The Bible: One Bite at a Time Expository Sermon Series Notes Genesis to The Revelation Sid Galloway © 1999

God's Cosmology No Gap, No Theory, God's Character at Stake Genesis 1:2 Tape # 3 - Nov 7, 1999

Foundation Stone # Two:
Genesis 1:2 is the second stone (next to v. 1) in the foundation of the whole Bible, all of theology, and all of life. But a strange "theory" has arisen claiming there is a time "gap" between v. 1 and v. 2. Some say that God's original heavens and earth after billions of years were mysteriously ruined. And they say v. 2 describes the situation after things were destroyed, with the earth covered in the bones of millions of fossils from this ancient period of death and destruction.

Is this new theory correct? Why was it never considered before this century?

If God's world really did experience millions of years of competition, as these modern theorists claim, then Adam's sin is not responsible for the violent competition, pain, suffering, fear, and death in the world. And what would this say about God and the cross of Jesus Christ?

Good News! We will see that Gen 1:2-31 prove that the "Gap Theory" is wrong.

"And"
- The Hebrew term "waw" (and, or then) begins each verse from 1:2 to 1:31. This shows a continuous, chronological sequence verse to verse with no gap. If there was a "gap" from v. 2 to v. 3, we could also claim a time gap between any of the others.

"the earth"
- Moses, led by the Spirit, focuses in on the earth as center stage of history / His Story.
- The Greek version of the Old Testament common during Jesus day (the LXX) translates the term "earth" as "Gaia". This is the popular word among newagers today for "Mother Nature" or the "Earth Goddess". The Truth = God the Father is Creator of the earth.

"was"
- The gap theorists claim this term should be translated as "became", to imply that the earth became something different from what it was in verse one. The term is "hayetha" which must be translated according to context. 98% of its use in the Bible is translated "was". Yes it grammatically can on rare occasions be translated "became" but not in this context.
For 2,000 years, v. 1 was not translated as "became", until liberal theologians decided to bow to evolutionary theories of geologic time claiming an old earth of billions of years.

"without form and void"
- "tohu" meaning not yet in final form, like clay not yet sculpted into the artist's image.
- Isa 45:18 shows it is also connected to the Creator's ultimate purpose of filling the earth with creatures to share in His nature, character, and glory.
- "waw bohu" meaning empty, not filled with life (souls). A terrarium without critters.

"and darkness was on the faces of the deep" ("faces of the waters" refers to the same thing)
- 2 Pet 3:5 also portrays the original substance as a watery matrix
- Note that only space and matter are present. No energy has yet to be introduced.
- Isa 40:22; Job 22:14 accurately described the earth as a sphere, not flat or square.

"and the Spirit of God"
- A reference to the third person of the Trinity.
- The second person (Jesus the Word) is also revealed in v. 3 "and God said". He is even more clearly revealed as participating in creation in Prov 8:24; 27; Col 1; Heb 1.

"was hovering"
- Deu 32:11; Jer 23:9 show that this term, "rachaph", means to shake, move back and forth, or in modern scientific terminology to "vibrate". Here God Almighty, the original energizer/mover initiates the first waves of energy into His space/time/matter continuum.

This truth matches modern quantum mechanics and cosmological theories which postulate that the smallest substances of the universe are vibrational "strings" (String Theory). Remember, that gravity and electromagnetic forces are waves moving back and forth.

The Universe is God's orchestrated, musical symphony revealing the glory of His nature.

In 2 Peter 1:21 the Holy Spirit is again said to move the prophets into action.

Experimental science cannot determine our origin, because it must be able in the present to:

1. manipulate experimentally variables (i.e., substance: in the form of matter or energy).
2. observe (i.e., see with eyes or instrumentation) the experiment along with its results.
3. repeat the experiment and achieve consistent results.

The study of the origin of the universe is HISTORY not experimental "science", since scientists cannot go back into the past. So how can we know (epistemologically) anything true about the beginning when no one was there to see it? Hebrews 11:1-3 tells us how.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for [but not experimentally controllable],
the evidence of things not seen [not scientifically observable]". . . By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

God's Way is rational faith (submissive, not mere demonic belief, Jam 2:19) in the revealed truths of God's Word, which are backed up by a mountain of presuppositional (logical), objective, and subjective evidences that demonstrate its trustworthiness (Isa 46:9-10). General revelation (common grace) does not reveal to us the hidden truths of the inner man. Man is totally dependent upon direct revelation from the Creator of the soul, in order to understand God's