Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990530.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part I - The Universe's Origin By Special Divine Creation As OPPOSED To All Others
A. The Genesis Author's Counter To The Genesis 1:2 "GAP Theory"
(Genesis 1:1-2)
  1. Introduction
    1. Some Christians have tried to make the Gospel appear believable before unsaved evolutionists by holding to the idea that the long-era fossil record occured in a long-aged "Gap" alleged to be in Genesis 1:2.
    2. We must examine this view from the Genesis record itself to see if it is consistent with that record, and with the Christian faith so we can obey 1 Peter 3:15 and give an apologetic of our faith to all men.
  2. The Author of Genesis' Polemical Thrust In Countering The "GAP Theory", Genesis 1:1-3.
    1. Some teach there are ages between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2 that explains fossil age compatible with evolutionists:
      1. The verb "was" (Gen. 1:2a) can grammatically be translated as "became", indicating thereby a subsequent event in verse 2 as contrasted with what occurred in verse 1.
      2. The Hebrew words for "without form and void" (KJV) of verse 2, being tohu wa bohu, are used in Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 34:11 to describe the results of God's judgment.
      3. Thus, some believe that after an initial creation wherein God made the dinosaurs in Genesis 1:1, God destroyed that world's order when Satan fell and corrupted the earth (cf. Rev. 12:4). Genesis 1:3 thus record s a second creation without dinosaurs, explaining the fossil record of alleged great ages.
    2. However, this view runs contrary to the literary structure of contemporary Ancient Near Eastern cosmogenies, counters the author's obvious polemic intent and strains Hebrew grammar as follows:
      1. The "Gap Theory" is contrary to the literary structure of the cosmogenies of Moses' era as follows:
        1. According to Bruce Waltke (Th. D., Dallas Seminary; Ph. D., Harvard), Creation and Chaos, the other cosmogenies of Moses' era (Sumerian, Indian and Akkadian) totally omit any idea of a "Gap."
        2. Since Moses does not explain such an unusual event at any length in the context, is seems unlikely that such an event took place according to the literary context of such cosmology literature.
      2. The "Gap Theory" counters the author's obvious polemic intent as follows:
        1. According to Waltke, Ibid., p. 48, the non-biblical cosmogenies all picture a hero-god who conflicts with and overcomes an evil restraining force so that innate life forces restricted in the earth by that evil force can be released to spring of their OWN accord into life. (an evolutionary presupposition!)
        2. However, Genesis 1:2b counters these ideas, arguing that the Sovereign Spirit of God began to create after hovering over an inanimate, helpless mass of unformed, unfilled chaos! There was no hero-god and no restraining force -- only a Sovereign God hovering over chaos!
        3. Thus, Moses wrote to say that nothing but GOD explains the universe's origin in opposition to the other cosmogenies Moses as an educated man in Pharaoh'a court knew so well (Heb. 11:24-26)!
        4. Thus, to allow for a "Gap" between Genesis 1:1 and 1:3 to explain an alleged long era in favor of long ages for dinosaurs to look plausible to an atheistic, evolutionary community view is to counter the whole polemic thrust of the author of Genesis!
      3. The "Gap Theory" strains Hebrew grammar inaccurately as follows:
        1. The Hebrew letter waw introducing Gen. 1:2a is not a waw "consecutive" used to describe a subsequent event, but a waw "conjunctive" that only adds information, Ibid., Waltke, p. 21-22.
        2. The words tohu wa bohu in Jer. 4:23 and Isa. 34:11 describe simply a dismantled state which happens to be in the context of divine judgments! However, context does not necessarily determin e the lexical definition of a word, so the chaos in Genesis 1:2a may not have to do with judgment!
        3. Other Ancient Near Eastern cosmogenies omit the "Gap" idea, arguing for none in Genesis 1:2!
        4. Thus, one must strain Hebrew grammar to assert a time "Gap" exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2!
Lesson: Viewing the grammar, literary structure and polemical intent of the author of Genesis, we do not believe that a "Gap" of ages exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 to explain the fossil record.

Application: Moses' polemic intent, his grammar and literary structure lead us to DENY not only that a "GAP" exists between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, but to deny all evolutionary processes behind the cosmos.