Rightly-Dividing
Geology and the Book of Genesis
Beyond
the "Gap Theory"
of Christian Creationism
"In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
(Genesis
1:1 KJV)
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"And
the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep.
And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
(Genesis
1:2 KJV)
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Is there a
time-gap between the first two verses of Genesis? On this website you
will learn about a controversial, lesser known literal interpretation
of the Genesis narrative that does not contradict the scientific
evidence for an Old Earth. Commonly called the "Gap Theory"
or Ruin-Reconstruction interpretation, it is a theology much older
than Darwin and the Theory of Evolution. It is based on the Scriptural
fact that in the second verse of Genesis, the Holy Bible simply and
clearly states that the planet Earth was already here (but in a ruined
state) before the creative process of the seven days even begins.
Understanding this Biblical mystery begins with the precise wording of
this New Testament cross-reference:
"For
this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the
water and in the water: Whereby the
world that then was,
being overflowed with water, perished: But
the heavens and the earth,
which
are now,
by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
(2 Pet
3:5-7 KJV)
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Contrary to
popular interpretation, the above passage is NOT a reference to Noah's
flood. (See Introduction Pages for specifics.) And the only other
place in the Bible where the Earth was covered in waters is Genesis
1:2. The ramifications are obvious: The literal wording suggests that
the "heavens and the earth, which
are now" (made during
the seven days) was not the first-time creation of all things as is
traditionally assumed. The Word of God appears to be telling the
reader there was a previous populated world on the face of this old
Earth before God formed the present world of modern Man. This
invalidates the Doctrine of Young Earth Creationism.
The Bible
itself provides insight into a great mystery in Earth's natural
history at what is known as the Pleistocene - Holocene boundary.
Science remains at a loss to definitively explain the Ice Age and the
anomaly of the mysterious mega fauna extinctions across the face of
the Earth about 12,000 to 10,000 Radio Carbon years ago. Geologic
evidence from that period indicates extraordinary global massive
volcanism, gigantic tidal waves, seismic activity on a vast scale, and
extreme climate swings on the Earth over a geologically brief period
of time. It is no coincidence that the Bible at Genesis 1:2 describes
the Earth as flooded, desolate, and in darkness in the timeframe
closely corresponding to these catastrophic events in the Earth's
natural history. Clearly, these two mysteries are linked.
Why the old "world
that then was"
ended, and why God made a new world and modern Man, requires a study
into the ancient origins of Satan and the Angels. The Earth has an
ancient natural history that can be deciphered from the geologic
record, but it also has an equally important ancient spiritual history
that can only be deciphered from Rightly-Dividing the Holy Bible.
Knowledge of both is required to correctly reconcile Geology and the
Book of Genesis. We pray you will find this material useful in your
study of God's Holy Word.
For more Truth from YHVH'S HOLY WORD,
visit
The Bible,
Genesis, & Geology
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