Critique answered
On my page I have made room for answering objections people might have against the
gap theory, so if you have anything to say against it, please write to me, but keep it short, I dont like long emails.
Here is what I have answered untill now:
Did
Thomas Chalmers invent the
gap theory?
Tohu wa bohu - and the law of first mention
The problem of redemption
Is destruction very good?
Sin entering into the world
Attention young earthers
Please do not read this post
There are too many things being said against eathother, if we are to say anything, it better be true. This is here I find a problem with the young earth camp, I prefer to believe that they dont really know what we say, because it is so easy to pull apart what they say, things that are contrary to the truth, like "Thomas Chalmers invented the gap theory", something which is being said over and over again, but that is not true.
I would like to invite you all over to my
forum, so you yourselves can find out what We (or I) are saying.
Now! I told you not to read it, didn't I?
ASAH and BARA
ASAH and BARA
Now, I would like point out a thing about the use of
ASAH and BARA, made and created. When nothing is in existance, God create, BARA, but when material is already there, He ASAH, made.
The word ASAH is more like sets in order, or something about appointment, sets it into function where it is surposed to be.
Verse 1: created the heaven and earth
Verse 7: God made the firmament
Verse 16: God made the two great lights
Verse 21: God created great whales, living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth, and every winged fowl
Verse 27: God created man
We see here that only the heaven and earth, whales, fish, birds, man were created, not the firmament, the lights, so there must be a difference in meaning.
Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
In this verse God says created, not made (well, he did, more about that in a moment), as to ref back to Genesis 1.1 where He created the heaven and earth, the verse says something about that it took effort from God, not that it was hard, but the words describe the work of a potter (made, established) as he works with clay, which He did not do in the six days concerning the heaven and earth, but back when he BARA, created the heaven and earth.
The word BARA is used when no material is in existance, so God has to create them out of nothing, but with ASAH, made, He already have some material existing, which He works with.
Exo 20:11 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.
In six days the Lord MADE (asah) heaven and earth, not created, bara, if it was poetry it would make sense to say that God just uses these words as he saw himself fit, but the meaning of the two words are not the same, and this is not poetry.
In Isaiah 45.18 it says that He created the heavens and earth, but now He says He made (ASAH) the heaven and earth in six days, so this must be two different situations since He tie it to the six days, and not even bother to use the word BARA, created.
That this split is made between ASAH and BARA is obvious in Genesis 2.4.
Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
First created the heavens and earth, Genesis 1.1, out of nothing, and then the use of preexisting material as the word ASAH (made) is used here to describe that it was already in existance, but look also at the turnaround of the words, Heavens and earth, earth and heavens, as to say, "hey, look here".
The word generations can not be said of six days, but easely about what is prior to the six days, look at the term "in the day" and compare it to "generations", to me is seems most likely that the bible says that "in the day" only can be said of a shorter period of time, compared to generations.
I think this verse says it all, that there is a split of meaning when it comes to what
ASAH and BARA means, and that they are not used of the same meaning, but it stands opposite eachother as to say "hey, I am different".
The making of the earth over and over again
The making of the earth over and over again
It is clear from scripture that the earth is old, not life though, but the earth. Let me explain to you why.
According to the bible, there is a gap after verse 1, it is clear from the use of hebrew words in the verses and verses elsewhere.
It says in Job 26.13:
Job 26:13 13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
This verse sets the scene of Genesis 1.2, "and the earth was without form and void, and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters".
The verse garnished is a word describing making something clear og clean, the same act Gods Spirit does with you and I. The verse do not describe creation, and it is not the darkness He makes bright, that is done later.
What I think it says is this, that the crooked serpent, lucifer, destroyed Gods creation and God had to interfere to make it good again. The verse sets the cleaning up and the crooked serpent being pierced (NKJ) to the same event, in other words, the earth had a created order which was made a ruin.
This is echoed in Hebrews 11.3:
Heb. 11. 3 the writer makes this significant observation: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God"
The word "framed can be translated to repair", reparere, "to restore", in other words, like the earths clothing is being changed over and over.
Psalm 102:25-26 25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
A jewish writer, Luis Ginsberg have written the following:
"Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly created by God. He made several other worlds before ours, but He destroyed them all, because He was pleased with none until He created ours."
In other words, there is also a tradition that says that this indeed has occoured.
Links
Firt of all, I would like to give a few links,
The Gap theory page and
Skabelse - Gap teorien , the first is with english articles and the other is in danish
There are not that many homepages about the gap theory, but there are a few
Welcome
Welcome to The Gap Theory Blog.
It is my hope to invite people who hold the gap theory point of view to write on the blog, and let them give their insight to an inspiration for others.
