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Introduction |
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1) |
Socrates, the Greek philosopher, was
a man who questioned things. Not
content to accept the norm he
questioned why, how etc. When Paul
preached to the Bereans, of whom we
read in Acts 17:11, these were more
noble than those in Thessalonica in
that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched
the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so. For hundreds of
years Christians believed the earth
was still and did not move. |
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2) |
When Job began to profess his
knowledge and “debate God,” God’s
response was to make real to Job how
little he knew. |
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3) |
The Lord asked questions, not for
information, but to exercise the
mind and heart. For years, the gap
theory, and it is called a theory,
has been taught, but questions
arise: |
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a) |
What is the Biblical authority for
teaching a gap between Genesis 1:1
and verse 2? |
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b) |
Was there a period of time between
Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 when
cavemen grunted and made
guttural
sounds? |
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c) |
Was there a time when the devil
caused such a serious rebellion in
the world that God stood by as His
whole world became a giant cemetery
for man and beast, and ultimately
becoming
null
and void? |
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d) |
Where is there a single clause,
verse, or suggestion in the
scriptures for such teaching? OR
have we accepted that which was
taught without questioning,
accepting man’s pseudoscience and
adjusting the scriptures to suit the
ideas of ungodly men? |
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4) |
In this paper I propose a third
consideration which, to my mind is
Biblical but, does not limit time
duration of the earth, allowing for
a long earth history. I have not
seen it elsewhere but it may well
have been, and I have never come
across it. |
First consideration |
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1) |
Since the Spirit of God does not
give any indication of how long the
earth was in existence before the
Spirit of God moved on the face of
the waters, it could just have been
created, or been millennia. |
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2) |
Again, it is assumed when God
created Heaven, He created the earth
at the same time, but what evidence
is there they were both created at
the same time? |
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3) |
Again, it is assumed that when God
created the earth He immediately
began its preparation for man. True
Biblical exposition is not based on
assumptions. |
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4) |
The next consideration is, when did
the gap theory of Genesis 1:1 and 2,
come to be accepted? |
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a) |
For several thousand years it was
generally accepted that the Bible is
the inspired Word of God. Then
Darwin, with his theory of
evolution, became accepted; man went
about things back to front. Instead
of believing the Word of God, man
accepted the pseudo evidences the
had evolved over millions of years.
It was then decided there was a gap
between Genesis 1:1 and 2. |
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b) |
Three avenues are purporting to be
Biblical, scientific, and yet
supporting the thought that the
earth became a sphere of chaos,
there was a race of beings before
the flood, sin had come into the
world, and the result was death and
the judgment of God on the entire
earth. The saints decided since the
earth was millions of years old
there had to be a gap in the Genesis
record: This was supported by: |
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i) |
The acceptance of evolution and
Darwinism. |
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ii) |
The making of a geological column
that no where exits anywhere on
earth but only in the drawings in
books. The man made column made the
earth millions of years old. The
problem was a circular error, for
that which was found in the rocks
was dated by evolution, and the
evolution of man was dated by the
rocks they were found in. |
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iii) |
The notes on this verse by C I
Scofield. |
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c) |
Therefore, biblical adjustments were
needed to accommodate the gap
theory, which was known as the ruin
restoration theory. Satanic science
became more true than the scripture
of truth. It was then taught that
there is a gap between Genesis 1:1
and 2. It is said that some time
between the two verses there was a
cataclysmic event
when Satan fell, and the whole earth
fell into chaos. Where in all the
scriptures is there any support for
any of this? |
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d) |
The argument was and is that the
earth became without form and void
because of a judgment by God. To
support that fallacy, men refer to
or quote Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah
4:23. This a very erroneous
teaching, totally ignoring the
context of the passages. If there
was a gap of millions of years when
man evolved, then
sin and death had to come in through
some unknown being. If this
is true, it necessitates a pre-Adam
population who, knowing the will of
God, rebelled against God in sinning
so severely, the entire earth was
destroyed. This imagined situation
means pre-Adam beings were more
wicked than Sodom and Gommorah or
the earth in Noah’s time because of
the severity of the ruination of the
earth. Consider the following: |
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i) |
Was Paul wrong and the Holy Spirit
deceptive when it was written,
“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” (Rom.
5:12)? |
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ii) |
Was Peter misunderstanding the
scriptures when he wrote, “And (God)
spared not the old world, but saved
Noah the eighth person, a preacher
of righteousness, bringing in the
flood upon the world of the ungodly”
(2 Pet. 2:5; 3:6). Why did Peter
use the flood as an example and not
something supposedly more severe as
in the gap theory? |
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e) |
The word translated without form is,
tôhû
and is used 20 times in the O. T.
(Deut. 32:10; Job 26:7; Psa.
107:40). It simply means there was
no distinguishing marks due to it
being covered with the deep that is
water. When one looks over the
ocean it is void of any
distinguishing features, but not
because of sin, or Satan’s activity. |
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f) |
The word bôhû
occurs three times in the
scriptures. In Genesis 1:2 and
Jeremiah 4:23 it is translated
“void” and in Isaiah 34:11 it is
translated emptiness. |
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Which is the true criteria?
The first truth which must be
emphatic is geology or science never
proves the Bible right, but the
scriptures give evidence to geology
or science being right or wrong. |
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a) |
Man’s thoughts must reconcile with
the Bible and not the other way
round. The impossibility of Satan’s
fall before the creating and filling
out of creation until after the 7th
day, the reason for saying such is
when God looked, everything was very
good (Gen. 1:31). That could not
have been said if part of creation
was under the power of Satan. |
The evidence as I see it |
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The first assumption is that God
created the Heaven and earth at the
same time. The scriptures do not
say that. In John the Lord speaks
of the resurrection and the unjust,
but they do not happen at the same
time (Rev. 20:3-5). |
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a) |
Job records the questions of God to
him. |
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b) |
Gird up now thy loins like a man;
for I will demand of thee, and
answer thou me. Where wast thou when
I laid the foundations of the earth?
declare, if thou hast understanding.
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? (Job 38:3-7). |
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c) |
Who are the morning stars? They
cannot be literal stars for they
were not created until the 3rd day
of creation (Gen. 1:16). |
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d) |
The morning stars sang when the
earth was created then their place
of dwelling (heaven) had to be
created and populated before the
preparation of the earth for man and
then populated. |
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When did Satan fall?
It is my understanding that Satan
fell after the earth, Heaven, and
man were
created for it is only
when all was according to the
pleasure of God He could say it was
very good. It is my understanding
Satan fell after Adam and Eve were
formed but before they were tempted
by Satan (Gen. 3:1-14). It would
seem that Satan is desirous of the
worship of man and being denied it,
sought the place of God and His
worship. |
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. . . . Rowan Jennings |
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