Question: I am very interested in Genesis 1 and 2. I have heard about the earth becoming flooded due to Satan. Also, the earth frozen and there being fossils found when the ice began melting, showing us other life such as dinosaurs and others. I heard Satan looked up from earth and became jealous of God. He then interrupted God’s creation (in verse 2 of Genesis 1) and proceeded to satisfy his jealousy. In verse 2 the Spirit was brooding over the face of the deep.

Please set me straight.

Shirley

Answer: Dear Shirley,

Your question seems to revolve around what is called the "Gap Theory" – well-known because it is proposed in the Scofield Reference Bible, first published almost 100 years ago.

In brief, the theory proposes that there was an original creation spoken of in verse 1, and then a "recreation" beginning with verse 2. Several biblical passages are offered to support the idea.

The theory may or may not be true – it is an attempt to combine some of the physical evidence that we see and have discovered with the record of the Bible. One of the errors of this and other similar approaches to the first few chapters of Genesis is the assumption that these chapters offer a specific and exact blueprint about the creation – HOW God created the world/universe.

However, these early chapters of Genesis do not propose to tell us all of the dimensions, the exact details about HOW God accomplished/performed the creation – for indeed, if they were that, then certainly many other chapters would be necessary. But the linguistic form and style of the Hebrew that conveys the meaning of Genesis 1 and 2 includes Hebraisms – which are forms of speech that convey truth at a much different and deeper level than simply HOW God created. The original Hebrew conveys the majesty and sovereignty of God who DID it – that there is only one God who could have done it and He alone is God.

Hope this helps.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht