Is There a Gap in Genesis One?

1 Corinthians 15:22
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

One of the most frequently asked questions when I appear on a radio phone-in program is whether there is a gap between the first and second verses of Genesis chapter 1. Some people have been taught that a gap of millions of years between the original creation of the Earth and the Earth we know today can explain the fossil record and the millions of years proposed by evolution.

Also called the ruin-reconstruction theory, this idea says that an earlier creation existed that was judged by God. Those who believe in this theory usually place Satan’s fall, dinosaurs and so-called “cave men” into this earlier creation.

The gap theory was first proposed about two centuries ago by Rev. Thomas Chalmers as a response to the growing popularity of long evolutionary ages. It was widely spread among Christians in the notes that first appeared in the Scofield Reference Bible of 1917.

The gap theory, however, does not satisfy evolutionists; neither does the Hebrew of Genesis support it. Most importantly, the Bible teaches us that death first came into the world when humans began to sin. The Bible repeats many times that sin and death began with Adam and not before. This is such an important point that the Bible links the beginning of sin and death with the first Adam … and the victory over sin and death with Jesus Christ, spoken of as the Second Adam. Of course, there is much more to the issue. For further information, why not call Creation Moments and ask for literature on the gap theory.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I offer You grateful thanksgiving because You became the Second Adam in order to save us from sin, death and the devil – our lot because of our sin. Amen.

Author: Paul A. Bartz

Ref: Niessen, R., B. Northrup, and D. Watson. 1988. Genesis Stands. Minneapolis, MN: Bible-Science Association, Inc. Phots: Rev. Thomas Chalmers (PD) .