Gap Theory Refuted

[heartstrings]

Nothing personal... but I have a hard time accepting statements like "ALL" "EVERY" etc, unless God says it.

I think you need to study a little more... Here is some soft tissue that you and the evolutionists have to explain away:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7285683/ if you believe that everything existed millions of years ago.

Do you think I am an evolutionist too. Sorry I used "every". I should have said "the vast majority found to date".
Why does "millions of years" scare you? Does the possibility of "millions of years" mean things evolved?
My friend, I have no problem with believing that a million years is a mere moment from God's perspective. He has always been. Jesus, is zillions of "years old". What has He been doing for eons of time? Was He waiting around doing nothing until a mere 6,000 years ago when He decided to make a world? How big is your God?

Let me ask you something else...
Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the earth...."
What does "In the beginning" mean right there? Certainly not the beginning of God my friend. God HAS no beginning. Did it occur to you that He may have created before? The "Gap Theory" is just that, a theory, It's an attempt to explain the unexplainable because some things, including God, are a mystery. We simply don't know these things. There is nothing wrong with our Bible; but none of us understands EVERYTHING it is saying. Some of the interpretations you may have that mama or papa or the preacher told you, may not be the right ones. We better find something more credible to tell people other than "the dinosaurs were on the ark" and "angels cohabited with women".


At this point, until proven otherwise, I have to GUESS that God created the Heaven and the Earth, and it later became without form and void (empty). Maybe it was because of Satan. At the point it was without form and void, water covered the whole earth.....

DAY THREE Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

You can go to some of the tallest mountains, and find fossilized sea creatures. In strata, that have been uplifted and drastically tilted. How did they get there? MUst have happened on day three.


DAY FIVE Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

There, you have a problem because the land appeared on day three, but sea creatures(evident on the mountains) did not appear untill day five. Don't say it was the flood, Were the mountains were uplifted AFTER the flood?

[zealyouthguy]

The biggest problems I have with the "gap theory" are:

Contextually, the Jews never believed in a Gap.

It is USUALLY Bible correctors who believe in the Gap, they feel the KJV is wrong in it's description of creation.

The obvious paradox of an earth built upon death, rather than a perfect creation. According to such verses as:

Genesis 9:1-3 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. 3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. (God gives man permission to eat meat)

Romans 8:22 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (Caused by sin as related earlier in the chapter)

Isaiah 11:6 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (A future perfect world, like a past perfect world without death)

Isaiah 65:25 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. (Same as above)

Denying that a God who promises to SUSTAIN us in his presence in the future without need for food or drink, couldn't have done this in our past.

The extreme lack of overall faith to suggest that the bible REALLY doesn't say what it does and that it must fit in with notoriously erroneous methods of dating like Carbon 14 dating, etc.

The fact that Jesus is compared to Adam. Adam was the first man, and yet with Gap we are to believe that some other form of man (Cromagnon, Neanderthals, et al.) all existed, were the same as men (they say that if Neanderthal was alive today and dressed like us we wouldn't see a difference), but not really "men"... all this suggests that maybe someone else came to save those other "men". Or worse yet, why couldn't God redeem His creation???

The Gap usually launches you into even further shakier theology, including Lucifer's pre-deluge Rule and destruction of the earth.

along with multitude of other things too long to list.

[heartstrings]

Great post! And, yes indeed they do work hard to cover up the fact that man and dinosaurs lived at the same time.

Recall those famous caves in France with those often shown paintings on the walls done by "cave men"? Well, in another section of that very same cave system, there are numerous paintings on the wall showing men hunting dinosaurs! However, you can't go look at them because shortly after their discovery, that section of the cave was sealed to the public!

It seems that only politically correct "cave man" art is acceptable for us to see.

You got proof of this "sealed off cave"? Or is it hearsay?
Oviously couldn't have been the same cave artists because the cave painters you speak of were hunting Ice Age mammals. Too cold for giant lizards......

[John81]

Check the Creation Network.

It seems that cave system was used for an extended period of years as there is a variety of art styles and creatures shown in the paintings.

If I recall correctly, there is also a French website that mentions this as well and has the government sources listed there.

[zealyouthguy]

Unless you don't believe the Bible, YES.

Genesis 7:20 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

Unless it's easier for you to believe that the earth was covered in almost 30,000 feet deep of water during Noah's Flood.

Of course, most of us here have probably actually SEEN the birth of a mountain in today's day and age.

http://www.skyimagelab.com/birth-of-mountain.html

There was MASS catastrophe during the flood, major geological changes. Why is THAT harder to believe than the earth is MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.

We don't believe MILLIONS of years, because of the numerous reasons listed above.

As far as your derogatory attempts at "you mama or pastor told you", as I've said in another thread, I went to a secular college as a Biology major, and I still believe the Bible.

I would (again) suggest a little bit more time spent in the proved sciences (as the links I've given) before you swallow the million year hypothesis hook line and sinker.

And let me ask this... without the "modern discoveries" of science... would you have ever thought there was a "gap" based on the bible?

Answer honestly and get back to me with who REALLY is letting someone else think for them here.

Just wanted to add this:
The difference between us, is that I look at science through the lens of the bible, you look at the bible through the lens of science.

[zealyouthguy]

You got proof of this "sealed off cave"? Or is it hearsay?
Oviously couldn't have been the same cave artists because the cave painters you speak of were hunting Ice Age mammals. Too cold for giant lizards......

When did this Ice Age take place with the Ice Age Mammals (like saber tooth, woolly mammoth, etc?)

You don't realize it, but you just lost the debate.

[heartstrings]

When did this Ice Age take place with the Ice Age Mammals (like saber tooth, woolly mammoth, etc?)

You don't realize it, but you just lost the debate.

Care to explain?

[zealyouthguy]

Care to explain?

Nope, it's not really worth doing until you answer the question. When did this Ice Age take place?

[tired]

IS THERE A GAP BETWEEN GENESIS 1:1 AND GENESIS 1:2?

Distributed by Way of Life Literature?s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Copyright 2001


DESCRIPTION OF THE GAP THEORY
According to the ?gap theory,? God created the universe in Genesis 1:1 and between then and the event described in verse 2, a great catastrophe occurred. The Scofield Reference Bible presents this theory as follows: ?The face of the earth bears everywhere the marks of such a catastrophe. There are not wanting intimations which connect it with a previous testing and fall of angels.? Another example of this is found in J. Sidlow Baxter?s Explore the Book: ?The second verse, which says that the earth was ?waste and void,? does not, as the many think, describe the first condition of the earth after its creation. It alludes to a cataclysm which desolated the earth later. Verses 1 and 2 have no logical connection. There is a break between them, the duration of which is not known. ... Modern geology furnishes dates proving the immense age of our globe. ... Between the first two verses of Genesis there is ample scope for all the geologic eras.?

ORIGIN OF AND REASON FOR THE GAP THEORY
?Although hints of this theory can be traced back in Christian writings as early as the fourth century A.D., it was not until the ministries of Thomas Chalmers, Scottish scholar, and George H. Pember (1876) that the theory really caught on. In 1917 C.I. Scofield included it in his notes and its popularity was assured. These last two dates are significant, for by 1880 Darwin?s theory of evolution, as propounded in his book The Origin of the Species, was universally accepted by the scientific world. This theory taught that the world was many millions of years old, as indicated by the vast fossil record and the claims of uniformitarian geology. The Christian theologian was then confronted with a serious problem. How could all this be reconciled with Genesis 1? An answer was found--uncounted millions of years could be conveniently tucked into that bottomless hole which was thought to exist between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Thus the gap theory may be viewed in part as an attempt by the Christian theologian to appease the non-Christian evolutionist? (Willmington?s Guide to the Bible). We see this clearly in J. Sidlow Baxter?s comments as quoted above.

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE GAP THEORY ANSWERED (some of this is from Willmington's Guide to the Bible):

(1) Supporters of the gap theory say the phrase in Gen. 1:2, ?without form and void? (Hebrew: ?tohu wa-bohu?), appears elsewhere in Isaiah 34:11; 45:18 and speaks of judgment. However, in other passages it simply means space. See Job 26:7; Deut. 32:10; Job 6:18; 12:24; Ps. 107:40.

(2) Supporters of the gap theory say the verb translated ?was? in Genesis 1:2 (Hebrew: ?hayetha?) should be translated ?became.? Scriptural evidence, however, would deny this. The Hebrew verb ?hayetha? is found 264 times in the Pentateuch, and of these, in 258 instances the word is correctly translated ?was.? See, for example, Jonah 3:3.

(3) Supporters of the gap theory say there is a difference between the verbs ?bara? (?created,? Gen. 1:1) and ?asah? (?made,? Gen. 1:7). But to the contrary, these verbs are used synonymously. In Gen. 1:26, the word ?asah? is used for man?s creation, whereas in v. 27, the word ?bara? is used.

(4) According to supporters of the gap theory, the ?darkness? in Genesis 1:2 is symbolic of evil. This is not always the case, though, as seen in Psalm 104:20, 24: ?Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth...?

(5) According to supporters of the gap theory, God?s command to Adam and Eve in Gen. 1:28 to ?replenish? the earth shows that the earth had formerly been inhabited and now had to be re-inhabited. But the word ?replenish? in Gen. 1:28 simply means ?to fill.? It is the same Hebrew word (male?), which is translated ?fill? in v. 22. This Hebrew word is translated ?fill,? ?fulfill,? and ?be full? 246 times. In modern English, the word ?replenish? has lost its earlier meaning of ?fill? and has come to mean more strictly ?re-fill.? This reflects in the common usage of the word from 1611 to present. Merriam-Webster has this definition: ?1 a : to fill with persons or animals : to STOCK b archaic : to supply fully : to PERFECT. c : to fill with inspiration or power : to NOURISH. 2 a : to fill or build up again b : to make good : to REPLACE.?

(6) Supporters of the gap theory use Jer. 4:23 and Isaiah 24:1 to support their position, but these verses refer to the great Tribulation prior to Christ?s return and not to creation.

A SUMMARY OF WHY WE REJECT THE GAP THEORY (from Willmington's Guide to the Bible):

(1) It is UNSCIENTIFIC. The gap theory was (in part) an attempt to reconcile the creation account with the long periods of time in the theory of evolution. But evolution itself as a theory is totally unscientific, defying the second law of thermodynamics [that the universe is in the process of decay and decline rather than in a process of evolving upwardly].

(2) It is UNSCRIPTURAL. Paul states in Romans 5:12 and 8:20-22 that man?s sin brought about death, even of animals. But the gap theory would have Adam walking on top of a gigantic fossilized animal graveyard!

(3) It is UNNECESSARY. The most natural interpretation of Gen. 1 and 2 is taking it at face value, without addition or subtraction. Gen. 1:1 thus becomes a summary statement of creation. In the first verse God tells us what he did. In the remaining verses He tells us how He did it.

I thought this was pretty good

[heartstrings]

All we know is that at some point in time there were huge mammals which are now extinct. Mastodon skeletons have been found near here in Florida. Siberia is full of Wooly Mammoth remains, some of these being frozen bodies and not just bones. These creatures were very hairy, therefore, we know they were designed for a very cold climate. Some say it was because of, and following the flood. Other than that, I haven't a clue.

[zealyouthguy]

All we know is that at some point in time there were huge mammals which are now extinct. Mastodon skeletons have been found near here in Florida. Siberia is full of Wooly Mammoth remains' date=' some of these being frozen bodies and not just bones. These creatures were very hairy, therefore, we know they were designed for a very cold climate. Some say it was because of, and following the flood. Other than that, I haven't a clue.[/quote']
LOL, now the dance begins...

So how do you know the earth is millions of years old?

[heartstrings]

zealyouthguy ,
I first heard of the "PreAdamic Earth" from another church member, not long after I was saved. I did not get it from evolutionists. My next pastor, believed in the Gap Theory...but he also frequently tried to drill the "angels cohabited with women" belief into us for some reason. Maybe God was using it to get me to study my Bible. It worked.

[zealyouthguy]

zealyouthguy ,
I first heard of the "PreAdamic Earth" from another church member, not long after I was saved. I did not get it from evolutionists. My next pastor, believed in the Gap Theory...but he also frequently tried to drill the "angels cohabited with women" belief into us for some reason. Maybe God was using it to get me to study my Bible. It worked.

Ok, but as I said, where do you get the earth is millions of years old? There is not a foundation for "Gap" and millions of years outside of the science that says "millions of years".

[heartstrings]

I "know" nothing my friend. I was not there. But I beleive that Jesus has always been. I know that He is millions of years old.
I answered your question BTW.

[heartstrings]

So tell me how mentioning the Ice Age "loses the debate"?