The Gap Theory is based on the theory that there is a gap of perhaps millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. It is presumed that the Lord created the earth and then a great spiritual battle took place which resulted in the Devil being cast out of Heaven. This battle is supposed to have destroyed the earth so that it was “without form” (tou Strong’s H8414) “and void” (bou Strong’s H922).”
The theory fails, in my opinion, based on logic. If the Lord created earth, the solar system and the universe, and only the earth was destroyed, why was it necessary for Him to re-create the sun and moon (the solar system) and the stars (the universe)? (Genesis 1:14-19)
More importantly, the theory fails based on the Bible. God is a spirit and He has always existed. His realm is a spiritual realm. He created spiritual beings to be His servants. The Devil, or Satan, is one of those created spiritual beings. The Gap Theory supposes that the Devil was cast down to the earth and he destroyed it in some manner. The problem is, there is no indication in the Bible that Satan rebelled after the creation of the earth, and the Bible says that the earth was created for mankind to inhabit it.
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain (tou Strong’s H8414), he formed it to be inhabited.” – Isaiah 45:18 (obviously my emphasis)
“I have made the earth, and created man upon it.” – Isaiah 45:12The great Moses told the Children of Israel:
“ask from the one side of heaven unto the other” whether there has ever been anything like this great thing, or has anything like it ever been heard – that is, the creation of man upon earth? – Deuteronomy 4:32In my opinion, the creation of the earth was part of God’s great plan, after the Devil’s rebellion. And possibly the Lord created man to replace the many angels, approximately one-third of the angelic population, that followed the Devil in rebellion. In addition, the creation of the physical world could be part of a trap the Lord prepared for the Devil. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, the Lord was not surprised. But He had already planned the solution to redeem man’s fallen state while countering Satan’s plan to usurp the authority of the Lord. (Isaiah 14:13-14)
In the Book of Jude we are told that the angels who came down to earth are held “in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” because they “left their own habitation.” (Jude verse 6) The habitation of angels, spiritual beings, is Heaven, not earth.
Satan, a spiritual being, was not cast down to earth millions of years ago. The earth had not been created. The Gap Theory is a human attempt to reconcile what man says took “billions and billions” of years. It is not logical. It is not Scriptural. The Lord is able to again create what we see about us, and in the heavens. He promises to do so in Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, and Second Peter 3:13, and then He reveals it in the Revelation 21:1. He is on His throne. Praise His name!