ICR:Does the Scripture allow a GAP?  by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

   The so-called Gap Theory, proposed early in the 1800's, but which
became popular around the turn of the century, has very few scholarly
advocates these days. However, many Christians do still hold to it,
mostly by tradition, having never examined it closely. There have
always been many scientific and theological problems with the idea of a
long gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, but perhaps the "death"
of the Gap Theory came with the 1978 publication of Dr. Weston W.
Fields' fine book, Unformed and Unfilled. In it, Fields specified the
many Biblical problems inherent in the concept, and with only a few
exceptions, Bible scholars have now abandoned it. Some of his main
arguments are briefly summerized below.

   Gap advocates hold that only the surface of the earth was "created"
during the six-day series of events detailed in Genesis 1:2 through
2:25. This creation followed a global holocaust brought on by the fall
of Satan which destroyed a supposed pre-Adamic world. But the
all-inclusive summary statements of Genesis 2:1-3 and Exodus 20:11, and
elsewhere, argue otherwise; "the heavens and the earth . . . all the
host of them . . . all that is in them . . . all His work which God
created and made," seem better to refer to all of creation, not just
the earth's surface.

   Some have claimed that in Exodus 20:11 the verb "to make" is used
instead of "to create," and, that, therefore, the summation is
referring only to the earth's surface, leaving the rock strata and the
earth's interior untouched. But in reality, while there is an important
distinction between the words in Genesis 1, both are used in Genesis
2:2,3 and Nehemiah 9:6 to refer to all of creation; and are even used
in synonymous parallelism in Genesis 2:4, Exodus 34:10, Isaiah 41:20
and 43:7.

   Another oft-repeated claim is that Genesis 1:2 should read, "the
earth became without form and void," as opposed to the traditional
understanding that when God first created the earth in verse 3, it "was
without form (i.e., not yet in completed form) and void (i.e., not yet
inhabited)." The verb's normal meaning, however, is simply "was," and
while it may be translated "become," the context does not warrant it,
and all accepted versions of the Bible use "was."

   Each verse in Genesis 1, except verse 1, begins with the conjunction
"and," thereby connecting each verse sequentially to those before and
after. There is no hint of the passing of millions or billions of years
of time between verses 1 and 2. Gap advocates frequently turn to other
portions of Scripture for support, particularly those which use the
words "without form" and "void" (Jeremiah 4:23, Isaiah 24:1, and 45:18
are most importaant). In each case, the prophet refers to a wasted
state due to the judgment of sin, thereby implying that Genesis 1:2
likewise implies a condition brought about by judgment. But in each
case, the context regards the land of Israel, not the original earth.
There is no justification for postulating long ages present in a
supposed gap in Genesis.

   The Gap Theory, as with all efforts to harmonize Genesis with the
geologic ages, faces insurmountable problems on several fronts. How
much better to take God at His Word and simply believe what He says.
