Is The Gap Theory True?

First of all what is the Gap Theory, also known as "The Ruin-Reconstruction Theory?" The person responsible for the Gap Theory was Thomas Chalmers. He was a notable Scottish theologian and first moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. The idea was traced back to the writing of the Dutchman Episcopius and was first recorded in one of Chalmers lectures in 1814. Even though Chalmers came up with the idea, Rev. William Buckland, a geologist, popularized his idea. Another notable 19th century writer to popularize this idea was G.H. Pember, in his book Earth's Earliest Age, first published in 1884.

 Now that we got a little background on to where this theory came from, lets discuss it. This theory suggests that there is a gap of billions of years between the first two verses of Genesis. Supposedly a soulless race of people lived during this time period and some even puts the rebellion of Satan and his angels in there as well. Also death was introduced during this time period. God didn't like what he saw, and decided to send a worldwide flood to kill everyone. No this was not a Noahic Flood! This flood was known as "Lucifer's Flood."  After billions of years God reconstructed the earth in six literal days. The reconstruction begins with verse three of Genesis where God is portrayed as creating light.

Now there are some problems with this theory, and we are going to discuss them. First of all it is not consistent with God creating everything in six literal days! Exodus 20:11 states, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Where is there time for a Gap?

Second, it puts death, disease, and suffering before the Fall.  God mentioned everything he made as good. Sin only entered the earth when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Romans 5:12 mentions, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."  The Gap Theory contradicts the Bible! I Corinthians 15:45 tells us Adam was the first man. With saying that there couldn't have been another race of men on the Earth prior to Adam. Genesis 1:30 says, "And to every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so."  The animals were vegetarians, because everything God made was GOOD!   

Third, the Gap theory does away with Noah's flood. If the fossil records was formed by "Lucifer's Flood," then what did Noah's Flood do? A gap theorist will have to conclude that it did virtually nothing! Then they would have to make Noah's Flood a local event rather then a worldwide one. However, Genesis depicts Noah's Flood as a judgement for man's sin. The fossils geologist find today came from Noah's Flood, not from millions of years of death and struggle.

As you noticed in the first chapter of Genesis, every verse starts with the conjuncture "And."  It connects the verses together so there is no room for a huge time gap.The grammatical connection between verses 1 and 2 rules out the gap theory. The Bible shows consistency with God creating everything in six literal days!   

People try to combine the account of creation with geologist's theory of how old the Earth is.  There are many Christians who take this theory to heart.  The Gap Theory undermines the foundations of the Christian message!

http://www.answersingenesis.org/