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Gap Theory

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DiscipleOfIAm

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Does anyone have any thoughts on this theory? I recently heard about it from a former pastor and he is strong in belief about it, but he didn't really elaborate on the "jist" of what it is. There is a website about it, but it is so technical and detailed. Are there any Biblical proofs for this theory? Why and when did this theory begin? Is it associated with any one denomination? This pastor was Assembly of God pastor.

Thanks and God Bless
 

2Pillars

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DiscipleOfIAm said:
Does anyone have any thoughts on this theory? I recently heard about it from a former pastor and he is strong in belief about it, but he didn't really elaborate on the "jist" of what it is. There is a website about it, but it is so technical and detailed. Are there any Biblical proofs for this theory? Why and when did this theory begin? Is it associated with any one denomination? This pastor was Assembly of God pastor.

Thanks and God Bless
"Gap Theory" is based on stories of others who could not support their belief with Scriptures, therefore, they have to exalt their imagination beyond what is written in the Bible.

Genesis 1:1-3 is the narration of the creation of our heaven or universe in the beginning. It has nothing to do with the ending or the "fall of Lucifer", which others have been trying hard in vain, making an abysmal connection. :scratch:

That's exactly why they are called "THEORY" and nothing more. The Scriptures do not support this wild story, period.


God Bless
 
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Vance

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GAP theory used to be very popular as the alternative to YEC, once it became obvious to scientists that the universe and the earth were billions of years old. It is much less popular now. Most of the GAP theorists I have met are older, or have been taught it by those who were around during its hey-day. Nowadays, the most popular alternative to YEC'ism within Creationism is Progressive Creationism, as advocated most effectively by Dr. Hugh Ross, an astro-phycisist (meaning he has the age of the universe down pat, but is less educated about biology).
 
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nephilimiyr

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MLML said:
Gap theory is not based on stories, it is based on the original hebrew language and how one reads it. It holds more weight then evolution can with the scripture.
We should add that it also holds more weight than YEC beliefs as well.

It is based on the Original Hebrew but most importantly, on the proper grammer as well. Now it's also true that there are several doven different ways the first few verses of Genesis has been interpreted by scholars, specificaly by how they view the proper use of the Hebrew grammer. The gap theory is just one of many possible ways in how the passages can be interpreted. I believe the gap theory is the best interpretation of the Hebrew.
 
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Sinai

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DiscipleOfIAm said:
Does anyone have any thoughts on this theory? I recently heard about it from a former pastor and he is strong in belief about it, but he didn't really elaborate on the "jist" of what it is. There is a website about it, but it is so technical and detailed. Are there any Biblical proofs for this theory? Why and when did this theory begin? Is it associated with any one denomination? This pastor was Assembly of God pastor.

Thanks and God Bless
The Gap theory (also known as the Interval and Restitution theory, the Divine Judgment theory, and the Recreation theory) was more popular about 50-80 years ago than it is now. The Gap theory is usually largely based upon the fact that Hebrew tends to be more general and less specific than English or Greek. Thus, Hebrew words can often have a wider range of meanings. In the first part of Genesis 1:2 ["and the earth it was formless, void and empty"], the verb hayethah (which is generally translated "it was") can also be translated as "it became." Proponents of the Gap Theory therefore generally claim that Genesis 1:2 should be translated to read "and the earth became formless, void and empty" rather than using the more common translation of the phrase.

This theory uses passages (primarily in Isaiah and Ezekiel) regarding the fall of Satan or Lucifer to bolster the theory that the world was created in Gen. 1:1 but became formless and void because of Satan's fall, and then creation continued in verse two.

There are, however, some proponents of the Gap theory who go about it slightly differently. Instead of translating hayethah as "it became" they use verse one of Genesis to emphasize that God had created the Earth "in the beginning" of creation, but by verse two, the Earth was formless, void and empty. These persons tend to ignore the fact that Hebrew had no single word for universe and that the Hebrew phrase "the heavens and the earth" is the Hebrew equivalent of the English word universe.



 
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