The Gap Theory

[stony ground]

Where do you stand on the "Gap Theory", with regard to your wider beliefs concerning creation?

[stony ground]

And I guess the answer is: nobody cares.

Thanks for the stimulating conversation.

[faithinthefire]

It's an interesting possibility, and one that I find fascinating. I haven't decided where I stand on it, other than that.

[seekerman]

Originally Posted by stony ground

Where do you stand on the "Gap Theory", with regard to your wider beliefs concerning creation?

Some of my friends believe that we're in a second earth age and one of their theories is the word "was" should be correctly translated as "became" in Gen 1:2. I'm not sure if I agree with that. I do believe in a supernatural creation process which probably occurred over billions of years and could possibly fit into the gap theory.

[mfblume]

I lean towards it strongly.

[RandyWayne]

Well, we know the age of the Earth is 4.3-4.5 billion years with quite a bit of certainty. The question is where does man fit in that time line? We know that mitochondrial Eve is anywhere from 20 to 100 thousand years old and that all humans went through a single male (Noah) about 10 to 20 thousand years ago. But before these dates we have massive extinctions many millions of years earlier.

[stony ground]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

Well, we know the age of the Earth is 4.3-4.5 billion years with quite a bit of certainty. The question is where does man fit in that time line? We know that mitochondrial Eve is anywhere from 20 to 100 thousand years old and that all humans went through a single male (Noah) about 10 to 20 thousand years ago. But before these dates we have massive extinctions many millions of years earlier.

Interesting. I assume you mean that Noah is what science calls the Y-chromosomal "Adam". I never thought about it that way, but that makes sense.

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I myself favor the Gap Theory strongly, however I am not completely in the 'Old Earth' camp, because I also favor some 'Day-Age' ideas. While I do believe the Earth is exceedingly older than the few thousand years in the Biblical genealogies, I am not convinced of a literal 6 -24 hour period - creation week. The sun (from which we derive our 24-hour day) wasn't even created until the fourth day, so how long were the first 3 days? Thoughts?

And of course the Gap Theory allows for most of prehistory to have occured as we now understand it without conflicting with the Genesis account.

Another question: if you allow for the possibility of the "Gap" between Genesis 1:1 & 2, do you think this is when the war mentioned in Revelation 12:7-9 occurs?

[acerrak]

me personally i dont believe the earth is billions of years old, I belive its more along the lines of 6000 to 7000 years old.

[scotty]

Science contains too many flaws for me to give it much weight. They change too much. The more they study the more they correct themselves and find their own findings to be wrong.
Science once thought the sun revolved around the earth.
Science once thought the earth was flat.
Science once thought the Brontosaurus was a meat eater.

Hows that "God particle" experiment workin out ? Hmmmm.

[mfblume]

I believe the earth is billions of years old. the idea that God created the earth ANCIENT just like He made Adam a MAN and not an infant is silly. There is a reason for making man a man. he had to cope.

Isaiah said God did not make the earth in vain. IN VAIN is the same word used in VOID AND WITHOUT FORM. So if He did not make the world void and without form, then how was it that it BECAME void and without form in Gen 1:2?