How old are the
Heavens and Earth?

There are two separate creationist viewpoints when it comes to the first two verses in the Bible. In the book of Genesis the creation of the heavens and the earth are described:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."(Genesis 1:1-2, NKJV throughout unless stated)

The second point of view is that the preexisting earth became wasted and ruined and that God refashions it during the creation week. From verse 3 on what is actually being described is a recreation account in seven 24-hour days or one week, which only involves the earth. The physical realm outside the earth, including time, energy and the spiritual realm, including angels, already exists. Those that hold to this model of creation are often call Old Earth Creationists [1].

The purpose of this paper is to show that there is indeed a gap or a time period between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and that the Old Earth Creation, the second of the two scenarios listed above, is correct. By understanding that this gap exists a better understanding of Bible history will develop. Timothy states that the entire Bible is inspired. It can be used to further clarify the creation account.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2Timothy 3:16-17)

The duration of the gap will be unspecified in this paper for two reasons; first and foremost the Bible does not mention, except in a general way, the length of the gap and secondly, the scientific dating methods that some creationists have used to date the gap are based on uncertain assumptions.

There are many versions of the gap scenario. The more freewheeling models consist of a world that preexisted before Genesis 1:2, which was inhabited by soulless, manlike creatures. These manlike creatures are the supposed pre-Adamic fossils that are being unearthed today [2]. The world was destroyed by God's judgment and this is what laid down the vast beds of strata. Therefore in this model of the gap the flood of Noah is often regulated to being a local event. Once again believing in a gap does not necessarily mean that you must accept all the baggage that comes with that particular interpretation [3]. Although the gap is Biblical a non-belief in the gap does not makes you a heretic. To be ultimately saved requires a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-17). Many people down through history have fulfilled the requirement for salvation without ever having considered the gap (Hebrew 11:38-40).		Are the heavens and the earth only a few thousand years old or are they much older?

What are the common objections to the Gap theory?

There are several major areas that supposedly show that there is no gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. The major ones used by those that do not believe in a gap are listed below.

1. The gap theory is a new interpretation: Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) and Cyrus I. Scofield (1843-1921) developer of the Scofield Reference Bible popularized this idea. It has only been popular for the last 190 years. It was introduced after geologic evidence indicated that the earth was very old.

2. The Bible does not support a gap: A gap can only be placed in the first two verses of Genesis by violating the linguistics and the intent of the scriptures.

3. There was no sin before Adam: There was no death prior to sin, and Adam brought sin. All fossils - dead things - are post Adamic.

4. The creation was pronounced good: If the earth were built on the dead remains of a past world how could God proclaim, "it was good."

5. Angels were created on the first day: Angels have no prehistory before the creation week, therefore angels and humans are chronological contemporaries.

The above listing is not inclusive of all the objections that the young earth creationist have leveled against the gappists, but they are the most common and often used. All of these major objections and a few minor objections are going to be examined in detail to see if they really can be used to counter a belief in the gap.

Is the Gap model a recent invention?

"The modern gap theory was proposed in 1814 by Thomas Chalmers, a leading Scottish theologian. Some geologists of his day had argued that the earth was much older than Genesis implies. Chalmers, therefore, proposed the gap theory to harmonize Genesis with the demands of those geologists. There is no clear record of anyone prior to 1814 interpreting Genesis 1:1-2 in this way. "

Is it true that the gap theory is of recent origin? - the answer is a resounding - NO! The gap model has a long and distinguished history and has been supported by many ancient Hebrew and Biblical scholars. Consider the following quotes from Arthur C. Custance's writings [6] . These quotes are from his book Without Form and Void, chapter one entitled: A Long-held View. Notice how these dates are much older than the mid-1814 date.

"Jewish commentators made the discovery, but their early literature (the Midrash for example) reveals that they had some intimation of an early pre-Adamic catastrophe affecting the whole earth. Similarly, clear evidence appears in the oldest extant Version of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Targum of Onkelos) and some intimation may be seen in the "punctuation marks" of the Massoretic text of Genesis Chapter One. Early Jewish writers subsequently built up some abstruse arguments about God's dealings with Israel on the basis of this belief and it would seem that Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians is at one point making indirect reference to this traditional background (see 2 Corinthians 4:6). A few of the early Church Fathers accepted this interpretation and based some of their doctrines upon it. It is true that both they and their Jewish antecedents used arguments which to us seem at times to have no force whatever, but this is not the issue. The truth is, as we shall see, that the idea of a once ordered world having been brought to ruin as a consequence of divine judgment just prior to the creation of Adam, was apparently quite widespread. It was not debated: it was merely held by some and not by others. Those who held it referred to it and built up arguments upon it without apparently feeling the need to apologize for believing as they did, nor for explaining the grounds for their faith. (p. 2)

Hugo St. Victor (1097-1141) was a Flemish scholar and a member of the Augustinian Monastery of St. Victor and later Prior of the monastery in Paris. He wrote: "Perhaps enough has already been debated about these matters thus far, if we add only this, 'how long did the world remain in this disorder before the regular re-ordering (disposition) of it was taken in hand? For the fact that the first substance of all things arose at the very beginning of time – or rather, with time itself - is settled by the statement that, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'. But how long it continued in this state of confusion. Scripture does not clearly show." (p. 12)

Two centuries later, Thomas Aquinas (1226 -1274) reiterated this view when he wrote: "but it seems better to maintain (the view) that the creation was prior to any of the days (literally, before any day)." (p. 12-13)

And even more specific was the most learned of all medieval commentators on Genesis, Pererius (1535 - 1610) who wrote: "Even though before the first day, the heavens and the elements were made subsequent to the substance (ie., basic essence of creative activity) nevertheless they were not perfected and completely furnished until the period of the six days: for then was given to them (their) furnishing, (their) fulfillment (filling up), and (their) completion. However, just how long that darkened state of the world lasted, ie., whether it lasted more than one day or less than one day, this is not clear to me, nor (I hold) is it clear to any other mortal man unless to one to whom it has been divinely made so." (p. 14)

It is well to remember that a substantial number of other Hebrew scholars have adopted this view on the linguistic evidences Martin Anstey, Alfred Edersheim (to whom Hebrew was almost a native language), H. Browne, G. V. Garland, N. Snaith (who seems to me to favor "became" for "was"), T. Jollie Smith, A. I. McCaul, R. Jameison, and many others*. (*See appendix 1 of Without Form and Void for excerpts from these sources) (p. 28)"

Young Earth Creationist often claim that the gap theory was introduced in the mid-1800's to counter the rising threat of modern geologic thought and vast periods of time. All of the following quotes [7] are from William Whiston's A New Theory of the Earth published in 1696. This was more than 90 years earlier than James Hutton's Theory of the Earth, which was published in 1785. James Hutton is often called the father of modern geology.

Whiston wrote about the creation of the earth out of a confused chaos:

"That the notions they have entertained of the Nature, Stile, and Extent of the Creation of the World in six days, are false, precarious, and no less contrary to the Holy Scriptures themselves, that to sound Reason and true Philosophy. The proposition therefore which shall be the subject of this Dissertation, and includes the whole point before us, shall be this: The Mosaick Creation is not a Nice and Philosophical account of the Origin of All Things; but an Historical and True Representation of the formation of our single Earth out of a Confused Chaos, and of the successive and visible change thereof each day, till it became the habitation of Mankind. " (p. 3)

According to Whiston, the astronomical heaven was created sometime in the past, then God refashioned a confused chaotic earth through His holy spirit:

". . . "And the Earth was without Form and Void, and Darkness was upon the Face of the Deep, and the Spirit of God moved on the Face of the Waters." Where 'tis clear, that as soon as the Holy Writer descends to the Description of the Chaos, and the commencing of the Six Days Creation, he mentions not a word of any Production out of Nothing (before supposed and asserted to have been past and done, In the Beginning) he omits, and thereby evidently excludes that heaven, or those Superior Systems of the World already spoken of, from any place therein, and by the whole coherence plainly confines the Narration following to the Earth alone with its dependencies.

"Moses does not say, as the common Expositors do, "That just at the commencing of the Six Days Work, the Earth, and all the rest of the World was originally produced; But that, When God had (formerly) created all the World, which is usually distinguished into the Heaven and the Earth, the latter of these, (the consideration whereof was alone pertinent to the present design) at the time preceding the Six Day Work, was in a Wild, Irregular, and Dark condition: or such a perfect Chaos, as nothing but the power of God, and his Spirit's moving on, and influencing the same, could ever have reduced into a habitable World." " (p. 5-6)

Whiston states the sun, moon, and stars were created sometime before the six-day recreation week and not on the fourth day of the week:

"Now, in order to the giving what satisfaction I can in this Point; let it be considered, That the Light being not said to be created by Moses, its Original were without difficulty to be accounted for, if the other Point, the making of the Heavenly Bodies were once settled, which therefore is the sole remaining difficulty in the case before us. And that would be no harder, if the Translation of the Word of Moses were but amended, and the Verse hereto relating, read thus, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the Heaven, to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for season, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the Heaven to give light upon the Earth, and it was so. And God having (before) made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and having (before) made the stars also, God set them in the firmament of the Heavens to give light upon the Earth", &c. or which is all one, "And God had (before) made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he had (before) made the stars also, and God set them in the firmament, &c.

"In which rendering, 'tis only changing the perfectum for the plusquam perfectum, and ever thing is clear and easy, and the Objection vanishes of its own accord; the Creation of the heavenly Bodies being hereby assigned to a former time, and the Work of the fourth day no other than the placing them in our Firmament, according as the account hereafter to be given does require. "

Whiston goes on to state that the literal interpretation of the scriptures indicates a gap:

"And in like manner, 'tis but just to believe, that so much of the Mosaick Creation, as related directly to the Earth and its appurtenances, and so came at once with the comprehension of the History, and of the capacities of the Readers, ought literally to be Interpreted; though some thing extraneous to the Formation of the Earth, and beyond the notice of the people, to be taken in a deferent acceptation. . . And 'tis evident that the Holy Book ought not to be tormented or eluded, as to their obvious sense, on every occasion, under pretence that some particular Texts are to be construed another way. That SACRED RULE ought for ever RELIGIOUSLY to be observed, That we never forsake the plain, obvious, easie and natural sense, unless where the nature of the thing it self, parallel palaces, or evident reason, afford a solid and sufficient ground for so doing. " (p. 26)

Only the earth as affirmed and spoken by ancient sources and Moses was chaotic [8] . The disordered state of the earth did not extend beyond the earth according to Whiston:

"I prove that the History before us, extends not beyond the Earth and it Appendages, because that confused Mass or rude heap of Heterogeneous matter, which we call the Chaos whence all the several parts, were derived extended no farther. I will here I suppose be allowed me that the ancient Chaos, so famous among the ancient Philosophers, and so evidently referred to by Moses, was the entire and single source or promptuary of the six days productions. . . that the Chaos was so far from comprehending the entire matter of the Universe, nay or of the Solar System, that it reached not so far as the Moon, nor indeed any farther than that Terraqueous Globe we now Inhabit. " (p. 32)

"The Mosaic Creation is confined to our Earth, with its Appurtenances, because otherwise the time of the Creation of each Body was so extremely disproportionate to the Work itself, as is perfectly irreconcilable to the Divine Wisdom of it Creator, and the account of the Works themselves as they are set down by Moses. " (p. 41)

Many ancient writers understood that the first two verses in Genesis actually are separated by some amount of time. The amount of time is not important; the duration of the gap will be discussed later. What is important is to understand that verse one and two do not belong in the creation week. The earth was created in verse one, later after the passing of some amount of time it was found in a chaotic state in verse two and was recreated as a fit habitation for humanity. As affirmed by all these quotes the gap theory existed from a very early time historically. It was simply refined by Chalmers and others. In reality the gap has always existed and was simply used by those theologians that wanted to try to marry scripture and science.

Do Hebrew scholars support the Gap theory?

The claim is often made that competent scholars do not support the gap because the gap is extra-Biblical. In reality many Biblical and Hebraic scholars support the gap model and as will be shown later the Bible supports the Old Earth gap model.

Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889) was born in Vienna to Jewish parents. He was well educated in the Talmudic traditions of his parent's faith. After conversion to Christianity he became a minister and then eventually a Church of England Vicar. This position as both a Jewish and Christian scholar made him an authority on Biblical subjects. He also had an extensive knowledge of the Judean/Roman culture of the first century. He wrote extensively and authored many books, two of his most popular are: The Temple: It's Ministry And Services [9] , Bible History: Old Testament [10] . He was also well studied and fluent in Hebrew.

In his book Bible History: Old Testament, which is a 7 volume set he states the following in Volume 1 [11] :

"Then, in the second verse, we find earth described as it was at the close of the last great revolution, preceding the present state of things: "And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." An almost indefinite space of time, and many changes, may therefore have intervened between the creation of heaven and earth, as mentioned in ver. 1, and the chaotic state of our earth, as described in ver. 2. As for the exact date of the first creation, it may be safely affirmed that we have not yet the knowledge sufficient to arrive at any really trustworthy conclusion. "

Another Biblical Scholar was Robert Jamieson. In 1871 along with two other scholars he published a commentary on the whole Bible [12] . In this monumental work, under the heading Old Testament Genesis Chapter 1; Ge. 1:1, 2; The creation of Heaven and Earth, the following comments appear:

"'In the beginning' - period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Proverbs 8:22,23.

"the earth was without form and void" - or in "confusion and emptiness," as the words are rendered in Isaiah 34:11. This globe, at some undescribed period, having been convulsed and broken up, was a dark and watery waste for ages perhaps, till out of this chaotic state, the present fabric of the world was made to arise.

"the Spirit of God moved" - literally, continued brooding over it, as a fowl does, when hatching eggs. The immediate agency of the Spirit, by working on the dead and discordant elements, combined, arranged, and ripened them into a state adapted for being the scene of a new creation. The account of this new creation properly begins at the end of this second verse; and the details of the process are described in the natural way an onlooker would have done, who beheld the changes that successively took place. "

Alfred Edersheim and Robert Jamieson are only a few of the many well-known scholars that support the gap. The reason that these scholars and many others are in agreement with a gap model is because the scriptures support a time period between verse 1 and 2. Young Earth Creationist's claims that no competent scholars support the gap are not true!

Does the Bible support the Gap theory?

Before an examination of where the Young Earth Creationists are Biblically mistaken is undertaken, think about the logic of one of their arguments. This involves two Hebrew words, bara and asah. A typical position is that the word bara means to create, and the word asah means to make, and these two words are interchangeable. Often verse 26 and 27 of the first chapter of Genesis is used as a reference.

"Then God said, "Let Us make (asah) man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." " (Genesis 1:26)

"So God created (bara) man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. " (Genesis 1:27)

According to this position the word asah and bara can be used interchangeably since they both mean to make and or to create. Once the position that asah and bara are linguistically equal is accepted then this is used to interpret Genesis 1:16.

Then God made (asah) two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also." (Genesis 1:16)

Also according to the Young Earth position then the meaning of Exodus 20:11 becomes evident.

"For [in] six days the LORD made (asah) the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11)

Therefore the sun, moon and stars were created on the fourth day and all of Genesis 1:1-2 occur on the same day, the first day of the creation week. Thus there is no gap after the first verse of Genesis, and the earth is only a few thousand years old. As a result the Young Earth position is clinched by their supposed understanding of the words asah and bara.

If the words asah and bara are not synonymous and cannot be used interchangeably then the logic of the Young Earth position disappears. What must be understood is that all words have certain nuances that can easily be overlooked. Take for example the two English words slap and hit. They are often used interchangeably. For example in the following sentence the sense of the sentence would not changed if either word were used:

The man covered his face with his hands, because as he moved through the forest the tree branches were going to slap / hit him in the face.

Either word is acceptable because either word conveys the proper sense of what is happening. Something is "coming in contact" with the face of the man. Consider another example this time it will be evident that only one of these words will fit the sentence in question:

Using her open hand the angry wife was going to slap her unfaithful husband.

In the previous example the proper word to use would be slap. It fits the sense of what is going to happen. Consider one more sentence and it will be evident that the word hit is the appropriate choice:

The driver had not fastened his seat belt and he knew the other car was going to hit him.

In other words, just because words can be used interchangeably does not mean that they mean the same thing. If they meant the same thing in all cases there would not be the need to have two separate words. Asah and bara are examples of this principle. In some places the word asah can be substituted for bara and vice a versa. This does not mean they are defined exactly alike. In the example of the sentences above, technically either word slap or hit could be used in either sentence if what happened was unknown. If what happened was known then selecting the proper word would be simple. The translators of Genesis 2:26-27; Genesis 1:16 and Exodus 20:11 were translating from the position of ignorance, they did not know what had occurred, and therefore they translated these verses in a non-gap context.

If a translator knew that a gap had occurred then he could easily have translated Genesis 1:2 in a context that would support the gap and still be linguistically justifiable. It is the contention of this paper that you would be in a better linguistic position if this were done.

The word bara and the word asah do not mean the same thing. The word bara means to create out of nothing the word asah means to make or fashion out of preexisting material or to appoint something that already exists to a certain position. It is often used in the Old Testament to indicate ordination or appointment to a position. These words bara and asah have widely different meanings. Understanding that asah can mean to appoint or bring forth sends new light on the scriptures that have been previously analyzed:

"Then God said, "Let Us make (asah - bring forth or appoint) man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." " (Genesis 1:26)

"So God created (bara - created) man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. " (Genesis 1:27)

In verse 26 God is taking man, something that is already in existence and he is bringing him forth or appointing him to be in his image. He does not create man in this verse He appoints him in the image of God. In verse 27 God hearkens back to the original creation of man when he brought him into existence out of nothing. This is a bara creation.

"Then God made (asah - brought forth or appointed) two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also." (Genesis 1:16)

"Then God brought forth and appointed two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, also the stars." (Genesis 1:16)

An example of the proper usage of asah and it relation to the moon is given in the Psalms. This verse verifies that the moon in Genesis 1:16 was not created (bara) but it was appointed (asah) on the fourth day [13] .

"He appointed (asah) the moon for seasons; The sun knows it going down. " (Psalm 104:19)

Now with the correct understanding of these two Hebrew words Exodus 20:11 fits the gap scenario nicely. This verse is not talking about the original creation of these things but of the reworking that took place during the recreation account. Notice once again that the word "in" is bracketed indicating that it is not part of the original and was added by the translators. Once it is understood that the recreation events are being discussed the verse actually flows better without the word "in".

"For [in] six days the LORD made (asah - appointed, prepared, furnished, offered) the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11)

One word makes all the difference

The original Hebrew and the historical context of the rest of the Bible has led the gappists to conclude that an unspecified time period exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. The Young Earth Creationists disagree with this view and translate the first two verses as follows:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)

According to this view the heavens, the earth, and all things that exist were created on the first day of the creation week a few thousand years ago. The Old Earth Creationists, on the other hand, believe that earth had a preexistence and became disordered and was recreated after verse two. They believe that the original meaning of verse two supports this concept. They translate the first two verses as follows:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth became without form, and void (indicating confused and disordered); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)

The crux of the difference is the small English word in verse two - was! Was the earth created on the first day of the week and was it in a new but unformed state in verse two as the Young Earth Creationist say [14] . Or, did the earth have a prehistory and it became a cosmic wasteland as translated by the Old Earth Creationist. A large part [15] of the difference of opinion rest on a proper understanding of the linguistics of verse two.

The Hebrew word in question is the word hayah. In the Bible this word, a verb, has been translated; was, come to pass, came, has been, were, happened, become, pertained, better for thee. A popular Hebrew lexicon [16] says the following about the various uses and definitions of this word:

hayah (#1961) – was, to happen, fall out, occur, take place, to come about, come to pass, to become, to become like, to be instituted, be established, to exist, be in existence, to abide, remain, continue, to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated, to occur, be done, be brought about, to be done, be finished, be gone.

Many volumes and papers have been written about the confusion that this one small word has caused in the creation field. The easiest way to see how this word can be used in Genesis 1:2 is to see how it has been used in parallel verses in other parts of the Bible. A good example of the use of the word hayah in a parallel verse is Genesis 4:2:

"And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." (Genesis 4:2, KJV)

Make note of how these two verses compare in their essential structure:

" . . . the heaven and the earth. And the earth was (hayah) without form, and void. . . " (Genesis 1:2)

" . . . bare his brother Abel. And Abel was (hayah) a keeper of sheep. . . " (Genesis 4:2)

In both sentences the first sentence ends with a noun (earth / Abel), which completes the sentence. In the second sentence both begin with the word "And." Then the original noun repeats (earth / Abel). Then this repeated noun is followed by the word "was" - hayah. In every way the grammar and structure of both sentences is identical. Obviously upon examining Genesis 4:2 it is understood that Abel was not born a keeper of sheep and that over the course of time he became a keeper of sheep. In this sense hayah could be translated ". . . and Abel became (hayah) a keeper of sheep. . . " It therefore follows that verse two of Genesis 1 can be translated as follows:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth became (hayah) without form, and void (indicating confused and disordered); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2)

Other examples of this principle, where the word hayah has been translated was and more properly means a change in state (became), occurs in the following verses:

"And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was (became - hayah) the mother of all living." (Genesis 3:20)

"And Adah bore Jabal. He was (became - hayah) the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock." (Genesis 4:20)

Context is everything

Many competent scholars on both sides of the Genesis 1 controversy admit that hayah can be exegetically translated was or became. The final choice of which is a better translation depends on the context of what was happening at that particular time. The irony is that the word hayah appears in the second verse of the Bible when the context has not yet been determined or is unclear. Notice that in the two quotes below, one from a Young Earth viewpoint and the other from an Old Earth viewpoint, that both admit that context is an important if not the deciding factor.

"However, recognized grammarians, lexicographers, and linguists have almost uniformly rejected the translations 'became' and 'had become'. It is a basic exegetical fallacy to claim that because Strong's Concordance lists 'became' as one of the meanings of haya, it is legitimate to translate it this way in the particular context of Genesis 1:2. " [17]

"Some scholars propose that Genesis 1:2 can or should be translated "Now the earth became without form, and void . . ." as opposed to the common rendering "The earth was without form, and void . . ." Others dismiss this idea entirely. They assume the original Hebrew word hayah must be translated "was" and then assume the earth was originally created in this disorderly way. . . However, as can be seen from many Bible helps, both translations of the term are possible. Only the context of the chapter and book can determine which one is correct. Gleason Archer, professor of biblical languages, comments: "It should be noted in this connection that the verb was in Genesis 1:2 may quite possibly be rendered 'became' and be construed to mean: 'And the earth became formless and void.' Only a cosmic catastrophe could account for the introduction of chaotic confusion into the original perfection of God's creation. This interpretation certainly seems to be exegetically tenable . . ." (A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Moody Press, Chicago, 1974, p. 184). " [18]

Since there seems to be so much confusion regarding the context of this verse it is proper that an examination of the scriptures be made to determine the Biblical and historical context of what occurred in relation to these two verses.

Was there sin BEFORE Adam was created?

Sin is the breaking of God's law; it is often termed lawlessness or iniquity. Sometimes sin is equated with breaking of the Ten Commandments. At other times it is the breaking of God's intent or will as defined by his writings or oral commands. Sin involves pride and disobedience.

"Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." John 3:4

"He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 2:4

Sin leads to death. It may be delayed or it may be immediate but sin always leads to death. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we cannot be freed from the penalty of sin.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

Satan is a sinner. Satan was a sinner from the beginning. His was originally a created archangel and was originally named Lucifer, which means, "light bringer." Later pride and vanity caused him to sin and his name was changed to Satan which mean "adversary." He opposes truth and light and he is pictured as the adversary of God and his people. In the following verse he suffers from two hideous sins, lying and murder.

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." John 8:44

Satan sinned before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of "Good and Evil" (later in this article it will be shown that Satan sinned before the seven day creation week). So therefore sin preceded Adam. Humanity although sinful did not originate sin, sin was alive and well before Adam. Although the following verse notes the first recorded lie, which would be a sin, undoubtedly Satan was an experienced sinner by this time. In verse one below, the word cunning (NKJV) or subtle (KJV) is the Hebrew word aruwm (#6175) – examining a lexicon it will be shown that the word denotes: crafty, shrewd, or sly in a bad sense. When Satan approached Eve he was in a competitive or adversarial (Satan = adversary) attitude toward God, he uttered lies and therefore it is obvious that sin did not originate with humans. He told Eve she would not die if she disobeyed God. Satan lied!

"Now the serpent was more cunning (crafty, shrewd, or sly in bad sense) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." " Genesis 3:1-5

What if Adam was not the first sinner? What if Satan was the first sinner, then sin and death would have originated with Satan. Adam simply followed in his spiritual father's footsteps. As an aside if Satan was the originator of sin and he sinned before Adam then we would expect the earth to be full of the fossil of dead animals that died as the result of Satan's sin. In other words the fossil evidence indicates that Satan had sinned long before man since the pre-Genesis 1:3 world is covered with much fossil filled stratum [19] .

Humans have no monopoly on sin. Angels can sin and Satan can manipulate fallen angels.

"His tail drew a third of the stars (stars are angels, see Revelation 1:20) of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:4-9

The previous verse show that there was sin before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sin actually has a long prehistory. Most people do not realize that Satan is the originator of sin and humans are simply tuned into Satan's wavelength.

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." Ephesians 2:1-3

Satan is an arch-deceiver and misleads and manipulates humanity to do his bidding. Satan is so powerful and humans are so tied into his mind set that the only way humans can be spared his influence is if Satan is removed.

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand .He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. . . Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, " Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10

How could a dead planet be GOOD?

According to the Young Earth Creationists God pronounced His creation "good." Everything He had created was termed "good." How could God have said everything was "good" if the world that existed before Genesis 1:2 was full of buried fossils and dead organisms?

Genesis 1:31 says, 'And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold it was very good.' [The Hebrew is meod tov, which indicates perfection, a complete absence of evil of any kind, as Calvin and many other commentators have pointed out] This is hardly an accurate description, if the being who became Satan had already rebelled! And if there were billions of 'Lucifer-flood' fossils with the marks of disease, violence, death, and decay, corresponding to the perishing of an entire pre-Adamic race and the extinction of a complete world of animals, with Adam and Eve walking around on top of buried fossils, how could God have called all this 'very good'? [20]

The Young Earth Creationists misunderstand what is meant by "good" and how God works and what is acceptable to Him. The original intent of God's statement of whether the earth was good or very good does not depend on whether it is free from dead fossils or the taint of death and sin. The earth in Genesis one is called good because the context is dealing with God's present creative acts. In other words, for something to be called good does not depend on it being free of any impurity or blemish. It would have been easy for God to pronounce the earth with all its fossil strata good since the statement good is in the context of what is being noted - his recreation is good. If the Young Earth Creationist position were correct then any piece of the earth after the sin of man could not ever be called good! In reality there are many example of impure physical objects, whether living or now dead, being called good. First of all consider the two Hebrew words translated good and earth in Genesis one and the first verse of Genesis two (this also applies to the rest of the Old Testament).

towb (#2896) - good, excellent pleasant.

'erets (#776) - earth, whole earth, land, ground.

In the totality of the first two chapters of Genesis the word translated earth is 'erets. Notice the earth ('erets) is called good (towb) in Genesis 1:31 and 2:1.

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (towb). So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth ('erets), and all the host of them, were finished." Genesis 1:31; 2:1

In all of Genesis chapter one when the terms good and earth are translated they are translated from these two words, without exception!

After the original creation when the earth had been subjected to centuries of death, destruction, wars, and the killing of all kinds of animals, which would include their burial and possible fossilization, the earth (land) was called good. Included in this "good earth" would be the innumerable organisms and fossils buried by the flood of Noah. This is the same situation that would not allow the Young Earth Creationists to call the earth good in the first chapter of Genesis if their had been a previous world with death and destruction. The exact same Hebrew words are used to call the modern but defiled earth (land) good.

"and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good (towb) land ('erets). " Numbers 14:7

"'I pray, let me cross over and see the good (towb) land ('erets) beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.'" Deuteronomy 3:25

The earth had preexisted in Genesis 1:1 and it was full of dead and buried fossils from a previous catastrophe that had turned it into a cosmic wasteland. In spite of this when God began to refashion the earth for human habitation it was called good just as the earth at a later time was called good. The fact that the earth is called good in these verses has nothing to do with its past state; it has to do with God's recreation in six literal twenty-four hour days being good.

Jesus Christ was a perfect sinless man. He was God in the flesh. He was holy and without spot and blemish He is called good. Yet consider that his mother was a sinner as are all humans [21] . In spite of Jesus being born from a sinful background that involved death, yet He is called holy and blameless. This is an example of how something that is presently spotless does not have to originate from a previous spotless condition. Jesus could not be called good if we used the Young Earth Creationist definition of what is good:

". . . how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14

In order not to belabor the point there are many other examples that could be used to show that the Young Earth definition of goodness is flawed. The main point in this section is to illustrate that the Young Earth Creationist's contention that the earth had to be fossil and death free to be called "good" is incorrect. The earth could have, and it is the contention of this paper that it did have, buried under its surface many hundreds or thousands of feet of fossil rich strata from a previous cosmic catastrophe, and it could still be called good, because God was referring to His recent creative acts. The question now turns to what caused the earth to become a cosmic wasteland?

What do ANGELS have to do with the creation of earth?

The history of Satan and his angels has much to do with the creation (in reality, recreation) account found in the Bible. As mentioned in the previous sections of this article Satan is a very powerful entity. He does exist and he greatly influences the course of this world. He is called the god of this world and he controls the kingdoms of this earth (Daniel 10:12-13, 20). He was given control of the earth. God's coming Kingdom which will be an earth ruling kingdom is going to wrest control of the earth from Satan and will deliver it up to the saints (Daniel 7:27).

". . . whose minds the god (Satan) of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." 2 Corinthians 4:4

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out." John 12:31

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me." John 14:30

Satan is a created being, he was actually created by the personage that later became Jesus Christ. The book of Colossians reveals that Jesus is the creator of everything. Jesus created all spiritual life forms, all physical life forms, the vast universe, time, gravity, and all the various chemical and physical laws that govern how the universe operates. Before this time period only God the Father and God the Son existed:

". . . in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. " Colossians 1:14-17

The first chapter of the book of John actually predates Genesis. It shows that in the past before the creation of Satan, the angelic host, and the physical universe only God existed: the Father and the Son. The Son is referred to as the "Word" the logos that spoke things into existence in Colossians and Genesis. As one Greek lexicon [22] defines the word logos: "the Minister of Creation" - the Spokesman. Jesus Christ as the creator of the Old Testament spoke or commanded Satan into existence!

"In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. " John 1:1-3

The 28th chapter of Ezekiel describes the spiritual career of Satan. It illustrates when he was originally created he was perfect in wisdom and beauty. He was one of the cherubs that covered the throne of God with his wings. This is typified by the lid, which covered the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:17-22). This lid often termed the mercy seat, where the High Priest went to obtain mercy in God's presence, had two angels [23] covering it with their outstretched wings.

Satan was created, he was perfect, he served at God's governmental seat, and then he sinned - iniquity was found in him. After he sinned he was cast out of the presence of God [24] .

""How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit." Isaiah 14:12-15

Jesus Christ states that Satan was assigned to the earth and that he had a throne. A throne signifies rulership or a commission and a kingdom to rule over. He then ascended - "above the heights of the clouds", which cover the earth - up to heaven in order to lead a rebellion to take over God's throne. Satan wanted to rule over the stars, which were angels that were loyal to God. As a result of this war in heaven Satan and his demons were cast out of heaven back to the earth from which they had "ascended".

"His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. . . And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:4, 7-8

The whole solar system has scars of past planetary catastrophes. On the earth large craters caused by comets and planetoids have pockmarked its surface. Also the earth has thousands of feet of strata rich in fossil deposits, which indicate that the earth has been through at least one other worldwide catastrophe prior the flood of Noah [25] .

What evidence is there for a catastrophe between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2?

There is much biblical evidence that reveals that a catastrophe has occurred between the first two verses of Genesis one. A proper understanding of what is written in the second verse will help us to see that there has been a previous catastrophe before the recreation account in Genesis.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was (hayah-became) without form (tohu - confusion), and void (bohuw - empty); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " Genesis 1:1-2

The two Hebrew words translated without form and void are the two Hebrew words tohuw and bohuw.

tohuw (#8414) – formless, confusion, vain, unreality, wasteland, wilderness, place of chaos.

bohuw (#922) – emptiness, void, waste.

As has been shown before the Hebrew word was-hayah in the second verse should be translated became. The last part of verse two indicated that the earth then became a confused empty formless wasteland (tohuw and bohuw), because of Satan's rebellion and sin.

An examination of a couple of verses where these two words tohuw and bohuw are used will be illustrative. The first is in Isaiah where God likens the original destruction of the earth to the chaotic state of the nation of Israel. Israel was in a state of confusion (tohuw). God is revealing two principles by this scripture. First the earth was not originally created in a state of confusion or vanity (tohuw) it therefore became that way. In the same sense the nation of Israel was not originally created in a state of confusion but it also had become that way (note all of Isaiah 45). Just as God had saved and recreated the earth from its original confused and chaotic state so God was going to save Israel from its confused and chaotic state.

"But Israel shall be saved by the LORD With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain (tohuw), Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:17-18

The second example is a parallel examination of Genesis 1:1-2 and Jeremiah 4:23-26. In both of these passages the words tohuw and bohuw are used. The context for the verses in Genesis is where it speaks about the condition of the earth before the creation of the first Adam. The context of the verses in Jeremiah reveals the condition of the earth immediately after the tribulation. Jesus Christ returns shortly after the tribulation. So in essence the earth's conditions before the arrival of Christ is described. Jesus Christ is often referred to as the last or second Adam. So in both of these verse the context is the arrival of Adam and a reconstituted and recreated earth. Both verses also describe a period of no light and the spirit or presence of God. The first earth was recreated physically. The second millennial earth will be recreated both physically and spiritually. The first Adam was earthy the second Adam was spiritual.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form (tohuw), and void (bohuw); and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " Genesis 1:1-2

"I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form (tohuw), and void (bohuw); And the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger." Jeremiah 4:23-26

"And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. " 1 Corinthians15:45

Another clue that the earth was in a state of destruction is found in the second part of Genesis 1:2. This verse shows that the earth had been covered in a deep mantle of water. It was not until verse ten that dry land appeared. God used water as a judgment in the time of Noah when He sent a flood to destroy wicked men. This flood cleansed the earth as it destroyed the ancient world (Genesis 6:13). God sent a rainbow as a reminder to the flood survivors that He would never again destroy the world with water. Obviously God buried the pre-Adamic sinful world of Satan under vast sheets of water. This is the condition we find the earth in shortly before it is recreated. There is another flood coming that will bury or baptize the earth, but in keeping with God's promise it will not be a flood of water but of fire [26] .

". . . and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2

" For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. . . But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. . . looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" 2 Peter 3:5-7, 10, 12

When did God create LIGHT?

There are several problems that concern the chronology of the appearance of light in the Young Earth Scenario. The earth was supposedly created on day one and the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four. Thus for four days the earth existed without the accompaniment of any type of celestial bodies. This creates several problems that may not be inherent in a cursory reading of Genesis one.

" God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day." (Margin - and evening was, and morning was, a day one) (New King James Version Bible) Genesis 1:5

"God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day." (Revised Standard Version Bible) Genesis 1:5.

". . . and God calleth to the light 'Day,' and to the darkness He hath called 'Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning -- day one." (Young's Literal Translation Bible) Genesis 1:5

If, according to the Young Earth scenario God did not create the sun until the fourth day how does one explain the coming of sunset or the evening, and the coming of sunrise or the morning? There can only be a sunset and a sunrise if the sun exists and if the earth is revolving in its orbit around the sun every twenty-four hours. How can there be three days if the earth was sitting in dark space without a sun? How does one explain the existence of light before the creation of the sun moon and stars if the only light that exists in the present day heavens is the result of the radiance of the sun, stars, and the reflected light from the moon?

Once again these problems disappear under the Old Earth analysis of Genesis one. If the sun and all the celestial bodies were created in verse one than the problem with the days, and light existing before the creation of the sun disappears. What basically is happening in the description of light in the first chapter is easy to understand from an Old Earth perspective. When the re-creation scene begins in verse three the earth's surface is totally dark because of suspended particles of dust in the air. When God said, "Let there be light", enough of this suspended material was removed that the earth is now bathed in a subdued light. This would correspond to a particular cloudy day where the heavenly bodies would not be visible but yet the coming of day and night could be perceived. It would be analogous to someone coming into a darkened room and saying, "let there be light" as he drew back the curtains to allow outside light in. Later, on day four God totally cleans the atmosphere and the sun, moon, and stars become visible through the pristine atmosphere. All of these creative acts take place from the perspective of an observer on the surface of the earth.

What do translations of Genesis 1:2 reveal?

Different Bible translations of the second verse of Genesis two reveal an interesting perspective. The wording of many of the translations implies that the earth had become or was a waste or wasteland. This is what would be expected if the earth were in the process of being re-created and not in the process of being created.

". . . The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (New King James Version)

". . . the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness is on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters," (Young's Literal Translation)

"And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. " (Darby Translation)

"And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (American Standard Version)

"And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters." (Basic English Bible)

"the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water." (Today's English Version)

"The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water." (Contemporary English Version)

Conclusion

There is much biblical evidence that indicates that the creation account in Genesis one is simply a recreation account. The Old Earth position has not been traditionally accepted because of the need for vast amounts of time in order to harmonize with man evolutionary timetable. The Gap theory, in fact, preceded modern geology and has a long history. The gap is based on solid biblical evidence and also a proper understanding of the context of chronological events of biblical history involving Satan, angels, war in heaven, sin, judgment, and God's plan.

The proper understanding of the gap and the Old Earth position reveals several things. First and foremost it reveals a proper understanding of the history of Satan and the angels he led into rebellion. Because of the gap, God is revealed as a God of justice and judgment and that all sin had consequences. It is lastly revealed that God has a plan and that there is a new world coming.