................................................................................................................................................
What is the Gap Theory
and is it valid?
.
Conjectures such as
the Gap Theory are provocative and challenge us to search "the whole
counsel of God" for consistency and integrity with known, established
doctrines. As the "prince of this world," Satan's offer to Jesus
Christ in the famed temptations was valid, or else it wouldn't have been a
temptation. By God's allowing the cosmic drama to play itself out, Satan will
inadvertently glorify God by demonstrating that there can be only one will in
the universe and all other paths lead to chaos and destruction. God will use
the weakness of man, and his redemption through faith in His Son, to redeem not
only fallen man, but "a new heavens and a new earth."
Q & A with Chuck
Missler
The so-called "Gap Theory" is a
conjecture about a possible interval between the first two verses in Genesis 1.
Among other things, it attempts to deal with the
creation of the angels, the fall of Lucifer, and related topics.
The angels apparently witnessed the creation of
the earth; but when were they created?
Satan's rebellion is also portrayed in
Scripture; but when did he fall?
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth.” - Genesis 1:1
Beresheet Bara Elohim et
ha-Shamayim et ha-Eretz.
Seven Hebrew words; 4 x 7 letters.
Volumes have been written on this verse alone.
This opening declaration in verse 1 stands alone; it says it all.
If you understand this verse you will have no
trouble with any other verse in the Bible.
The first word is Beresheeth, "In
Beginning," which yields the name of the book of Genesis in
Hebrew.
The second word is bara, to
create out of nothing.
This is in contrast to similar words in the
Hebrew: Asa, to make, fashion, or fabricate; and Yatsa,
to form or shape. (Isaiah 43:7 uses all three.)
Most of what we see in the remainder of Genesis
1 are forms of "made."
The third word, Elohim, the
name of God, seems to be a grammatical "error": it is a plural noun,
used as a singular.
It is recognized by many scholars as the first
hint of the Trinity.
Genesis 1:2
It is the second verse that raises some
questions.
“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 1:2
The words, "without form and void, tohu
w'bohu, seem to be contradicted by a passage in Isaiah:
“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 [Whto tohu], he formed it to
be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” - Isaiah 45:18
And also in Jeremiah:
“I beheld the earth, and, lo,
it was without form, and void [tohu w'bohu]; 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 the
heavens 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.” - Jeremiah 4:23-27
When were "all the cities thereof
broken down"?
Furthermore, the verb hayah, "was" in
Genesis 1:2, is a transitive verb; it is the same word used when "Lot's
wife became a pillar of salt."
It implies an active transition.
Also, the waw, "and," in
Genesis 1:2 usually implies a time delay.
Here it can be construed as an adversative
conjunction, implying a reversal as well as a delay.
(In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate
it is rendered as "but.")
Putting all this together, some scholars suggest
that it should be rendered:
"But the earth became without
form and void ("ruined and uninhabitable"); and darkness was on the
face of the deep (LXX: abousso). And the Spirit of God hovered (Talmud: like a dove?) over the
face of the waters."
The Cosmic Interval
The conjecture is that between the first two verses
of the Bible, after the original creation which included the angels and
Lucifer, there was a rebellion and a judgment of his principal domain, the
Earth.
We thus find Satan already fallen in Genesis 3.
According to this view, the record following is
simply a reconstruction and the subsequent unfolding of God's plan of
redemption.
These ideas were published by Thomas Chalmers in
1814; George Pember, in 1907; Arthur C. Custance in 1970, and Donald Gray
Barnhouse, among others, in more recent years.
This is all, of course, highly speculative, and
there are those who have published refutations against this view.
In any case, attempting to employ the "Gap
Theory" in an attempt to reconcile the Genesis record with geologic or
paleanthological theories is inappropriate and futile.
Fossils are dead: they occurred after Adam.
Clearly, the Biblical record attributes plants
and animals to the post-Adamic world, and its subsequent "bondage
of decay" to the fall in Genesis 3.
The ambiguities of language, and its subsequent
translations, often leave room for creative speculations.
Conjectures such as the Gap
Theory are provocative and challenge us to search "the whole
counsel of God" for consistency and integrity with known, established
doctrines.
Speculations such as these can stimulate
fruitful discussions but should, of course, be maintained with a light touch at
best.
Yet, the possibility of such an interval would
seem to reconcile many of the passages regarding Satan and his background.
His aspirations to "ascend into
heaven," and the suggestive portrayal in what appears to be a
pre-Adamic Eden, with the earth as his principal domain, would seem to
harmonize with this view.
As the "prince of this world," Satan's
offer to Jesus Christ in the famed temptations was valid, or else it wouldn't
have been a temptation.
By God's allowing the cosmic drama to play
itself out, Satan will inadvertently glorify God by demonstrating that there
can be only one will in the universe and all other paths lead to chaos and
destruction.
God will use the weakness of man, and his
redemption through faith in His Son, to redeem not only fallen man, but "a
new heavens and a new earth."
Koinonia… is a New Testament word which is most often translated
to mean “communication”, “fellowship”, or “communion”. Koinonia House, or
K-House as we are affectionately called, is dedicated to the development and
distribution of materials for encouraging and facilitating serious study of the
Bible as the inerrant Word of God. We are a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization.
K-House
was founded by Chuck and Nancy
Missler. Chuck, a Naval Academy graduate and former Branch Chief of
the Dept. of Guided Missiles, had a remarkable 30-year executive career. He
served on the Board of Directors of 12 public companies and was CEO of 6 of
them. For twenty years Chuck balanced his high-profile corporate career with
his teaching commitment to a weekly Bible study at Calvary Chapel
Costa Mesa in Southern California. Nancy, while raising their four
children, has touched the lives of thousands through her in-depth teaching of
Biblical discoveries in her “Way of Agape” and “Be Ye Transformed” books and
tape series.
After a
devastating earthquake in 1992 demolished their home in Big Bear, California,
Chuck and Nan moved Koinonia House to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and K-House now
reaches tens of thousands through its monthly newsletter, radio shows, podcast,
Bible study materials, and conferences. More than eight million Bible study
resources have been distributed in the U.S. and in over 35 countries around the
world. Thanks for visiting us. Please join us in this Grand Adventure, and
let’s see what the Lord will do!
