| | CLOSING THE GAP
by Ken Ham
What about the Gap Theory?
This is a question often asked at creation
seminars. A good many well meaning, Bible-
believing Christians hold to what is called the
"Gap Theory" because of the popular belief that
geologists provide undeniable evidence that
the world is exceedingly old (i.e., 4.5 billion
years). They do not accept evolution, and
therefore claim to hold to a literal Genesis. This
article will show that the typical
"ruin/reconstruction" Gap Theory actually
destroys the foundation of the work of the
cross, by accepting the non-proven
evolutionary geological time scale.
What is the Gap Theory?
A long period of time, perhaps millions or
billions of years, supposedly fits between
Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. Although modern
expressions of it are quite varied, the
traditional view is best summarized by Weston
W. Fields in his book, Unformed and Unfilled
(page 7), where he states:
"In the far distant, dateless past God created a
perfect heaven and perfect earth. Satan was
ruler of the earth which was peopled by a race
of "men" without any souls. Eventually, Satan,
who dwelled in a garden of Eden composed of
minerals (Ezekiel 28), rebelled by desiring to
become like God (Isaiah 14). Because of Satan's
fall, sin entered the universe and brought on
the earth God's judgment in the form of a flood
(indicated by the water of 1:2), and then a global
ice-age when the light and heat from the sun
were somehow removed. All the plant, animal,
and human fossils upon the earth today date
from this "Lucifer's Flood" and do not bear any
genetic relationship with the plants, animals
and fossils living upon the earth today."
Mention should be made here that some
modern advocates propose a Gap only for the
purpose of attempting to account for Satan's
fall. Many others hold it to allow for evolution
and an old earth, thereby accepting both
evolution of the previous world and creation of
the present world.
Difficulties and Inconsistencies with the
Gap Theory
1. The "Lucifer's Flood" concept destroys the
reason the Gap Theory was first proposed.
Gap theorists accept the earth as very old
(billions of years), because evolutionists claim
that the fossil-containing rocks were supposedly
laid down over millions of years.
To account for the fossil record that is thus
said to pre-date man, some Gap theorists
propose that the fossil-containing sediments
were formed by "Lucifer's Flood" (as described
above) which supposedly occurred between
Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 millions of years ago due to
the fall of Satan. By doing this, they are saying
that the fossil record was formed by a
catastrophe. But this means they have just
destroyed the very reason they wanted a gap
in the first placeÄthe idea that the sediments
were formed slowly over millions of years;
thus the earth is very old. This is a major
inconsistency.
Those who hold that the fossils record
evolution over a long time ignore the fact that
a catastrophe, which could wipe out all life and
leave the earth dark and completely
underwater, would destroy the fossil-bearing
strata as well. In both scenarios, there is an
unsurmountable inconsistency.
2. The flood of Noah's day must have been only
a local or tranquil event. If the fossil record is
explained on the basis of either "Lucifer's
Flood" or the evolutionary ages, then the flood
of Noah's day must have left virtually no
trace. Thus, Noah's flood must have been just
a local event or a tranquil flood that did no
geologic work. This is the reason most ardent
Gap theorists insist Noah's flood was just a
local event.
However, Genesis depicts Noah's flood as a
catastrophic event that covered the whole
world. It was not a local flood, and it certainly
was not a tranquil event. (Read Genesis 6Ä9.)
If the Gap theorist wants to explain the fossil
record with a catastrophe, why not do it with
one the Bible does talk about (Noah's flood)
rather than one it doesn't talk about ("Lucifer's
Flood")?
3. There is much scientific evidence indicating
a young earth.
The true Gap theorist also ignores the large
amount of evidence amassed by scientists that
is consistent with a belief in a young age for
the earth and universe. Cosmic dust, breakup
of galaxy clusters, existence of comets, decay of
the earth's magnetic field, chemicals in the
oceans, etc., all point to a recent creation of all
things.
4. The Gap theorists believe that there was
animal death before Adam, but the Bible
teaches adamantly there was no death
before Adam. To accept death before Adam
is to destroy the foundational message of
the cross. On the basis of a number of
passages of Scripture (e.g., Romans 5:12,
I Corinthians 15:21), it is understood that
there could not have been sin or
death before Adam. I Corinthians 15 makes it
plain that this is physical death, not just
spiritual death. This is consistent with the fact
that Genesis 1:29 and 30 teach us that the
animals and man were originally created
vegetarian.
In Hebrews 9:22, we are told that "without
the shedding of blood there is no remission"
of sin. In other words, God introduced death
and bloodshed because of sin as the means by
which man could be redeemed. If death and
bloodshed of animals (or man) existed before
Adam sinned, then the whole basis of
atonementÄthe basis of redemptionÄis
destroyed.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Genesis records a catastrophe responsible for
destroying all land organisms that had the
"breath of life" in them, except for those
preserved in Noah's Ark. Christ refers to the
global flood in Noah's day in Matthew 24:37-
39, and Peter writes that, just as there was
once a world-wide judgment of mankind by
water, so there will be another world-wide
judgment, this time by fire (II Peter 3). To
call Noah's flood either a local or tranquil
flood which followed long geologic ages
destroys the doctrine of coming judgment.
Furthermore, to advocate death before
Adam sinned is diametrically opposed to the
Scripture's explanation that death came after
Adam sinned and became the necessity for
man's redemption.
We need to give up the Gap Theory!../
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