The Gap Theory

[Jorge]

Please explain the "Gap Theory" the best you could...I have met a few in our fellowship that believe in it...wouldn't debate...but believe it. What is this 'theory' exactly?
Was there or was there not some sort of pre-Adamic race??? human or not.
Thoughts Please???

[Randy Emerson]

Hey David, Benny Hinn
Teaches something about the whole Gap thing, and there being a pre-adam race. It was very interesting afew years ago when I heard it, but dont remember much of it. I am curious if you have ever heard his view on this? I hardly listen to him, but have caught a few things over the years that really trip me out.

[Robert Jimenez]

Randy,

Yes this teaching has been around for a while. I don't think Benny Hinn is the originator of this position. Don't remember where I first heard this (it was around the time I was teaching Genesis at HP BTC - like 15 years ago). If I remember when I get home I'll try and dig up some stuff, if I can find it.

[David Velasquez]

Randy I will say that yeap!!! You got some brain cells restored, I agree w/Rob. God is good isn't He? I remember when I was trying to memorize His word, I would pray... Daddy help me out, I burned my brain cells with so much drug abuse, but please daddy I want to remember your word. Not saying that your brain cells where burnt... hahaha
Benny Hinn - oh man!! I don't even want to go there because I am going to get beat up by so many, and I only got two arms. I never have commented on anyone if I have not spend time listening, viewing and studying them and since I have spend hours doing so with Benny, I will just say that as a teacher or theologian he is far, far, I mean far from one. I heard that man say some of the most Stupid stuff I ever heard, yes I said stupid, is in the bible. I heard him state that Eve originally was ment to have babies from her side, that the red sea was frozen when parted, that since Adam had dominion over the creation he was able to swim like the fish in the sea and fly like the birds.. I heard such nonsense from this man myself. Ok I know - I know - some of U are saying - Junior got a lot to learn - and I do! We all do, but I hate false doctrine, not the person but the doctrine that keeps people in blindness. His gap theory is whack, which is realy not his, just his opinion on what his heard. Gap theo. has been around for a long time now, but to finish in a positive note. He has changed somewhat, I pray for him and those like him that have such privilege platform and could do much better. I still watch him in hope that he changes.
For the ones asking “who the heck that this silly man think he is to speak about a man of such stature like that”, well, I am David, teacher – preacher – pastor – son of God and heir to Gods promises. Enjoying many of them already. I am ok with not everyone liking me, do pray for me if you think I need much help… hahaha. I love you family. Paul spoke out against false doctrine in all his epistles. In all of them and at times told the brother to tell so and so (by name) to stop preaching what they were. Warriors for Christ… Yeah! Yeah… prudence some of you say… I say… you right but if they hate you because of the truth, well so be it. If i loose my head for preaching the Gospel, no problema... I am immortal. I will never see death. I will pass from here to consciense eternity.. hallelujah!!!!

[Pastor Jerome H. Weymouth]

Now junior must have some pretty brusied up arms and possible bent ears from being yelled at for some of his stands. But if you studied the healing revival of the post-World War Two to about 1965, you can see some errors being taught by the revivalists. The Demon seed-The serpent slept with eve, resulting in the two races~ The sons of Seth (godly) and the sons of man (devilish); the gap theory, and so-on. There were miracles back then but a lot of these teachers had no theological training! Thus the teaching of the errors. But along with that the church at that time came a rejection and a persecuting word. This pushed away the revivalists and some teaching came into the Pentecostal Churches to this day. For a long time I heard that it would cause a young persons fire to go completely out and the student from the Bible College would be destined forever to be a person with a college degree>.(and definitely NO FIRE!) Seminaries were called Cementaries, Schools for Fools, and so-on . This was preached at Praise Chapel and in the book "We can take the Land" page 48 says "in a healthy church there must be an equipping of workers. This doesn't need to happen through some kind of weeknight Bible school, but through God -directed preaching ministry" On and on in this book the idea of a Bible school was put down and the ministry of preaching was to put out disciples! (of no theological training). Home Bible studies were little churches where the sheepfold leaders preached on thier little soap boxes condeming all those who were not faithful to sheepfold and the outreaches!
So while the wolf was devouring your disciples, all you knew how to do was preach a three point sermon! Or you use another man's sermon because it was on the recomended list!
This is why we must study to show our selves approved to God. So therefore get in to Bible School!
Sincerely Pastor Jerome

[Robert Jimenez]

Hey Bobby, for the record I love your interaction. I think that you are a serious thinker, and contribute to all of us.

[Pastor Jerome H. Weymouth]

When I first got saved in the early 1970"s there was a teacher on the t.v. by the name of "Howard C. EStepp of CoooLLTON, Ca." (he always empasized Colton on every show) He went on to teach that there was a bunch of Pre-Adamite creatures living on the face of the earth (probably the pre-Calvinist Calvinist--just kidding junior!!). And because of their sin they were destroyed and they became the evil demons that we have to deal with today. God one day picked up the world and tossed it around and thus killing all those wicked Pre-Adamite folks, And thier souls are left here on the earth, to torment the righteous. Now Ron Rhodes has this to say on the so-called "gap-theory" *
Is there any merit to the so-calledn "gap-theory" regarding God's work of creation (Genesis 1:1-2)?
The gap theory teaches that there was an orginal creation (Genesis 1:1), and that a result of Lucifer's rebellion and fall, the earth became Chaos. The picture of formlessness,emptiness, and darkness in Genesis 1:2 is allegedly a picture of divine judgment, for God could not have orginally created the earth this way, Million of years are said to have been taken place between the verses 1 and 2.
There are a number of problems with the gap theory. For one thing, the grammar of genesis 1:1,2 does not allow for a gap. Verse 1 is an independent clause, verse 2 is composed of three circumstantial clauses (explaining the condition of the earth when God began to create) and it is directly connected to verse 3. There is no break between verses 1 and 2. Grammatically, then, the gap theory just doesn't fit.
The gap thoery also depends on the phrase "formless and void" meaing evil or the result of a judgment: however, its useage in Job 26:7 andisaiah 45:18 does not support this idea. Gap theorists also draw an artifical distinction between the Hebrew verbs bara (which they define as "creating out of nothing"----Genseis 1:1) and asa (which they define as "refashioning"--- Genesis 1:7,16,25). A careful study of these two verbs that they are used interchangeably; asa does not mean "to refashion". In view of these and other factors, I don't give much credence to the gap theory.

So I have to take my stand with Ron Rhodes and B-LOK. There is no gap-theory , and Just praech the Gospel--Bay-beeee!
Sincerely Pastor Jerome

*The Complete Book of Bible Answers by Ron Rhodes.page 41, Harvest House Publishers

[Robert Jimenez]

Jerome,

I am glad you remember this stuff, I have always had a bad memory and have to do excessive repetition in order to remember the details. What has helped a great deal is to understand the concepts. Once I grasp the concept (idea) I don't forget, although I may forget the details, and have to go back and verify.

[David Velasquez]

HAHAHA, HAHAHA.... THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGH - U KNOW I LOVE YOU POP'S; YOU are just a weld of knowledge hu... stop showing off pop's. Shu!!!! Teach - teacher...

[B-LoK!]

Robert, thank you brother, I really receive those words from you and they mean a lot to me coming from you, a man of God that I look up to.
Be blessed and keep on doing what you do.
My love to you and your family.
Bobby Amezcua.
PS: trying to think hard as I lost so many brain cells via the "old life" God is restoring still.

[Randy Emerson]

David, I wont beat you up over this. I personally think Benny Hinn has smoked a little crack as well. I was just referencing that I had heard him teach on the Gap theory before. GREAT, now I might get beat up with you. lol.
I also wanted to say to B-lok, you are a blessing to me man, I love your crazy mind, keep your thoughts coming because I have to admit that your replies sometimes make more sense to me than my own! - I might have some issues...lol.
David, when I said (triped me out) thats what I meant, I have heard him teach a couple times on some really weird things that i know he did not get from the bible. I do think that Benny Hinn is annointed however, and that God uses him. I wouldnt want to make a blanket statement about him without knowing a whole lot more about him, but yes, he does say some trippy things over the years.
I will wear the football helmet David, you wear the body armor as we both get flogged. PRAISE GOD WHEN WE ARE PERSECUTED! LOL.

[Christopher Chapman]

david,

i know this is an old post, but i had time to go through them. i respond to you cause you are on here often, others have been silent lately.

i am responding to the fact that adam was created as a fullgrown man and so maybe that is why the earth seems old according to many scientists.

i agree that he would have been a full grown man. but would he of had wrinkles and the other issues that come with age? if so than death and entrophy would have been built into him. and if the earth was created "old" then that means it was created looking like entrophy (which wasnt in the original creation) had been already in the world. i do think he was full grown, but not the same way a 20-30 year old would look after the fall of man and the entrance of death (second law of thermodynamics- entrophy).

just a thought i had. dont know if it makes sense in writing, but it made sense in my head.

gbu

[Christopher Chapman]

first let me say, i agree that the bible is not a science book. and that its primary objective is to teach us about god. but it does this by showing us what god has done and said throughout history. so it is a history book. and i think the age of the earth would clearly fall under the classification of history.

i think that saying the earth is old is not essential, but if follwed to its conculsion (i mean only when connected to evolution) i think it destroyes the whole gospel.

if soneone does not believe in evolution, but believes the earth is billions of years old, i guess they would just have to say that the geneologies leading back to adam and eve just arent accurate (or maybe im not accurate in my calculations as to how long ago they lived), or that man (and other living creatures) werent created til about 6,000 years ago give or take a millenium!!! i think that we would face some biblical problems at that point as to how to interpret the first 2 chapters of Genesis, but no big theological problem, especially nothing that would overthrow the gospel message.

But most that say that the earth is billions of years old, also hold to the theory of evolution ( i am not saying you believe that, just stating that most do). that is not a non essential idea, but overthrows the entire gospel foundation (when followed to its conclusion. i dont mean someone who believes in evolution cant be a christian, of course they can if they believe in the blood and repent of their sin, but if they follow their belief in evolution to its natural conclusion they will have to abandon either evolution or the gospel) what i mean is this. evolution is founded on the death of millions of creatures over millions of years as they evolve. that would mean that before adam sinned death was in the world. if death did not enter the world through the transgression of adam, then life and resurrection can not come through the righteous life and sacrifice of Jesus. romans chapter five makes clear that death came into the world through "one man", if it did not, but was in the world before hand because god chose to create through the means of evolution, than life can not come through the "one man" Jesus Christ.

so i guess my question is, how does one hold to an old earth theory without embracing evolution? is this done through the gap theory? i have only heard the gap theory in terms of assuming the evolutionary process.

just to be clear i dont think that someone who believes in evolution is lost or anything, as long as they repent of their sin and place their trust in the blood of Christ. for any of you secret evolutionists out there!!! haha!!!