The Gap Theory (Genesis Chapter One - Part 2)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. So in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. But then notice, the earth and everything he created was void.

It was void and without form and everything was dark. I think it's necessary to spend a moment or two on this. Because in modern times, who knows what the gap theory is? Raise your hand if you know what the gap theory is, you've at least heard of it.

In modern times, what people have done is they've tried to make the Bible fit. Because if you go to school, you go to university, you're going to be taught that the earth, the Big Bang Theory, the universe is 15 billion years old.

The earth is 4 to 6 billion years old, and all of that. And that obviously doesn't jive with the Bible, right? So people, in order to make the Bible fit with atheistic ideas, some people have proposed the gap theory.

So the idea is that in between Genesis 1 -1 and verse 2, there is this gap. Maybe billions of years went by in this gap. Well, does it say anything about that? Is that recorded in the Bible? And notice it's the gap theory.

Notice that word, theory. It's the gap theory. I know they teach evolution as a fact, but evolution is what? It's a theory. Well, I have a theory for you. How about you just believe God's word and take it at face value?

How about that? Well, I guess that's not really a theory, is it? But it's good advice. Because it's called faith. But the gap theory, this idea that some have proposed that there's billions of years in between verse 1 and verse 2, that kind of helps, they think, fit the Bible with so-called science.

And of course, we believe in science, but we don't believe this theory. Well, the Bible doesn't say anything about this. In fact, Exodus chapter 20 verse 11 says, For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and all that is in them.

And he rested on the seventh day. That's what the Bible says. So, scripture teaches no such thing in terms of the gap theory. It was created in modern times, again, in an attempt, and it may have been well-meaning by some people, but it's trying to blend, really, atheistic science with scripture.

I know most of you know this, but evolution is not science. Evolution, the Big Bang, it's not science. Nobody was there to observe it. You cannot test it. It is not science. There's an agenda behind this, right?

There's an agenda. I think we understand that. What's the agenda? To push God off of his throne so that man can sit on the throne. That's the agenda. So, the earth is not four to six billion years old.

According to the Bible, the earth is about 6 ,000 years old, maybe 10 ,000 at the very most. So, how do you know that? Well, if you take the six days of creation, Adam was created on what day? Day six.

And we know how many years Adam lived. And then we have the genealogy. So, it's, you know, you add it up. It's simple math that the earth is about 6 ,000 years old. Now, the reason why the atheists and the agnostics have gone at this idea of attacking the literalness of Genesis 1, 2, and 3, they've gone after it so hard because they know if they can shake someone's faith in the first few chapters of the Bible, then the rest of it's pretty easy.

I mean, if you can't take the first few chapters of Genesis literally, and you know how people don't take the book of Revelation literally, if the beginning isn't literal, and the end isn't literal, maybe everything in between isn't literal.

So, we're not ignorant of his devices. This is a satanic attack on the word of God. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying a person's salvation, I don't mean to imply that anyone's salvation hinges on their view of a literal six-day creation.

But if, yeah, if you're willing to kind of bend on that, that's a danger that you might be bending on some other things later on. So, why do you believe this, Pastor? You're in the minority. You know, you go out in public and say the earth is 6 ,000 years old.

Someone's going to laugh at you, right? Has anyone ever been laughed at by saying this? Do you care? You know, look at the things the world is doing, and they're going to laugh at us? I don't think so.

Why Jesus’ View of Scripture Matters

Here's why I believe it. As a Christian, I follow Christ. And as a Christian, you believe what Christ believed, right? We believe what Christ believed. We listen to him. If you read the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth believed in a literal reading of the Old Testament.

In Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, Jesus called the Old Testament scriptures, the word of God. Man shall live by every word of God. Jesus believed in a literal Adam. Matthew 19, verse 4. Jesus affirmed the law.

That's the law of Moses. That's the book of Genesis through Deuteronomy. Matthew 5, 17. Jesus affirmed the law. Jesus believed in a literal Noah. Jesus believed in a literal worldwide flood. Matthew 24, 38, and 39.

So, if this was the viewpoint of Jesus of Nazareth, if we are his followers, we are obligated to believe what Jesus believed.

Amen?

It's that simple. So, if somebody asks me, why do you believe the scriptures? Why do you take them literally? It's simple. Because Jesus did. I'm his follower. It's that simple. So, the events we're reading about here in Genesis happened how long ago?

About 6 ,000 years ago. Moses is the author of Genesis. How long ago is Moses writing? Well, it's about 3 ,500 years ago, give or take. So, we should touch on this. Where did Moses, I mean, how did Moses know?

He wasn't in the beginning. How did Moses know? What would you say? How did Moses know?

Yeah.

Inspiration.

God is giving him revelation. Simply put, God told him. I'm sure there were some oral traditions that were passed down as well. But you know what the scripture says about Moses? That God spoke to Moses face to face.

God spoke to Moses face to face. So, Moses is writing what God wants him to write. God, who created man and desires to be known by man, is revealing himself to this man, Moses. And Moses is writing to make God known to everybody else.

So, this makes Moses a prophet. Someone that the Lord is using as his mouthpiece. You know, either God has spoken or he hasn't. Either we can know God and know about him or we can't. It's one or the other.

And throughout history, it's been almost the universal belief through the ages that God has spoken. He has revealed himself in his holy word, the Bible. So, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

And 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. And then what did God say? Let there be light. Now, what is this light?

It's interesting. If you read it, the sun, the moon, and the stars were not created until day what?

Day four.

So, on the first day, there's light. But sun isn't created until day four. How do you reconcile that? The light was almost certainly the glory of God. How do we know that? Revelation 21 verse 22 or 23.

Speaking of the new heaven and the new earth. In eternity, there's not going to be any need of the sun.

Why?

Because the glory of God illuminates it. And the land, Jesus Christ, is its light. What was the, let there be light? I believe that was the glory of the Lord. Shining, shining through on the creation.

And there's actually many connections between the first few chapters of Genesis and the last few of Revelation. It's really interesting. We don't have time to cover that. We'll cover some of that tonight if you want to come for that.

But now, with both light and darkness existing. God calling the light day and the darkness he calls night. Now, look at verse five. He says, so in the evening and the morning were the first day. Well, day actually means millions and millions of years.

Where do people come up with this stuff? That's not what it says.

It says day.

On the other hand, the Hebrew word yom, translated day. It can refer to a period of time, a long period of time. It doesn't always refer to a literal 24 hour day. But based on the context here of morning and evening, I think it suggests a literal 24 hour day as we would think of it.

So, this is day one. On day two, God separates the waters. Now, you've got to pay attention here. This is the most interesting part of the study. And it leaves me a little confused, honestly. I've never quite known what to make of this.

Look at Genesis 1, 6 through 8. It says, then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters. Let it divide the waters from the waters. Thus, God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.

And it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. So, the evening and the morning were the second day. Now, what is the firmament? Now, this is not a term that we usually use today. And what are these waters above?

Like, we can understand the waters down here, the waters below. But what do you mean waters above? So, this is a little perplexing. So, the Hebrew word for firmament, and if you read some of the older commentaries, it speaks of something like a solid dome above.

Like a solid dome above holding back the waters. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to make of that. Of course, we know today there is water vapor above. And we know there is the atmosphere above. There are many who believe that the flood, or before the flood, the atmosphere of the earth was very different.

As a matter of fact, it had to have been very different. It may have been something like a canopy so that the light did not come through the same way it does today. That could explain why they lived so much longer.

There wasn't that radiation from the sun. If that's true, the whole earth, it would have been like a greenhouse. The whole earth, if you were up in Alaska, it would have been like a tropical climate all over the world.

So, whatever it was like, and whatever it's talking about here, and again, I find it very interesting. But God divided the waters on day two. And he put in between the firmament, or the first heaven. Okay, then on day three, God caused dry land to appear.

And the earth's surface started to take form with continents and the seas and the ocean. He also caused the land to bring forth vegetation. So, plants, grass, trees that brought forth fruit. That was all created on day three.

On day four, as I said, what's created on day four? Right, the lights in the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars. They were to now divide day from night. And look at verse 14. The Lord says, let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years.

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth. And it was so. Then God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night.

He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth. And to rule over the day and over the night and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Everything God creates is good. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornet Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornetchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.