Is the Gap Theory the explanation for the pre-adamic times, when dwellers were in the earth?

Jose Rivera

Pre-adamic world/time can explain how old the Earth is, and also, explain the fossils, and the judgment of Lucifer, and for that reason he was present in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were placed there by God after the re-creation of 6 days.

Justin Gatlin

Hi Jose, welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, this is not the place for theological debates and discussions. This forum is for discussing the software itself. You can paste your question into the Study Assistant. "All books" gives this:

You’ve identified the core framework of the Gap Theory (also called the “Ruin-Reconstruction” theory), which attempts to reconcile biblical creation with geological timescales. Here’s how this interpretation addresses your points:

The theory proposes an indefinite time gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, during which millions of years of geological ages occurred before God’s six-day recreation.[1] This temporal framework directly answers the age-of-earth question by allowing sufficient time to account for billions of fossils and millions of years of geologic time.[2]

Regarding Satan’s role, Gap theorists believe a pre-Adamic race inhabited the original creation, with Lucifer (unfallen Satan) ruling over these people in the Garden of Eden.[1] When Lucifer rebelled, sin entered the world, and God judged the earth as a result.[1] Fossils are understood as resulting from the global flood described in Genesis 1:2, sometimes called “Lucifer’s flood.”[1] This explains why death existed before Adam’s sin in Genesis 3.[1]

However, the search results reveal significant scholarly objections to this theory. The Hebrew grammar does not support translating Genesis 1:2 as “became formless and void”; the disjunctive clause structure indicates it should read “was formless and void.”[1] Additionally, the terms “formless and void” don’t necessarily imply judgment or evil; they appear elsewhere in the Old Testament without negative connotations, and God’s original creation of an unformed earth was simply the starting point before He shaped and filled it during the six days.[1] Modern scholars argue this gap is not linguistically, grammatically, or doctrinally required and doesn’t hold up to basic logic.[3]

[1] Gary R. Gromacki, “Genesis, Geology and the Grand Canyon,” Journal of Ministry and Theology Volume 12 (2008), 12:2:42–43.
[2] David Beale, Historical Theology In-Depth: Themes and Contexts of Doctrinal Development since the First Century (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 2013), 489.
[3] Henry M. Morris, Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis: Explore the Science and Miracles of Creation (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016), 110.