The are two main views regarding what we read in Genesis 1:1-2: The “Young Earth Theory” and the “Gap Theory.” I will give a brief definition of each, but let’s read those two verses first. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was WITHOUT FORM, and VOID, and DARKNESS was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters”.

1) The “Young Earth View.” Those who hold this view believe the whole chapter describes God’s ORIGINAL CREATION. They affirm that God started out with a FORMLESS VOID and then gave everything shape to make it habitable for man (who would be created on the 6th day…see verses 26-27). They believe the whole chapter reads as if it literally took place in six days (each day being 24 hours long). This would make the earth approximately 6,000 years old (going by all the genealogies mentioned in Scripture). They reject the view by many scientists that there must have been millions of years between verse 1 and verse 2 to account for all the “genealogical ages” that occurred. The problem they face with this view is in the translation by some of verse 2 when compared with Isaiah 45:18. William Kelly (who was a renowned Hebrew scholar) rendered verse 2, “and the earth BECAME WASTE and EMPTY,” which would mean something happened that caused the earth to BECOME A FORMLESS VOID. Strong’s Concordance supports this for the word “void” has the meaning of “ruin.” Now let’s compare this with Isaiah 45:18, “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens. Who is God, Who FORMED the earth and made it, Who DID NOT CREATE IT IN VAIN, Who FORMED IT TO BE INHABITED: I am the LORD, and there is no other” This surely makes perfect sense, for we know that our God, who is the Almighty Creator, is perfect in everything He does and this includes His work in creation. The thought that He would create the heavens and the earth in a state of chaos and desolation at the beginning, seems contradictory to all that we know of God throughout Scripture.

2) The “Gap Theory.” Those who hold this view believe that some cataclysmic event must have occurred after the “original creation in verse 1” that resulted in the earth “becoming WITHOUT FORM and VOID.” Again, Strong’s definition of the word “void” means “ruin,” so this suggests the earth was perfect and something brought it into a “state of RUIN”. After the earth became “without form and void,” God came in to “RECONSTRUCT the earth to make it habitable for man and for other living creatures that He created” (as we see in verses 3-31). Was it Lucifer’s fall that caused the chaos and darkness seen in verse 2? Many believe it was and I lean towards that view. We won’t take the time to read Isaiah 14:12-15 (which describes his fall due to his PRIDE) and Ezekiel 28:11-17 (which goes into more detail as to the place Lucifer had “before his fall” and then what “caused his fall”). Lucifer held the “highest position” over the earth, and his sin of rebellion caused God to judge him, including the earth where he had his dominion. We know that when Adam fell (by rebelling against God in the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), the earth (which was under his dominion) was also brought into a state of ruin (see Genesis 3:1-6, 17-19 with Romans 8:18-23).

I will close by saying there are many godly believers, including godly scientists, that firmly believe in the Young Earth view, and I respect their position that SEEMS to be backed up by various “scientific facts” and their understanding of the whole narrative in Genesis chapter one. Because of this I do avoid dogmatism, yet for the reasons cited above my belief aligns with those who espouse the view commonly referred to as the “Gap Theory.” It should be noted that these differences in views should NOT separate believers, for they are not what we would call “vital doctrines” that are essential to believe for salvation.  (DO)  (742.3)