Steven E. Dill - In The Beginnings: A Defense of the Biblical Gap Theory of Creation

In The Beginnings

The Story of the Original Earth, its Destruction, and its Restoration

A Defense of the Biblical Gap Theory of Creation

Steven E. Dill, D.V.M.

In The Beginnings

(3rd Edition2nd Printing)

Copyright 2007, 2010, 2018 by Steven E. Dill

Louisville, Kentucky

ISBN 978-1-7326258-5-3

Website: www.GapTheoryOfCreation.com

E-mail: TheGapTheoryGuy@gmail.com

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or stored in a retrieval system by any means

digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, or otherwise

without written permission of the author,

except for brief quotations in noncommercial reviews.

(Note: Throughout the book, items printed in bold print

are my emphases unless otherwise noted.)

Greek and Hebrew words designated as Strongs Number

are defined according to Strongs Dictionary of the Hebrew Language,

Copyright: James Strong, 1890, London: Hodder and Stroughton

I dedicate this book to Dr. Arthur Custance. (1910-1985) Dr. Custance earned his M. A. in Hebrew and Greek at the University of Toronto. He earned his Ph.D. in Biblical archaeology and anthropology at the University of Ottawa. He was also a research scientist and an engineer, and became the head of Canadas Human Engineering Laboratories at the Defense Research Board at Ottawa. He was a m ember of the Evangelical Theological Society, a Member Emeritus of the Canadian Physiological Society, a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and a member the New York Academy of Sciences. These qualifications put him into that rare category of people who truly are both scientists and theologians. For Dr. Custance, there were no true discrepancies between science and the Bible; only errors in human interpretations.

Dr. Custance did not introduce me to the Biblical Gap Theory, but he did introduce me to the truth of the Biblical Gap Theory. Before becoming a Christian, I was a Theistic Evolutionist. After I put my trust in Jesus Christ and began studying the Bible, I learned evolution was a lie. So, I began searching for the truth about the origin of the universe and the origin of life. Although I knew the Bible must reveal the truth, I couldnt find the truth because I was being deceived by Christians who did not know the truth and who did not teach the truth. Their problem was they did not love THE truththey loved THEIR truth. I eventually discovered Arthur Custances book Without Form and Void. It was the treasure chest of truth for me and what a treasure it was! The more I partook of that treasure, the more treasure I discovered. I consider my book a continuation of his work. If I had never read his book, my book would have never been written.

This book is about earths two beginnings. Putting it as bluntly as I can, it is a defense of the Gap Theory of Creation. It is called the Gap Theory, or the Genesis Gap Theory, because it theorizes there was a gap of time between the earths original creation in Genesis 1:1 and its later re-creation during the six twenty-four-hour days of Genesis 1:3-31. It is also called the Ruin-Restoration Theory, or simply the Restoration Theory, because it deals with the destruction of the original earth and its later restoration. This theory is very unpopular these days. I say this right at the start because I dont want you to waste your time reading it if you have pre-decided you hate the Gap Theory. Christians have become extremely divided over the correct interpretation of Gods Word concerning creation, and it has become a very emotional topic. Christian creationists have divided themselves into camps huddled around various creation theories. These camps are so divided that people often want to know your stand on these theories before theyre willing to accept you as a fellow creationist; sometimes, even as a fellow Christian. Many Christians have been labeled as heretics simply because they hold opinions about creation that differ from someone elses. I have been so-labeled, and if you come to believe what I believe, I suspect you will be too.

The purpose of this book is simple: I want you to know the truth about our Creator, Jesus Christ. This is especially my goal if you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even if you are not a believer in Christ, I suspect you have heard the Gospel, or at least heard OF the Gospel, but something has kept you from believing the Gospel. For many, that something is the belief that science and the Bible are in conflict. This problem is compounded by the fact there really are creationists who believe things contrary to science. Much of the unbelievers objection to Biblical creationism is because some creation theories are not only unscientific, but anti-scientific. Some creationists put stumbling blocks between unbelievers and the Gospel. They require you to believe things not scientifically true. They also require you to believe things not Biblically true. Their attitude is that if you dont believe what THEY say about creation, then YOU are rejecting Gods Word and YOU arent fit to be saved; therefore, YOU deserve to burn in hell.

I want unbelievers to know two things about salvation. First, I want unbelievers to know we all deserve to burn in hell; Christian and non-Christian alike. Christians are not saved from eternal damnation because we are better people. We are saved only because we have put our trust in the promise Jesus made to us. Jesus knows we all have sinned. He knows none of us can stand in the presence of a Holy God. He knows the wage of sin is eternal death in the Lake of Fire. He also knows we cannot undo our sins or pay for our sins with good deeds, moral living, or by church membership or attendance. He promised He would pay the price for our sins by taking our place on the Cross. (We are the ones who should be crucified.) He asks us to quit relying on ourselves, and trust Him to do what we cant. It is the proverbial story of a loving father urging his child to jump from the window of a burning building: Jump and I will catch you. That leap is the leap of faith into His arms. There is no other escape from eternal death. Jesus is our God, our King, our Creator, our Master, and our Savior, and as such, He will do what He promised. He will catch us if we jump. It is only by His Work, His Grace, His Love, and His Mercy that anyone can be saved. It is not because of who we are; it is because of who He is. Second, I want unbelievers to know there is a Biblical creation theory in total agreement with true scientific observations. That theory is the Gap Theory. Belief in the Gap Theory will not get you saved, but it can remove the so-called scientific barriers that have prevented so many from even considering the truth of the Gospel. If you are an unbeliever, I want this defense of the Gap Theory to be the scalpel God uses to cut away your cancer of distrust of the Bible. I want it to help you put your trust in Gods declarations rather than in mans interpretations.

The Word of God reveals the truth about our Creator, but so do the Works of God. I believe God is smart enough, powerful enough, and sovereign enough to make His Works and His Words agree. If you read some of the comments from the various creationists camps, you get a feeling this isnt true. There is so little agreement among creationists about science and Scripture, it makes you wonder if God didnt make a mistake when He created creationists. I believe all the bickering harms the Gospel of Jesus Christ more than it helps. I believe it ought to stop. I believe only truth can make it stop. I believe the Gap Theory is true. It would be nice if I could convince all the other creationists to agree with me about the Gap Theory, but thats not my goal. My goal is to help unbelievers learn about our Creator, so they will come to love and put their trust in our Creator. If a million Christian Young-Earth and Day-Age creationists come to believe in the Gap Theory because of what I have written, I will be happy for them, but will have little joy in that outcome alone. However, joy beyond measure will fill my heart if at least one unbeliever comes to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior because of this book.