Does Scripture Allow For A Gap Theory?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, September 8, 2025 (Donate)
Letter, unedited:
Wanted to make sure you knew that Genesis 1:2 says, “2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
The first word for “was” is the word for “BECAME.” (The second word for was is not in the text.) Just wanted to make you you knew this as it allows for all the prior life forms. Thanks.
So, in Genesis 1:2 they would have been destroyed along with other life forms such as the cave man. When God created man in His own image that would have been Homo Sapiens with unique dna.
S.C.
USA
Response:
Thanks for contacting us. This common argument proposed by
Gap theorists in the past 200 years has major problems. Let’s analyze it
together with an iron sharpening iron fashion.
Wanted to make sure you knew that Genesis 1:2 says, “2 And the
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
The first word for “was” is the word for “BECAME.” (The second word for
was is not in the text.)
Actually, recognized grammarians, lexicographers, and
linguists have almost uniformly rejected the translations “became” and “had
become.” It is a basic exegetical fallacy to claim that because Strong’s
Concordance lists “became” as one of the meanings of haya, it is
legitimate to translate it this way in the particular context of Genesis 1:2.
It is simply grammatically impossible when the verb haya
is combined with a waw disjunctive—in the rest of the Old Testament, Waw
+ a noun + haya (qal perfect, 3rd person) is always translated, “was” or
“came,” but never “became.”
Additionally, the gap theory has many other problems such as
death for millions of years before sin, Satan in a sinful state and sin being
very good (Genesis 1:31).[1]
There will be more on this in a moment.
Just wanted to make you you knew this as it allows for all the prior
life forms.
Actually, it doesn’t, because the Hebrew words that Moses
(guided by the Holy Spirit) used in Genesis 1:2 make it very clear that
there was no extended (“millions of years”) gap of time that happened between
the events described on these verses. Further, Moses also makes it very clear
(e.g., Exodus 20:11) that all things were created in six actual
days—which is the basis for our work week. Additionally, the idea that there
were life forms that lived and died prior to the creation of Adam and
the subsequent entrance of sin into the world undermines the gospel and
denigrates the character of God.
You see, when He was finished creating, God looked at His
completed creation and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Accepting
“millions of years” of prior life forms living and dying (and suffering from
terrible diseases such as cancer or brain tumors) means that God labeled this
process good. But can we honestly think death (and disease, pain and suffering)
is good? Paul calls it an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26), and John
tells us that it has no place in the new heavens and earth (Revelation 21:4).
In fact, death was Adam’s punishment for disobeying
God (Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12). If Adam’s
punishment was very good, then why didn’t he eat from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil right away? And why would Jesus Christ come and die
in our place to save us from death if death were a “very good” process that had
been occurring for billions of years?[2]
Thanks.
So, in Genesis 1:1 the dinasaurs would have existed
That would mean dinosaurs weren’t land animals. It
seems pretty clear to me they were (with the exception of those sea and flying
dinosaur-like creatures which were created on Day 5); and God said He created
land animals on Day 6, not Day 1. Even Job described one in Job 40 and numerous
times dragons are mentioned in Scripture, the old name for dinosaurs prior to
1841.[3]
and then by the time Genesis 1:2 they would have been destroyed
along with other life forms such as the cave man.
Elijah was a cave man! Some people today are cavemen. They
make great shelters! Did you know that “cave
men” like Neanderthals and Homo erectus
have associated evidence with them of burying their dead, making and using
elegant tools, religious ceremonies, and knowing how to manage fire (indicating
they were human)?
Accepting that cave men lived hundreds of thousands of years
before Adam entered the scene means that Paul (and thus God, since Paul was
being guided by the Holy Spirit to record the things that he did) was being
deceitful in saying that Adam was the first man:
So it is written:
And so it is written, “The first
man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
(1 Corinthians 15:45, NKJV).
Furthermore, when it comes to men, even cave men, they are
simply that – men and caves are a great place to live when scattering form
babel to many places around the world.
Cave men are not ape, as that would be cave-apes! And there is no such
thing as a half human and half ape…just imaginary images.[4]
When God created man in His own image that would have been Homo Sapiens
with unique dna.
S.C.
USA
All animals and plants have unique DNA. Being made in the image
of God is what sets us apart from the plants and animals. I also recall
Jesus’ words in Mark 10:6 when asked about marriage and divorce. Jesus
responded:
“But
from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’” NKJV
If the world really were billions of years old and man just
showed up recently, then Jesus would be wrong—He should have said “near the
end of creation.” But since the world was only about 4,000 years old when
Jesus said this, and He had created man and woman on Day 6 (only five days
after “the beginning”), then Jesus was correct. Jesus
believed in a young earth and not the “gap theory,” so there is no reason
for us to accept this unbiblical idea.[5]
I encourage you to read these.
Kind regards,
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a
personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has
spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited; Republished by
permission.
[1]
New Answers Book 1, Ken Ham, Gen Ed.,
chapter by Ken Ham entitled: What about gap and ruin-reconstruction theories?,
Master Books, Green Forest, AK, 2006.
[2]
The Fall of Satan, Bodie Hodge,
chapter entitled Biblically, could death have existed before sin?, Master
Books, Green Forest, AK, 2011.
[3]
For more on this see: Dragons: Legends
and Lore of Dinosaurs, Bodie Hodge and Laura Welch, Master Books, Green
Forest, AK, 2011.
[4]
For more see New Answers Book 2, Ken
Ham, Gen. Ed., chapter by Dr. David Mention entitled: Did humans really evolve
from ape-like creatures?, Master Books, Green Forest, AK, 2008.
[5]
An entire book on the subject is Unformed
and Unfilled, by Weston Fields, Burgener Enterprises, Collinsville, IL,
1976.
