The purpose of this article is a summary response to the gap theory and the likes. The bible states in the book of Hebrews that
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Heb 11:3)
I think the above verse is clear enough. From this verse alone we understand that by faith
- The universe was created by the word of God.
- What is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
From this point of view, I will try to search in the Word of God to answer the questions of how and when the world was created? and when did Lucifer fell? and whether or not there was an older creation?
The gap theory was introduced by a Scottish preacher named Thomas Chalmers in 1814. It has spread widely mainly since the eighteenth century, as an attempt to explain or understand the bible and the story of creation specially from the perspective of science. This theory started taking root specially after
- James Hutton coming out with his theory about the age of the earth in the late 1700s
- Charles Lyell work on subject of the age of the earth in the early 1800s
- Charles Darwin work on the subject of Origin of Species and Natural Selection in the 1800s
After the emergence of these theories, and the subsequent theories dealing with evolution and the likes, and the failure of churches and believers in general to discern what is happening and deal with it from a biblical prospective, many attempts began to reinterpret parts of the bible from the perspective of science instead!.
In summary, the gap theory states there was a time difference between verse 1 and number 2 in the first chapter of Genesis. The theory states that during that time difference, there was another creation on earth. That creation either died due to the fall of Lucifer or was subjected to judgment by God. Also during that time period, Lucifer fell. As a result of all this, the earth became “without form and void” as stated in Genesis 1:2. This was followed by God re-creating everything. The Gap Theory, has the following build in assumptions
- The age of this universe is billions of years old and so is the Earth
- All things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. In other words, uniformitarianism
- To explain the fossil history, the theory assumes there was an earlier creation before Adam. That creation died either due to God’s judgment or due to the fall of Lucifer.
- Fall of Lucifer before the creation of Adam
Here are what the Bible says regarding those assumptions
- The Age of the universe and Earth
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1-3)
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11)
13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” (Exodus 31:13-17)
From these verses alone we learn
- God created the Heaven, Earth and all that is in it in only 6 days.
- If there was a time gap between verses 1 and 2 in Genesis 1, then the creation didn’t take 6 days. This is saying God is lying and that defy His nature as per Numbers 23:19
- The assumption that there was an earlier creation that got wiped out and then God had to create everything again is false because the bible is very clear that we are still on the first earth as per Rev 21:1 which states “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”
- When digging into the language and comparing “without form and void” in Genesis 1:2 with the aforementioned paragraph in Jeremiah 4:23-25, we note
- The part mentioned in the book of Jeremiah has nothing to do with creation, as it speaks of a city on which the judgment of the Lord came
- There were no mountains according to the book of Genesis until at least the third day (Biblically the the mountains rose during and after the flood)
- The word “void” in Genesis 1:2 doesn’t mean destroyed but rather it means empty.
- The passage in Isaiah 45:18 doesn’t conflict with the story of Gen 1. The way I understand it, it is as God saying “I didn’t create the earth to be left empty! . I filled it” and indeed He did
- Uniformitarianism
3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God (2Peter 3:3-5)
Does that passage sound familiar? Are all things really continuing as they were from the beginning of creation? How about the flood and its effects on the environment?
There are loads of evidence all over the place that things in the past WERE NOT continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. Just 2 simple examples and you can dig more if you want
- The great Sahara desert (geology)
- The great Sahara desert is estimated to be no more than 4200 years old. If the earth is billons of years old, why can’t we find a bigger desert anywhere on the planet?
- The pakisaurus (biology)
- The pakisaurus dinosaur weighted approx 30 to 40 tones. The problem is that their nostrils size were that of the modern day horse. so how did the pakisaurus breath if the atmospheric pressure and composition were the same as it is today?
- Pre-Adamite creation and judgment
The bible is very clear as to when did death enter and rule over the world.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1Cor 15:21-22)
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[a] because all sinned (Rom 5:12)
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. (Rom 5:14)
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Cor 15:26)
Death entered and ruled the world by the sin of man (Adam) and not due to the fall of Lucifer of a pre-adamite creation. Also we learn that Death is the last enemy to be destroyed. Please note assuming that death ruled before man’s sin is a heresy.
- Fall of Lucifer
The bible isn’t shy when it comes to talking about Lucifer. In fact, the bible details
- Who he is
- What his rank was before his fall
- Where he was before his fall
- The cause his fall
The only thing that isn’t written in black and white is when did he fall. However, it isn’t very difficult to conclude the approx. time from the available evidence.
So let’s begin
12 “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. (Ezekiel 28:12-15)
From this passage alone we learn
- He was in Eden (location)
- Since he was in Eden, and since Eden was created in day 6 according to Genesis 2:8, then he could not have fallen before day 6.
- He was in Eden right before his fall (location)
- He was anointed as guardian cherub. (top rank of angles)
- He fell due to unrighteousness being found in him.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
From this passage along we learn that all the Sons of God (AKA angles) shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the earth (Day 3 of the creation when the dry mass appeared). And since Lucifer is an angle, one of those Sons of God, he was there shouting for joy at least in day 3. So no way he had fallen by then.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
From this verse, we learn that God said EVERYTHING was VERY GOOD at the end of Day 6. This will not agree with the assumption of a fallen angle(s) before even day 1 as suggested by the gap theory.
From all the above evidence, one can safely conclude that Lucifer fell sometime after day 7 of creation.
The Arabic version of this study can be downloaded below