Did you know that between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 that God created a perfect world which was totally wrecked by Satan when he fell from Heaven? It's there. I mean, you won't read about it in Genesis 1, but it happened. How do I know? Because so many ABA preachers have made it a point to advocate the theory known as the Gap Theory.
The theory works like this.
God is not the author of confusion, and we have to find a way to explain the dinosaur fossils that are buried deep within the earth's surface.
So, we have the recorded account of Lucifer (aka Satan, aka the devil) falling from Heaven in Isaiah 14. We have the earth being without form and void in Genesis 1:2. So what must have happened, is that God created a perfect world in Genesis 1:1. Then Satan fell from Heaven between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, meaning God had to reconstruct the world throughout the rest of Genesis 1.
Here are my thoughts on the gap theory.
#1. Why is the gap theory being preached as Gospel truth? Seriously, I have heard it preached as if it were as much a part of the Gospel as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins according to the scriptures.
#2. How can the gap theory be true when Romans 5:12 says "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for all have sinned?" It seems Romans 5:12 blames the death and destruction of this world on sin, not the fall of Lucifer from Heaven. Granted, it was Satan who led man to sin, but he was not the one who brought death. (Which refutes other teachings on Adam and Eve that I will share at a time that I am so inclined.).
#3. The destruction described in Isaiah 14:17 does not describe what Lucifer did to the world between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Man had not been created, therefore there were no cities to destroy. Man could not have died, because sin had not entered the world (By Adam, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, remember?) No, Isaiah 14:17 are the words of the people who will see Satan face his final judgment in the end. They are describing what Satan did throughout human history and more notably the Great Tribulation, not what he did in the beginning.
#4. Don't hang the gap theory on the nail of Hebrew translation. Many great false doctrines and cults have been started as a result of "alternate" translations of the original language.
I could go on, but I will stop.
I do not make the gap a point of fellowship, but I grow tired of those who subscribe to the gap theory accepting it and pushing it as a Bible doctrine as solid and clear as salvation by grace through faith, wages of sin being death, the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross, and love for each other being our supreme witness for the fact that we are children of God... and quit referring to Genesis 1 as "the reconstruction."
4 comments:
Bro. Acker,
I believe that there is a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. However, I didn't come to that conclusion because I look at the dinosaur fossils and the claims of science that the earth is billions of years old and then try to reconcile the Bible to "science falsely so-called." I don't want to go off on a tangent as to what occurred during that time, neither do I want to even speculate at all and put anything in there that God didn't say was there. I believe in the gap because I believe the Bible is God's Word and must be in harmony with itself. I believe Genesis 1:2-31 occurred in six literal 24-hour days. However, to say that there is no gap there presents some problems described hereafter.
How do you explain Isaiah 45:18 which says "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."
The same Hebrew words are used in that verse, "tohu" and "bohu" that are used in Genesis 1:2 to describe a situation that is, yes, out of God's character, and that He himself said He didn't create.
Jeremiah 4:23-26:"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of heaven were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD and by his fierce anger."
I know that that whole passage does not apply to creation but verse 23 certainly does.
In Job 38:4-7 the LORD said, "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?"
Therefore the angelic hosts were created before the heavens and the earth were created.
Jesus said in Luke 10:18: "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." I believe Jesus used his power over Satan to cast out the demons through the seventy sent out two-by-two, and I believe the Lord knows all and can prophesy things in the future and can speak of them just as if they have already been fulfilled, but I believe that that verse had already had a literal fulfillment, between Genesis 1:1 and 2.
"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 shall see thee shall look narrowly 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?
I believe this explains why the heavens and the earth were in the shape of Genesis 1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23, why God exercised judgment, was because of Satan's arrogance. Like Jeremiah 4:23-26, all has not been fulfilled.
As to Romans 5:12, first, I don't want to speculate as to what is in the gap. God didn't say he had created any earthly life as of yet, so there would be none to bring death to. In the The Bible In Eight Ages, Bro. L.D. Foreman wrote, "We do have evidence that at one time 'dinosaurs and man' were 'contemporaneous.' History reports that in 1929 Dr. Samuel Hubbard who at that time was the curator at the Oakland California Museum made a startling report that 'cut into the solid stone in the gorge of the Hava Supai River in Arizona are carvings of dinosaur, imperial elephant, and the ibix. The dinosaur and elephant carvings identify themselves. The ibix carving has been identified completely by Roy Chapman Andrews." Also, just a question, but does "world" here mean the created world? If I understand, the word "world" does not always mean that, as in James 1:27 or 1 John 2:15. Consider this. Satan was in the Garden of Eden and cast doubt upon God, which is sin within itself, to Eve before man sinned. The context in Romans 5 is how the original sin was brought into the human family and how mankind became sinners by nature and died spiritually from the first Adam and received eternal life from the second Adam, Jesus Christ. I understand how that verse seems to cause problems for the gap theory but I have considered these explanations and maybe we can discuss it. I also know that just because one verse gives us problems on anything, that we must take all Scripture and harmonize it with other clear statements God has made because all of the Bible is inspired of God and without error, the error coming in our understanding and not God's Word. I just see too many other Scriptures that seem to point to a gap and to not have a gap seems to be out of harmony with God's Word and His character, not out of harmony with modern "science". "Science false so-called" says all life evolved from a single cell in the ocean but we must believe God and His Word that He said it and it was instantly. I'm afraid I will have to most respectfully disagree with you on this issue. :)
I have really enjoyed reading your posts and seem to get something out of them. I really respect your being an unashamed Landmark Missionary Baptist according to your profile. I'm afraid we're losing that these days, even in the ABA. God bless you and keep up the good work!
My apologies, but spiritual death and physical death has passed upon all men through Adam. I also see no problem at all with was in verse 2 of Genesis 1. God created it in a perfect condition and it "was" in a chaotic state in verse 2. I don't see any need to make it "became".
Dear Anonymous,
Respectful disagreement... what a concept! Your presentation of the gap theory is one of the most intelligent I have seen as yet. Your ability to disagree without coming across as disagreeable over the internet should also be commended. I perceive that you are a brother that I could really enjoy having coffee with.
There is a gap in our understanding of each other's points of view.
While I don't dispute the possibility of time passing between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, I do not believe there is much that happened there, if anything.
Genesis 1:1 can be viewed as a summary of Genesis 1 (the creation). Or Genesis 1:1 can be God's process of putting the ingredients on the table. I believe both are true.
So, let's harmonize my position with the verses you shared.
Isaiah 45:18 is referring to the finished product, hence He did not create the earth in vain and it is formed to be inhabited (unlike any other planet God created). He created it, because there is none else.
Jeremiah 4:23 ties into Job 38:4-7 and harmonizes with my view in the following way.
God created the earth in Genesis 1. He creates a mass, no form, no life in it, no light. He beholds it (Jeremiah 4:23) then builds it by speaking things into existence, to the amazement of the angels, who sang for joy (Job 38:4-7).
I do agree that the angelic hosts were created before the earth. I believe Luke 10:18 has been literally fulfilled, I believe that it happened after creation was complete and man was in the garden.
I have already stated that the passage from Isaiah is spoken with an end times view, it will be what is said to and about Satan at his final judgment.
James 1:27 and I John 2:15 are dealing with the worldly mindset, which was not present until Eve took the fruit, beheld it that it was good for food, looked good and was desired to make one wise.
Many of these verses used refer to cities. There were no cities before Genesis 1:2 as there was no man who lived there, no death (physical or spiritual) and no destruction.
That's my view. Your view is intelligent as well, and both of us can have our view without there being harsh disputes.
While I did attempt to refute the Gap in my original post, my main purpose was to take issue with sermons that presented a pre-Adamic world where life was destroyed as a result of the fall of Satan.
I have actually sat through sermons preached by ABA preachers which present a message that earth was hunky dory until Satan fell from Heaven and tore it up. So, God had to go back and rebuild earth, create man, and everything was fine until Eve wondered off and talked to a snake and brought an apple home to her husband.
God created the earth to be inhabited, which means He was not finished at the end of Genesis 1:1. He was just starting.
Your view seems to be the same (that earth was made to be inhabited), so I won't argue about how much time may or may not have elapsed between Genesis 1:1 or 1:2, or whether satan fell then, or sometime between Genesis 2 and 3. (Remember, we don't know how long Adam and Eve (then known as "woman") were in the garden before Genesis 3 took place (though, I don't think it was long because they had not begun to multiply yet)). That, however, is a conversation we'll have to have over coffee.
Thanks for your reply, you are the first reader who has made a reply in what seems like a decade, and I hope this is not the last I hear from you.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Leland Acker
Mr. Anonymous,
Apparently you didn't even look at the Hebrew before stating that Isaiah 45:18 contains "tohu" and "bohu", because it does not. It only contains one of these words. Also, you are re-translating what the Bible already says, "in vain". If it meant God didn't create the universe without form and void, that is what it would say. It doesn't. It is obviously a different meaning due to the syntax, and that meaning is that God didn't create the universe without point but rather with the purpose of being filled. This ends up working against you.
Also you can't pick the parts of Jeremiah 4 you want to use and the parts you don't. If you read that passage in its entirety, you find many things that could NOT have happened until after mankind lived. This cannot refer both to the beginning of time and the destruction of Jerusalem, for then you would be giving a partial passage out of context to fit into a theory which has no Biblical basis. This is against proper rules of interpretation.
Job 38:4-7 deals with the "Foundations of the earth". It does not deal with the entire universe. It is talking about the stretching of the land and the forming of the earth. So all it proves is that the angels were created on or before day 2.
Jesus' statement was that he beheld Satan fall "as lightning". You assume this means a physical shot downward. The problem is that the phrase does not indicate such. Again you are interpreting based upon your idea. It could equally mean that Jesus saw Satan's positional fall happen immediately. This could have happened when the serpent was "cut down to the ground" in Genesis. As a matter of fact, that is the only passage we have ever indicating a fall of Satan in Genesis. So while it doesn't specify either way, you can't prove your case with it.
Isaiah 14's context, if you read it again, is a partial fulfillment in Nebuchadnezzar, and a total fulfillment by those who are in the millennial reign rejoicing in a peaceful earth that Satan has been bound for a thousand years. Don't believe me? Read the verses before it and after it. Who are the people saying those things about Satan?
Finally, I close with this. No matter how you look at it, if God created a perfect and complete earth with living things, and then Satan's fall somehow destroyed all these things, then you have a HUGE problem. If this earth was destroyed, then you have death and destruction in the earth. Then on day 6, God called everything that was in the earth (including the dead things and Satan himself) very good. What kind of a sick, sadistic god would call every bit of death and destruction inside the earth, and a sinful fallen angel bent on destruction of all that is holy, "very good"?
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