made to appear’ on day 4. They already existed, having been originally created
in Genesis 1:1 before Lucifer’s judgment in Gen. 1:2.
(from Arno C. Gaebelein,
THE ANNOTATED BIBLE, P16,17)
As Merrill Unger notes, this is NOT the
original creation of light in day 4, but it is 'made to appear' or 'become
visible' on day 4.
He notes the original perfect condition had
been ruined by the sin of the earth's former angelic inhabitants.
(See Merrill Unger, UNGER'S COMMENTARY ON
THE OLD TESTAMENT, VOL 1, p6)
Opponents to the Gap Theory would argue that
the different words for 'create' and 'make' and 'form' are used
interchangeably
in the first chapter of Genesis and in Isaiah: 43:7 as an example:
Isa.43:7 "Even every one that is
called by my name: for I have CREATED him for my glory, I have FORMED
him; yea, I have MADE him."
Here we see all 3 Hebrew words used in the making of man, and opponents of the
Gap theory would say here we see all 3 words used interchangeably.
Gap Theorists would say, "Not So!"
These 3 words have different meanings and all are correctly used in formation of
man. Man's body was indeed MADE (ASAH) out of pre-existing materials (dust),
but the LIFE PRINCIPLE itself, as in animal life, can only be 'CREATED' (BARA)
by God. God Also 'FORMED' (YATSA) man, that is, shaped and fashioned man's
body,as a potter does the clay.
(Above from John Phillips, EXPLORING
GENESIS,p38)
In Conclusion, it would seem to be a pretty
strong argument for opponents of the Gap Theory to answer.
Why are only 3 'creative' acts
found in the first chapter of Genesis IF these are six days of 'ORIGINAL
CREATION'????
Having already looked at some arguments used
against the Gap Theory, such as the proper meaning of the word REPLENISH; the
INTERCHANGEABLE use of the words CREATE, MADE, AND FORM; let's now look at.....
Some
MORE arguments used against the Gap Theory:
JESUS SAYS HE MADE ADAM AND EVE IN THE
BEGINNING
Jesus
said in Matthew 19:4 “..He which made them in the beginning, made them
male and female…” Some would say this proves there was no gap between Gen.1:1
and 1:2 because Jesus is saying he made Adam and Eve IN THE BEGINNING when he
created (bara) heaven and earth.
Good Point. But could it be that
there are different 'beginnings' in the Bible? Could it be that Jesus was
referring to the 'beginning' of this new re-created earth with Adam on it...when
he 're-made' the heavens and the earth?
We have several beginnings in the Bible.
We have the beginning the LAW with Moses. We have the beginning of the Church
Age in the book of Acts. Anyone studying the English Language and its use must
admit that there can be different 'beginnings' of different things at different
times. Ah, but opponents would say this says, 'The' Beginning... Well, yes it
does, but does that prohibit if from meaning 'the' beginning of this new
re-created earth? I don't think so.
Gap Theorists would
reply: This ‘beginning’ Jesus is talking about here in Matthew refers to the
‘beginning’ of man on earth with Adam and Eve, not necessarily the beginning of
heaven and earth in their original creation as in Gen. 1:1.
Moses also said in
Exodus 20:13
For in six days the LORD made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day:
Gap theorists would
reply: Again, here the Lord is talking about the 'reconstruction' or 'making'
of heaven and earth, NOT the original creation in Genesis 1:1.
Why Was Lucifer in the Garden of Eden?
Gap Theorists would
say their theory explains WHY Lucifer had access to the Garden of Eden in the
first place to tempt Adam and Eve, otherwise WHY would Lucifer be there
anyway?
(See James Montgomery
Boice, GENESIS, Vol 1, p53)
He was originally
ruler over this earth and dwelt in Eden according to Ezekiel 28:12,13:
"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.13 Thou HAST BEEN IN EDEN the garden of God;"
Lucifer is called the 'prince of this world' and the 'god of this Age. He
seems to have been given some authority over the earth at sometime.
(How that Lucifer could be Prince of this world and god of this age while Adam
was given dominion is looked at in detail further below)
Death Came by Adam
In 1 Corinthians 15:21
Scripture says that “for since by MAN (Adam) came death, by man (Jesus) came
also the resurrection of the dead”. Some would say there couldn’t have been
death of animals on a Pre-Adamic earth on which Lucifer reigned because this
verse says death came BY ADAM.
Romans 5:12
also implies the same thing, that death didn't come until Adam came.
" Wherefore, as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that
all have sinned:"
1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by
man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.22 For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Gap Theorists reply: In context, these passages of Scripture are referring to
why death came to mankind…because of Adam’s sin. It doesn’t necessarily say
animals, etc. from a Pre-Adamic earth couldn’t have died from an ‘Ice age’
type judgment from God due to Lucifer’s rebellion as he was over this earth
and an angelic civilization. (Rev.12:4 and Isa.14:17)
This passage in 1 Corinthians is talking about 'death' coming to 'mankind'
because of Adam's sin.
But then again, The Gap Theory doesn't insist animals must have lived and died
on a Pre-Adamic earth. It may have just been Lucifer and angels, which of
course, as angels, would never die. Some proponents of the Gap Theory, such as
Clarence Larkin and Kenneth Wuest, say that Lucifer was over a Pre-Adamic
'man' or 'humanoid' race that existed on the Pre-Adamic earth, and the the
demons today are the disembodied spirits of this race. While that is a
possibility, I just don't see that. 1 Corinthians 15:45 declares that Adam was
the first man.
(From Clarence Larkin, Dispensational Truth, p24)
(From Kenneth Wuest, Prophetic Light in Present Darkness, p66)
It seems best to
agree with the earlier assessment that demons today are the disembodied
spirits of the angels who who were on the original earth with Lucifer.
(From M.R. Dehaan, THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS, p6-8)
The Bible says
God's Creation was GOOD, so Lucifer could not have fallen yet...
In Genesis 1:31 we read that God looked at His creation and declared it was
'GOOD'. Opponents of the Gap Theory say God couldn't have said that if
Lucifer's sin and fall caused judgment upon the earth earlier.
Genesis 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.
Gap Theorist's
reply: When God said 'it was very good' He was referring to the 're-created
earth' and IT was good.
Just because Lucifer
sinned earlier, that doesn't mean God can't make something 'good' now!
A Good counterpoint
the Gap Theorists make is that in these six days of re-creation, He said it
was 'good' after each day EXCEPT on day 2 when he separated the firmament and
made the atmosphere! The reason is because this became Satan's domain after
his fall and judgment!
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience:
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
This would seem to imply Lucifer had already fallen and was now in his domain
in this atmosphere at that time of Day 2, would it not?
This is a good
argument I have yet to hear opponents of the Gap Theory to answer. "Why did
God not say it was 'good' after day 2?
Do the Fossils
disprove the Gap Theory?
Six-Day Creationists
say the FOSSIL RECORD declares all of the fossils were laid as they are found
as a result of Noah's Flood, not because of a Pre-Adamic earth.
Gap Theorists reply:
Fine. All of the fossils today could be the result of Noah's worldwide
Flood.. The 'Gap Theory' doesn't INSIST animals and fossils HAD TO EXIST ON
THE PRE-ADAMIC EARTH. In fact, I do believe the flood gave us the fossils we
have today.
The Earth is
young, not billions of years old
Six-Day
Creationists believe Scientist attests to a YOUNG EARTH of only 6000 to 12,000
years old, not millions of years.
Gap Theorists reply:
This very well could be true.
The Gap Theory only says there must have been some time between Gen.1:1 and
Gen.1:2 for Lucifer's rebellion. That's all we're saying. That could have
happened in a very short period of time from his creation. It could
have been only few months or years, or a much longer period. The Gap Theory
doesn't insist on an earth millions of years old. Dinosaurs, for example,
could have existed in Noah's Day,
and
on a Pre-Adamic earth, too. The Gap Theory allows for either. I tend to
personally believe they lived during Noah's Day and after the flood many soon
became extinct, but many still exist today, especially in the oceans! Many
have been discovered in the past 100 years, but evolutionists have done a good
job of not letting it be advertised very much...because they feel that would
harm their precious EVOLUTION THEORY...
The Gap Theory is
held to accommodate the evolutionist's view of a EARTH billions of years old
and Its Geological Strata
Six-Day Creationists claim Gap Theorists
hold to their view to appease evolutionists who say dinosaurs and the
earth and Geologic strata are millions of years old.
Gap Theorists reply:
Not so. Perhaps some of the earlier proponents of the view such Thomas
Chalmers in the late 1800's and Scofield in the early 1900's thought their
theory would allow for the long period of time that Science seemed to teach in
that day, but that wasn't their primary reason to holding to the Gap Theory.
Just like Gap Theorists today, They just Believed it best lines up with
Scripture and
Science.
I Believe the whole
GEOLOGIC COLUMN and STRATA as taught in many Science Books is a BIG HOAX!
DOESN'T CARBON
DATING TEACH THAT THE EARTH IS MILLIONS Of YEARS OLD?
No. Carbon Dating is
a bunch of bologna. It has been proven to an unreliable as a 3 dollar bill.
Carbon Dating has been done on freshly killed animals has shown them to be
millions of years old!
Another argument I
have heard against the Gap Theory is...
WAS SATAN ALREADY
THE 'GOD OF THIS WORLD' (2 Corinthians 4:4) WHEN GOD GAVE ADAM DOMINION
(GENESIS 1:26-28) OVER THE EARTH?
2nd Corinthians 4:4
says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them."
Genesis 1:28-30 says, "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. 29 And God said, Behold, I have
given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of
the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is
life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."
Now look very
closely at these verses and what they are saying and what they are not
saying....
It says Adam was to
have 'dominion' over the animals, fish, and birds....it never says to
have 'dominion' over the earth....
Adam is to 'subdue'
the earth....but it does not say have 'dominion' over the earth...
Now if I wanted to be
unkind, I could reply, "Who is 'adding' to the Word of God now?" This is a
charge often leveled at 'Gap Theorists.
The 'Gap Theory'
is only of RECENT ORIGIN
Opponents of the Gap Theory say it is only a recent theory in the past couple
of hundred years and was not held by the early church.
Answer: This is just
not true
either. As James Montgomery Boice notes, "Arthur C. Custance, who has written
an excellent book in the theory's defense, traces it to the certain early
Jewish writers,...who even put a 'rebhia' mark in the Masoretic text of
the Old Testament to let the reader know there is a break in the narrative
between v1 and v 2..
....some of the
church fathers REFER to the Gap Theory and even referred to in some ancient
Sumerian and Babylonian documents, according to Boice, a very scholarly and
reliable writer and Bible Teacher. He adds that 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....The single most effective teacher
of this view was C.I. Scofield, who included it in his notes on Genesis in the
astonishingly popular Scofield Reference Bible. From there it became the
almost unquestioned view of Fundamentalism..."
(See James
Montgomery Boice, GENESIS, Vol. 1, p50,51)
To say that the
Gap Theory was invented in 1814 is just not true. That is just an incorrect
statement.
Gap Theorists are
ADDING to the Word of God!
Opponents of the
Gap Theory claim that because the good men listed above in the annotations who
hold to forms of a 'Gap Theory' and believe there could have been a 'GAP' of
time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2....that they are 'adding to the Word
of God'!!
....a serious charge
that will result is dire consequences to that Believer when we get to heaven!
Revelation
22:18,19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God
shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:19 And if
any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book."
Pretty serious
charges against good men of God who simply have a different interpretation of
a verse in Genesis, are they not?
Are you telling me
that because men like M.R. Dehaan and the others mentioned above are 'adding
to the Word of God' simply because they believe Lucifer could have fallen
between Gen. 1:1,2!
One opponent of the
Gap Theory actually mocks anyone who would offer the Gap Theory as at least a
possibility to at least consider with a cartoon in which a student says,
"Professor, Why
Can't I Just Believe The Bible?"
(From Ken Ham's
CLOSING THE GAP, p1 from www.icr.org )
Another
well-respected opponent of the Gap Theory argues,
DOES EVERYONE WHO
READS THE BIBLE NEED SOME 'GURU' TO TELL THEM WHAT THE BIBLE SAY?
Well, to be truthful,
I really don't understand that statement. To imply that the good men above
can not simply 'take the Bible' for what it says and must have a 'GURU' to
explain it to them....it just not a fair....or a kind statement. To imply
that these men above needed a 'GURU' to come their well-studied
conclusion....is unfortunate.
I believe this
attitude is actually doing more discredit to those who oppose the Gap Theory
than they realize. To imply those who hold to a 'gap' between Gen.1:1,2 are
not Bible believers is ludicrous.
THE GAP THEORY
DESTROYS THE WORK OF THE CROSS
This opponent of the
Gap Theory even goes on to say " ..the gap theory actually destroys the
foundation work of the cross..." (p2, Closing the Gap) Unbelievable.
Remember The Gap
Theory does not insist on a race of people on a Pre-Adamic earth who died..
.
YOU SEE, see here
is an example where an opponent of the Gap Theory, takes a rare suggestion of
Larkin and Wuest that a race of men might have lived on a Pre-Adam earth, and
they use this to discredit the whole theory!
GAP THEORISTS ARE
JUST TOO PROUD TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG
A
good man told me he knew preachers who were just too proud to admit the Gap
Theory was wrong because they hate to admit they had been wrong.
Well that is probably
true of preachers in a lot of cases. But I can honestly say in my case, if
someone could convince that the GAP THEORY (as presented in this paper) is
wrong and not Scriptural, I would change my view right now. The fact is, I
have looked at every argument against it. I have used my power of deduction
and reasoning from my days at Purdue University, and I, for one, just have
found holes in every argument used by the opponents of the Gap Theory. I have
been surprised by the arrogance of some of the folks who disagree with me. I
have seen them almost get mad when I present this paper to them. I think that
is sad. Good people can disagree and you don't have to slander and belittle
them and accuse them of not being 'Bible Believers'!
Good people
are on both sides of this controversial issue, and Christians can disagree on
this matter, but to make it a matter of fellowship or even slanderous
accusation is sad, and we need to be careful to refrain from that. Both sides
agree that God was the one Creating and we did not evolve from some amoeba
after a BIG BANG sometime in the distant past! Both of these views agree the
Theory of Organic Evolution as taught in Public Schools is WRONG! BOTH of
these views would say that 'Theistic Evolution' is also wrong. One side
simply believes Lucifer could have fallen between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and the
other does not. The Bible says we ought to
be ready to give an answer to every man....and
anyone who can show where we are looking at this wrong, we would certainly be
willing to listen to what you have to present.
In Conclusion
The 'Gap
Theory' as described above is the most logical interpretation according to the
Bible. We do not take this position just to 'fit' science, we just believe it
makes the most sense! Now that is not saying we hold to all of the 'Gap
theories' around either...
We have studied both
sides of the issue for years and have weighed the Creation Science arguments
and they just don't add up to disprove the 'Gap Theory' in our minds.
As James Montgomery
Boice says on page 53 of his commentary of Genesis,
"the
arguments of the Gap Theory 'have not been taken seriously enough by those who
oppose the theory".
We would agree.
Other Earlier works
which do a good job of supporting the 'Gap Theory' include:
G.H. Pember, EARTH'S
EARLIEST AGES; Harry Rimmer, MODERN SCIENCE AND THE GENESIS RECORD; Francis
Schaeffer, GENESIS IN SPACE AND TIME; Arthur Constance, WITHOUT FORM AND VOID;
On September 10, 2008, a video of actor Matt Damon was released to the press that quickly got posted on YouTube, and has now gotten over two million hits. Here’s what he said:
