Gap Theory?
Question: "What is the Gap Theory? Did anything happen between Genesis
1:1 and 1:2?"
Answer: Genesis 1:1–2 states, "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness
was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering
over the waters." The gap theory is the view that God created a fully
functional earth with all animals, including the dinosaurs and other
creatures we know only from the fossil record. Then, the theory goes,
something happened to destroy the earth completely—most likely the
fall of Satan to earth—so that the planet became without form and
void. At this point, God started all over again, recreating the earth
in its paradise form as further described in Genesis. The gap theory,
which is distinct from theistic evolution and the day-age theory, is
also called old-earth creationism, gap creationism, and the
ruin-reconstruction theory.
In young-earth creationism, Genesis 1:1 is seen as a summary of the
complete chapter 1 in the Hebrew storytelling form. God created the
heavens and the earth. Then verse 2 begins a detailed breakdown of the
step-by-step process that verse 1 summarizes. However, the statement
that "the earth was formless and empty, [and] darkness was over the
surface of the deep" (Genesis 1:2) can be puzzling. The idea that God
created a useless and shapeless earth is an uncomfortable position for
some conservative theologians, and this leads them to the gap theory,
or an old-earth perspective.
According to conservative proponents of the gap theory, Genesis 1:1
describes the original creation of God—perfect in every way. Then,
between verses 1 and 2, Satan rebelled in heaven and was cast out.
Satan's sin "ruined" the original creation; that is, his rebellion
brought about its destruction and eventual death, and the earth was
reduced to its "formless and empty" state, ready for the
"re-construction." The length of time involved—the size of the
"gap"—is not specified but could have lasted millions of years.
Of course, Satan must have fallen before Adam did; otherwise, there
would have been no temptation in the garden. Young-earth creationists
say that Satan fell sometime after Genesis 1:31. Gap creationists say
that Satan fell between Genesis 1:1 and 2.
One difficulty of the gap theory is that it requires that creation
suffer death and destruction before Adam's fall. Romans 5:12 says,
"Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all people, because all sinned." The gap theory
counters by positing two worlds. Satan's sin brought death to the
original creation, whatever that was like; and Adam's sin brought
death to the re-creation, the realm of mankind. Through Adam's sin,
evil entered our world and the realm of man was cursed. But rebellion
already existed outside the realm of mankind (in the spiritual realm),
since Satan and his angels had already fallen (Isaiah 14:12–14;
Ezekiel 28:12–18). Sin could not enter the realm of man until man
chose it. And Satan, via the serpent, successfully tempted man to make
that choice.
Objections to the gap theory include the idea that, if something
important had occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 2, God would have told
us so, rather than leave us to speculate in ignorance. Also, Genesis
1:31 says God declared His creation to be "very good"—a statement
difficult to square with the theory that evil already existed because
of Satan's fall in the "gap."
It is possible to hold to a literal, six-day creation week and still
hold to the gap theory—the gap theory does not require evolution to be
true, since the gap falls before the events of Day One in Genesis 1:3.
And that's why some conservative scholars do believe the gap theory,
although its acceptance has waned since the days of proponents C. I.
Scofield and J. Vernon McGee.
However, many of those who hold to the gap theory do so in order to
reconcile old-earth, evolutionary theories with the book of Genesis.
But it seems to be a strained reconciliation. The plain reading of
Genesis 1 does not at all intimate a length of time between the first
two verses. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the
earth. Genesis 1:2 informs us that, when He first created the earth,
it was formless, empty, and dark; it was unfinished and uninhabited.
The rest of Genesis 1 relates how God completed the formless, empty,
and dark earth by filling it with life, beauty, and goodness.
1:1 and 1:2?"
Answer: Genesis 1:1–2 states, "In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness
was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering
over the waters." The gap theory is the view that God created a fully
functional earth with all animals, including the dinosaurs and other
creatures we know only from the fossil record. Then, the theory goes,
something happened to destroy the earth completely—most likely the
fall of Satan to earth—so that the planet became without form and
void. At this point, God started all over again, recreating the earth
in its paradise form as further described in Genesis. The gap theory,
which is distinct from theistic evolution and the day-age theory, is
also called old-earth creationism, gap creationism, and the
ruin-reconstruction theory.
In young-earth creationism, Genesis 1:1 is seen as a summary of the
complete chapter 1 in the Hebrew storytelling form. God created the
heavens and the earth. Then verse 2 begins a detailed breakdown of the
step-by-step process that verse 1 summarizes. However, the statement
that "the earth was formless and empty, [and] darkness was over the
surface of the deep" (Genesis 1:2) can be puzzling. The idea that God
created a useless and shapeless earth is an uncomfortable position for
some conservative theologians, and this leads them to the gap theory,
or an old-earth perspective.
According to conservative proponents of the gap theory, Genesis 1:1
describes the original creation of God—perfect in every way. Then,
between verses 1 and 2, Satan rebelled in heaven and was cast out.
Satan's sin "ruined" the original creation; that is, his rebellion
brought about its destruction and eventual death, and the earth was
reduced to its "formless and empty" state, ready for the
"re-construction." The length of time involved—the size of the
"gap"—is not specified but could have lasted millions of years.
Of course, Satan must have fallen before Adam did; otherwise, there
would have been no temptation in the garden. Young-earth creationists
say that Satan fell sometime after Genesis 1:31. Gap creationists say
that Satan fell between Genesis 1:1 and 2.
One difficulty of the gap theory is that it requires that creation
suffer death and destruction before Adam's fall. Romans 5:12 says,
"Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all people, because all sinned." The gap theory
counters by positing two worlds. Satan's sin brought death to the
original creation, whatever that was like; and Adam's sin brought
death to the re-creation, the realm of mankind. Through Adam's sin,
evil entered our world and the realm of man was cursed. But rebellion
already existed outside the realm of mankind (in the spiritual realm),
since Satan and his angels had already fallen (Isaiah 14:12–14;
Ezekiel 28:12–18). Sin could not enter the realm of man until man
chose it. And Satan, via the serpent, successfully tempted man to make
that choice.
Objections to the gap theory include the idea that, if something
important had occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 2, God would have told
us so, rather than leave us to speculate in ignorance. Also, Genesis
1:31 says God declared His creation to be "very good"—a statement
difficult to square with the theory that evil already existed because
of Satan's fall in the "gap."
It is possible to hold to a literal, six-day creation week and still
hold to the gap theory—the gap theory does not require evolution to be
true, since the gap falls before the events of Day One in Genesis 1:3.
And that's why some conservative scholars do believe the gap theory,
although its acceptance has waned since the days of proponents C. I.
Scofield and J. Vernon McGee.
However, many of those who hold to the gap theory do so in order to
reconcile old-earth, evolutionary theories with the book of Genesis.
But it seems to be a strained reconciliation. The plain reading of
Genesis 1 does not at all intimate a length of time between the first
two verses. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the
earth. Genesis 1:2 informs us that, when He first created the earth,
it was formless, empty, and dark; it was unfinished and uninhabited.
The rest of Genesis 1 relates how God completed the formless, empty,
and dark earth by filling it with life, beauty, and goodness.
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