The Gap Theory Explained
A. God created the heaven and the earth Perfect in Gen. 1:1.
B. Between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2, Satan Rebelled Against God and was defeated.
1. He was cast down to the earth as lightening with great destructive force.
2. It was at this time that the earth was destroyed.
C. This judgment was so complete as to even cause the Loss of Light upon the earth; which implies that the entire solar system, if not the universe, was destroyed.
D. In Gen. 1:2 God is Re-creating or Reconstructing the earth from a chaotic state, not creating it as an original or initial creative effort.
E. There is a great Gap of Time Between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 which can account for millions or even billions of years.
F. Therefore, there is No Discrepancy between Science and the Bible.
G. This is known as the "Gap Theory" and has been taught:
1. In The Scofield Reference Bible,
2. The Dake’s Annotated Bible,
3. D. F. Payne states, "The ‘gap’ theory itself, as a matter of exegesis, antedated the scientific challenge.
4. In 1814, Thomas Chalmers, a leading Scottish theologian, taught the gap theory --- Charles Darwin’s book, "Origin of the Species," was not published until 1859, 45 years later.
5. Arthur Custance, in his book "Without Form and Void", shows that this interpretation has its roots in early Jewish tradition and through out the history of the church.
6. It is safe to say that the gap theory was not developed in an effort to solve apparent problems between the Bible and Science. It is not of recent origin and can easily be traced back to beyond the 19th century.
