The Gap Theory - Is it Biblical?

[cmcapps]

I'm so thankful we have these videos so that Dr. Heiser can continue to teach us. Prayers for his family and gratitude that he is the Lord's presence where we will all be one day.

[Saddlemomma]

HAHAHA! I was accused of being a gap theorist by another Christian I had just met, because I was asked if I believed in a "young Earth". I replied that we really can't know the exact age of the Earth; the Bible doesn't address it; it isn't a salvation issue; and therefore I don't worry or speculate about it. He immediately became defensive and said, "You believe in the Gap Theory!!" Okay, whatever you want to believe, Bud. I don't really care.

Honestly, having Dr. Mike in my life has made me a much freer Christian rather than trying to navigate all those man-made doctrines, inconsistencies, and worrying about which theories I should be following as a "real" Christian. Thanks to Dr. Mike, I don't worry about all that any more. I just follow Jesus and His example according to the Bible in its proper ancient context.

May you rest in peace, brother, and may God bless your family.

[voiceInDetroit]

Heiser's main argument is that because Gen 1:2 starts with a vav-disjunctive, then Gen 1:2 did not happen after Gen 1:1.
It is true that the vav-disjunctive does not indicate chronological sequence, but it does not demand that the events be not in sequence.
The vav-disjunctive is more flexible than that.
The vav-disjunctive indicates a break in the narrative. In the usual case, where there are a string of vav-consecutives followed by a vav-disjunctive, the vav-disjunctive usually indicates a past perfect. Such is the case with Gen 2:5, which back tracks in time to tell us the details of God's creation of man.

Vav-disjunctives usually start chapter breaks. i.e. Gen 3:1 and Gen 4:1. (Gen 2:5 should be the chapter break for ch 2.)
Gen 3:1 has the same structure as Gen 1:2.
Now the serpent had become more crafty than any animal of the field … .
The vav disjunctive indicates a break with Gen 2, but not necessarily that it did not happen after Gen 2.
It indicates that this is a break from God's plan, and it gives background for the narrative to follow.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
1:2 Now the earth had become chaos and useless, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The vav-disjunctive in 1:2 does a number of things:
It puts a full stop after 1:1, so 1:1 should be considered a completed action on its own.
It indicates there is not a smooth transition from 1:1 to 1:2. It is a break in God's plan, as Gen 3:1. This is also indicated by "the earth" and "darkness" being the subjects instead of God.

[robertpillowjr.]

I've learned so much from Dr. Heiser. His teachings have been such a blessing for personally. Not to mention incredibly interesting. I could listen to him for hours on end.

[jonahwashburn]

the problem with this idea is that evil, death and sin didn't exist in the world until the Fall. The serpent was sinful, yes, but he was an angel of the supernatural world, and his rebellion didn't curse the physical world. Thus, God would have no reason whatsoever to destroy and then 'recreate' the Earth

[matthewkay]

And I for one would love to hear what your theory is please, Michael?

[_sheebie]

Excellent video Michael. Very precise and to the point. Great job and much love.

[pilsenoffice]

If Verse 2 is not a result of a Judgment then the Earth which is already existing was created as defined in verse 2 as if God created the Earth as described. But why did the stars of light sing and the sons of God shout for joy when it was created as described in Job 38:6, 7? What's there to shout about if the Earth is void and formless and darkness covering it? I believe in the Gap of time and you can read Jack Langford's "The Gap It's Not a Theory"

[Robert-zksu]

Hi Michael.
I have been a many year follower of your teachings. I remember praying to Yeshua "what did you really do on the cross?" You have opened my eyes through His Spirit and answered many questions. Thank you for being His vessel.
I have always held a somewhat "gap" understanding of the period between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
Please help me reconcile Genesis 1:2 that "the earth was without form and void (Toho wa-boho) and Isaiah 45:18. "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens. He is the God who formed the Earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place. But formed it to be inhabited.


Thank you for your teachings. I'm sorry if you have covered this previously. I was unable to located any reference to the correlation of the passages.


Blessings

[djr]

I bought four of your books after being so impressed by an audio video I heard about the cultural context of the old testament. Resolved so much so quickly. I'm curious though if we could apply cultural taboos of Bible times to homosexuality and the Bible, since its moral status is something I have been studying for years

[drewdog]

Dr. Heiser - I have a few questions and would love your thoughts.
1. On what day was the earth created?
2. Can you have a gap of time between vs 2 and 3?
3. Can you have a gap of time theory without taking the rest of it (The earth's state is because of Judgement, death enters during that time, Satan falling during that time)? I ask because I don't understand why all that is rolled into the gap portion.

Thank you!

[voltrondefenderoftheuniver]

Could you follow this up buy talking about dealing with the geologic & Fossil record?

[ThinLine]

So many bible "readers" seem to think they are experts when all they have for reference is one English translation. I heard Dr. Hugh Ross comment on biblical Hebrew only had a vocabulary of maybe a few hundred nouns. Modern English has several million. That's why no one English translation is "the best one." Thanks to tools that real scholars like Dr. Heiser created and made available, we can have rewarding experiences when studying a particular topic. But nothing can substitute the actual wealth of knowledge and training and studying of the original languages like Dr. Heiser had. He is a national treasure and even long after his passing we can still access his tools and videos and be blessed by a truly gifted teacher. His example in this video demonstrates that clearly. Many of the gap theory "experts" will claim they are only using the "plain text of scripture." But Dr. Heiser takes them back to school and clearly demonstrates the very text they claim supports their outlandish theory, in all honesty actually totally refutes it. I know it's maybe un-Christian to feel this way, but I get a sense of satisfaction when arrogant false teachers are so clearly and completely discredited like this.

[SDscrch]

there's no Gap - the first statement is a kind of a title (we see this later on) - the statements following are the narrative

[ckmoore]

If the first three verses are not sequential, would we be able to say that heaven and earth was created, formless and void, prior to "let there be light" (sequential) in verse 3, or at the same time? Or is there some other proper understanding of this?

[DavidRodriguez-hgkq]

I was watching an episode on SkyWatch TV defending The Gap but the good Dr. Heiser wins hands down!

[thetatdpreacher]

Hi Mike! I love love love your content and own every one of your books! Question: I get that you say that "Hebrew grammar stops the Gap Theory in its tracks", but if that's the case then how can other scholars who are fluent in Hebrew argue for the opposite? Are they ignoring what is there? Like I get the fact that in "Middle Earth" people like to find conspiracies and all that, but I am talking about the scholars and theologians who would disagree? How do you respond to them.

[a.t.strock]

Thank you for bringing up so many interesting and challenging subjects, and addressing them so well!
I am not a scholar, but a lifelong believer, and to me, it feels like the gap theory explains many things. For example where God tells Adam and Eve to replenish the Earth, which would only make sense if it had been “plenished “ previously!

[Hupernike]

Is there any way to acquire the transcript of this video?

[ddpam]

Really enjoy Dr. Heiser - not a believer in the gap theory and really am not concerned about it all. The one question I would like to ask Dr.Heiser if i ever had the opportunity is this: " Is there any passage that would indicate where the water came from it seems is mentioned in this passage ( Genesis 1:1-2)?" Would not water indicate a creative act? Just curious.