Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | DocSpock | 8212 | ||
Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. I’d like to offer here some extracts from my Bible notes: Gen 1:2 “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep...,” but God does not create things in darkness, without form and void: 1. tohu va' bohu Isaiah tells us “God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain [without form]...” (Isaiah 45:18 KJV). The word translated 'vain' is that Hebrew word tohu, and it means formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness etc. It is the same word used in Genesis 1:2, translated “without form” (KJV). The words translated without form and void are the rhyming words tohu va' bohu. (In some parts of the world, people use (or have used) this phrase to describe any scene of utter chaos, pandemonium or disorder – even an untidy bedroom!) Fallen nature tends towards disorder (the second law of thermodynamics), but God is not a God of disorder (I Cor 14:33). His work is perfect (Deut 32:4). His work is glorious (Psalm 111:3). When God creates, he does so in magnificent beauty. He is not an evolutionist – he does not begin a creation in a state of gross chaos, but every moment or grade of his creative work is, in itself, something splendid and majestic. If there is any chaos, if there is anything ugly, rest assured the fault lies with another. But thank God; he takes the formless, the ugly, the useless and the impotent, and transforms it beyond recognition into something beautiful. 2. was, or became “And the earth was [or became] without form, and void”. The Hebrew word translated “was” may also be rendered “became”. A good lexicon will include possible renderings such as “come to pass”, “happen”, “take place”, “to come about”, among others. Maybe countless billions of years lie between verses one and two of Genesis 1. This begs the question, what happened during this period of time? Many believe there was a star wars; a great battle in the heavens for the supremacy of the cosmos between Lucifer and Elohim, in which a third (Rev 12:4) of the heavenly hosts raged against their brethren in civil war. Suffice it to say, Lucifer, stripped of his office and title, expelled from the heavens, defeated and humiliated, fell like lightning to the earth (Luke 10:18) with all his cronies. 3. Star wars and desolation I suspect this destructive battle brought the earth into a state of chaos and confusion (tohu va' bohu), that necessitated its regeneration, rejuvenation, and refurbishment, as described in Genesis 1. This rhyming Hebrew phrase is also found in (Jeremiah 4:23), and in these verses further revelation on the earth's chaotic state of being is imparted. A. There was no light. (Jer 4:23) God removed His light (God is light, (I John 2:5) ) as well as the earth's natural light. Without the sun, the waters would have frozen quickly, encasing animals and vegetation alike in tombs of ice. B. The shaking (Jer 4:24) Mountains and hills trembled violently. Perhaps this is where the fault lines originated, since the earth in its initial state was whole. C. There was no apparent life. (Jer 4:25) There was no man - he had not yet been created - and not even birds were flying in the air. Without the sun, living creatures died. A cataclysmic event of gigantic proportions! D. Broken cities These were the remnants of cities destroyed in God's fierce and terrible anger. This, of course, begs another question. Who built them? Many bible scholars believe a pre-Adamic race was upon the earth, but that’s another topic… Genesis 1:2 ...and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. There was a great deal of water around, even before God began to speak. We know from Hebrews 11:3 that it is God’s Word which brings His creation into existence, but no words, as yet, have been spoken, in the Genesis account. The waters and the earth, which was now formless and void, were also created by God before His work in Genesis 1:3-27. 2 Peter 3:4-5 "by the word of GOD the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water" The earth was formed out of the water, according to this scripture, which is reflected in Genesis 1, but these same waters were the means by which “the world at that time was destroyed.” I do not believe this is referring to the flood of Noah, but the cataclysmic event I described briefly earlier on. - - - The so-called “Gap Theory” is by no means theologically bankrupt, and I do not believe that anyone who considers these things as distinct possibilities is stupid or a radical (!). Unfortunately, it’s fascinating but relatively unimportant topics like these which attracts much controversy and division. To coin a phrase: “take it or leave it”. I respectfully submit these views to the forum. |
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2 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | EdB | 8229 | ||
DocSpock, Your right the gap theory is more than just a pipe dream it is a fairly well known theory made popular by two very popular study Bibles, Scofield's and Dake's. The idea is thought to have come from Thomas Chalmers a Scottish theologian of late 1700's early 1800's. The biggest problem to it is undermines the gospel by allowing death, sickness, killing, and suffering to occur before the fall in the garden. The theory has found favor by many as an effort to reconcile the Bible with ages placed on earth and various fossils and formations found within the earth. All of these are based on carbon dating. Carbon dating is now held in suspect by many scientist as being totally inaccurate on objects older than 4-6 thousand years. |
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3 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | Hank | 8231 | ||
Ed, I agree with you regarding the "Gap Theory." It's merely another in a long line of theories ostensibly designed to explain the unexplainable mysteries of God's creation. The theory is weak at best; the gap theorists can offer virtually nothing to support their view. I'd sooner accept what the Bible says in plain language than seek to invent theories in an effort to explain what it does not say. The Darwinian theory of evolution, for example, leads down dead-end paths and creates far more questions than it answers. As a matter of fact, I can't think of anything it really does answer definitively. And you're right about carbon dating too. It's been proved highly unreliable not once, but many times. At one time carbon dating was the darling of some scientists who set out to "prove" the creationists wrong and the evolutionists right. It failed them miserably. Is is such a radical statement to say that God created the universe just as He said He did? Do we need to add our varnish to the account to slick it up and make it conform to our notions of how He did it? Not I, brother Ed, not I. --Hank | ||||||
4 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | Makarios | 8251 | ||
And I would also agree against this theory ("Gap Theory") that can only be based upon speculation and not from the Bible itself. I believe that the earth was created thousands of years ago, not millions. I also believe in the literal 'six days' of creation instead of the 'six periods of time' which would support the "Gap Theory".. I believe that it is a 'stretch' at best, like the "Big Bang" theory and "Evolution".. | ||||||
5 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | DocSpock | 8258 | ||
So far, I see no scriptural objections, only (you'll forgive me) noises of disapproval. You will observe from my note - if that's what you are commenting on - that 6 literal days are not refuted. The only idea being presented is that rock and water existed in a planetary mass before these 6 days, and were created at an earlier time. Following this view, these six days of re-creation have not been converted into 'six periods of time'. Furthermore, this does not necessarily lend any credibility to carbon dating, since we have no knowledge of what vestiges of the old world, if any, remain, or how long the “gap” was. It is at this point we enter into real speculation. Whatever else you may have read, I do not feel that my comments, at any rate, are “designed to explain the unexplainable mysteries of God's creation”, neither do they deviate from the “plain language” of the Bible – the OT is Hebrew, and so it’s hardly surprising that our English translations can obscure occasionally the meaning, or the harmony between several corresponding scriptures, namely Gen 1:2, Isaiah 45:18, Jer 4:23. Anyhow, these notes have been offered as thoughts, not as didactic doctrine. I have my own queries too, but I think we would do better to express our doubts through scripture. These are my last comments on this topic, and I respectfully submit them to this forum. God bless. |
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6 | Time lapse between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3. | Gen 1:2 | Hank | 8271 | ||
Dear DocSpock: My comments regarding the "Gap" and other theories relating to the genesis of the universe were not in any manner directed, or intended to be directed, toward you personally. I'm keenly aware that you in your post included a disclaimer and that you are not offering your thoughts as didactic scriptural exegesis. My point was, and is, that as far back as written records can take us, man has gazed into the heavens and wondered how it all began. He has postulated any number of theories born of his desire to understand his origin and the origin of the universe in which he finds himself. Some of his theories presuppose a Creator, some do not. Few, if any, of man's theories are in full accordance with or parallel the Gensis account of creation. My hypothesis is, as a believer in the God of the Bible, that it is enough to take the Gensis account for what it says and be done with it. Secular humanists and skeptics engage in all manner of debates and speculations, but in my view it is a venture into which the Christian should proceed with caution if at all. I believe God still asks of His people as He asked of Job: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding." --Hank | ||||||