sermonette: The Gap Theory
John Reiss
Given 07-Feb-26; Sermon #1858s; 14 minutes
Description: (show)
There have been disagreements between factions of Bible believers about the time period that the first few verses the Bible covers and particularly how long the earth has been here. Young Earth Creationists think that the Earth is only about 6000 years old and that the first verse in Genesis demonstrates that God brought the earth into existence around 4004 BCE. The Gap Theory thinks that the Earth was created an indefinite time period ago and that the first verse could have occurred billions of years ago (mainstream scientists say 4.5 billion). The second verse takes place again around 6000 years ago around a desolate and void earth. This likely is caused by Satan's rebellion that brought one third of the angels with him against God. However, there is scriptural proof that shows a strong case for the Gap Theory by comparing the other days of creation and seeing that God's work is perfect, plus other references later in the Bible such as Deuteronomy 32:4 showing His perfection. A formless and ruined world would not fall into the pattern that God has set.
I'd like to start today by reflecting on the words of Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute. Controversy for the sake of controversy is a sin. Controversy for the sake of truth is a divine command. So today, let's look at one of the first controversies that we read in the Bible, starting in the Book of Genesis. It is a controversy about the history of creation, the earth, and mankind. It's important, so let's turn to the first book of Genesis and read the first two verses. Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the waters, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. It is actually between these two verses, just after 10 words into the Bible, that we have a disagreement about how much time is actually covered by Genesis 1. But there is an idea which provides an answer for the alleged discrepancy between God's word, which records the history of some 6000 years of mankind's existence, and geologic and fossil records, which present a world that is millions or billions of years old. The idea is called the gap theory, and it postulates between the last word of Genesis 1:1 and the first word of Genesis 1:2, there is a gap. An unknowable expanse of time. The gap theory suggests the following 4 points. In the beginning, the eternal God created the entire physical universe out of nothing. That's what we've read in Genesis 1:1. 2, God placed Hillel, the angel who would later become Satan, on a throne as ruler of the earth, where he ruled over tens of millions of angels for an impossible to know length of time. 3, after possibly millions or billions of years, Hillel rebelled and convinced 1/3 of the angels to join him in his insurgency. Revelation 5 speaks of 10,000 times 10,000 angels around the throne of God. That's not hyperbole. That is 100 million spirit beings. So there could have been upwards of 30 million rebellious angels who attacked their very creator. It must have been a horrific battle, and as a result, according to this theory, Pam clinics that we see in our solar system. God defeated the revolt and cast all of them back to the earth. This chaotic description is what we have read in the 1st 2, 2/3 of Genesis 1:2. And the fourth point is that God renewed the earth and created mankind 6000 years ago, as we read in Psalm 104. Reading from verse 30, you send forth your spirit. They are created, and you renew the faith of the earth. If we read Genesis 1:28 from the King James Version, we see that God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. Using the same command, he gave 8 chapters later to Noah, his sons, and their wives after the flood had wiped out all of their life on the earth. According to scientists and geologists, all the planets in our solar system are about 4.5 billion years old, and they date the rest of this universe as almost 14 billion years. Christians who believe in the Younger's theory believe the Earth and all of its creation to be no more than 6000 years old, based mainly on a 1650 calculation by biblical scholar Archbishop James Usher. Using the chronology presented in the Bible, Usher calculated the creation of the Earth to be 4004 BC, and this is the most widely accepted date for creation among the young Earth creationists. However, starting in 1814, Thomas Chalmers offered a different option when he popularized gap creationism. Which he attributed to the 17th century Dutch Armenian theologian Simon Episcopius. Charles Chalmes wrote that in his opinion, Genesis 1:1 forms no part of the first day, but refers to a period of indefinite antiquity when God created the world out of nothing. He continues the commencement of the first day's work I hold to be the moving of God's spirit upon the face of the waters. This is the last part of verse 2, which he finishes, and he finishes by stating, we can allow geology the amplest time without infringing even on the literality of the mosaic record, end quote. I am convinced that Mister Chelms had it right. But some people who believe in young Earth creation are equally unyielding in their beliefs. There are several in opposition to an old Earth, but I'm just going to read one example. Writing for the Institution of Creation Research. Doctor John Morris states that suffice it to say that no one could conclude that scripture specifically placed his creation any longer ago than a few 1000 years, but to my knowledge, he says, no one does. Continuing, many do hold to an older position, but not for scriptural reasons. They are convinced by radioisotope dating perhaps, or the molecular clock of mutation rates, or some other line of thinking, but not from scripture. Morrison confidently tells us that scripture teaches a young Earth, and the time has come for Christians to stop twisting scripture to fit the evolutionary and uniformitarian speculation of some scientists about the unobserved past. He also declared that we suggest such Christians stop calling themselves Bible-believing Christians and start using some other such name as world-believing Christians, end quote. Although I do not doubt the seniority of Doctor Morris or any of those who believe that he does. But let's see what the Bible really does say. Writing in the incredible human potential, Herbert Armstrong tells us, the original Hebrew words imply a perfect creation. God reveals Himself as Creator of perfection, light, and beauty. Every reference in the Bible describes the completion of any completed faith of God's creation. It's very good. Perfect. Later, he added that the original creation, probably created millions of years earlier, was a beautiful and perfect, albeit unfinished creation. He references Job verse 4 through 7, where God says, when the earth was created, it was so breathtaking that the angels sang together and shouted for joy at its beauty. The idea of a chaotic ruined wasteland at the beginning of creation just doesn't fit, but this is what the Hebrew can say, and this is apparently the way that the youngerth Christians say that God created the world. In an article entitled Gap Creationism, Wikipedia gives a listing of reasons why those who believe in a gap theory believe as they do, and I'd like to refer to some of them. The article tells us, because there is no specific information given in Genesis concerning the proposed gap of time, other scriptures are used to support and explain what may have occurred during this period and explain the specific linguistic reasoning behind this interpretation of the Hebrew text. To make a bit of a digression here, I'd like to introduce us to a group of Jewish tribes called the Mathites. An online article on Britannica.com gives the following information about their work, the Mandaretic text, which they tell us is the traditional Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible, meticulously assembled and codified and supplied with diacritical marks to ensure correct pronunciation. It was a huge work that covered 400 years of intensive study by Talmudic scholars to transmit to future generations the authentic word of God. To this end, they gathered manuscripts and whatever oral traditions were available to them. Remember Romans 3 tells us that God entrusted His Old Testament scriptures to the care of the Jews. Over centuries of time, the Mazarites checked and rechecked every Hebrew or Arramaic letter and called attention to any strange spellings or unusual grammars. They introduced symbols to represent vowels to ensure correct pronunciation. In addition, signs for stress and pause were added to the text to facilitate public reading of the scriptures in the synagogue. Britannica's article relates that at the completion of each section, quote, the Mari not only counted and noted the total number of verses, words, and letters in the text, but further indicated which verse, which word, and which letter marked the center of the text. In that way, any future inundation, that is correction or revision could be detected, end quote. Because of their fidelity to preserving the word of God, the Masoretic text is universally universally accepted as the authentic Hebrew Bible. Returning to Wikipedia, the first example that they highlight is a small mark found in the Masoretic text just after Genesis 1:1, referred to as Arabia. Arabia is a mark in the Hebrew text that indicates that we should pause, kind of like a comma, semicolon, or colon, and which indicates that the reader is to pause before proceeding to the next verse. They tell us it is one indication among others that the law which introduces verse two should be translated but. Rather than end The second proof that Wikipedia offers is that the word was in Genesis 1:2, is translated in other areas of the Bible as became. Such a word choice, the article states, makes the gap interpretation easier to see in modern English. Setting the example that Herbert Armstrong used, if we look at Genesis 1926 and recall the story of the destruction of Saturn and Gomorrah, Lot's wife turned back and became a pillar of salt. The word became in this verse is the same word that is translated was in Genesis 1:2. In other words, gap theory proponents say that the first two sentences of the Bible should be read. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth became without form and void. For 3 reasons support the gap theory, the article tells us that God is perfect. And everything that he doth is perfect, so a newly created earth from the hand of God should not have been without form and void and shrouded in darkness. They refer to Deuteronomy 32:4, which tells us that our God is the rock. His word is perfect. Also, they mention I John 1:5, which reads, God is light. And in him is no darkness at all. We'll be finishing today by returning to Genesis 1:2 and looking at the words translated without form and void. They are the Hebrew Tohu and Bohu. Blue Letter Bible.org says that Tohu is from an unused root meaning to lie waste, a desolation and confusion. The website also tells us that, among other options, Toy can be used in the following ways, formlessness, wasteland, and most interestingly, a place of chaos. Similarly, bohu is from an unused root meaning superficially, an undistinguishable ruin. Emptiness, void and waste. Biblehub.com tells us that the word means a vacuity, an undistinguishable ruin. The second part of verse 2 tells us that darkness was on the face of the deep. The word darkness is strong 2822 Kose, which means darkness, dark, obscurity, and night. Figuratively, it can represent misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, and even wickedness. But Isaiah 45:18 literally tells us, the Lord who formed the earth and made it did not create it in vain. The word vein is the same word to you that we read in Genesis 1:2 as void. Also, Jeremiah 4:23 tells us, if you could turn there, please. Jeremiah 4:23. I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form and void, and the heavens they had no light. It is the same construction that we see in Genesis 1:2, and here, It is referring to a prophecy of God's judgment on thinning Judah. Doodle was not created this way, it became toy and Bay. The Pope the commentary writes about this verse without form and void. Means rather waste and wild or more literally. Immovable and lifeless. God is not the author of confusion, and there should not be a controversy. Think about the perfection that makes him God. If you are the divine creator, writing a book detailing the beginning of your magnificent creation's history and the comm commencement of your most ambitious plan ever, is this the way that you would start the story in chaos, waste, and misperception? I think that Mr. Chalmers and Episcoppeus had it right. I'm not a scientist, but I'm sure that there are others who could provide us with a much more thorough explanation and support. It is not spelled out directly, but while it may be called the gap theory, There really is no controversy in the scriptures. It is the only explanation that makes perfect sense.
JR/aws+/
Sermon Topics
The Gospel
