The Gap Theory

Posted on July 9, 2025 by russellmckinney

“How Old Is the Earth?” series (post #5)

Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But right on the heels of that we get Genesis 1:2, which tells us that the earth was without form (formless), void (empty), covered in water (the deep), and engulfed in complete darkness (hence the need for, “Let there be light”). The apparent conflict between verses 1 and 2 leaves us with two possible interpretations. Interpretation #1: God deliberately created the earth as initially incomplete, in need of more detail work, because the earth was going to be the unique planet upon which He would create human beings. Or, interpretation #2: Sometime after the earth’s creation, a catastrophe struck it that left it in a ruined condition.

As for me, I hold to interpretation #1. There are, however, some sincere students of the Bible who hold to interpretation #2. And how do these folks explain the great catastrophe that left the earth in such a decimated state? Their explanation is commonly known as “The Gap Theory,” with the idea being that there is a great gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.

The basics of the gap theory go as follows:

  • Stage 1: God creates the earth of Genesis 1:1 as perfect, complete, fully detailed, and teeming with life. The earth has vegetation, insects, sea creatures, flying creatures, and land creatures. The dinosaurs live during this time, and perhaps there is even some type of race of pre-Adamic humans (Neanderthals, Homo Sapiens, etc.). All is well upon the earth for an indeterminable amount of time.
  • Stage 2: Satan and his fellow rebellious angels rebel against God, are banished from heaven, are cast down to the earthly realm, and somehow this event causes the earth (and perhaps even all of creation) to be laid to waste. All life on earth is killed off and the planet is left in the condition described in Genesis 1:2. (A more detailed explanation of this stage has God placing the still unfallen angel Lucifer in charge of the earth, and Lucifer ruling over the planet from Eden (Ezekiel 28:13) until he becomes so prideful within himself that he decides to lead a rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:13-14) and is punished for it.)
  • Stage 3: The earth remains in its ruined state for an indeterminable amount of time, with the time span lasting for millions or billions of years.
  • Stage 4: God finally sets Himself to the task of restoring the earth. He accomplishes this restoration by way of the six days that are recorded from Genesis 1:3 to Genesis 1:31. This restoration gives us the earth we have now.

You see, the Gap Theory proposes that Genesis chapter 1’s six days of creation are actually six days of recreation (restoration, reconstruction, renewal, revitalization). But now that we understand the basics of the theory, we must attempt to figure out its validity or lack thereof. To help us do this, I’m going to list the strengths and weaknesses of the theory. To be fair, I’ll list seven from each category, beginning with the strengths.

  1. Strength #1: While Genesis 1:2 says the earth was “without form” (K.J.V., N.K.J.V.), Isaiah 45:18 says that God didn’t create it “in vain” (K.J.V., N.K.J.V.). What’s significant about that is the fact that both phrases translate the same Hebrew word, tohu. Putting it simply, Genesis 1:2 says the earth was tohu, but Isaiah 45:18 says that God didn’t create it tohu.
  2.  Strength #2: The Hebrew conjunctive expression tohu wa bohu — which gets translated as “without form, and void” — is used in only two other instances in the Old Testament. Those are Isaiah 34:11 and Jeremiah 4:23, and in both instances the condition is produced by some type of divine judgment.
  3. Strength #3: The Hebrew word translated as “was” in Genesis 1:2 is hayah, and it is possible to translate it as “became.” This would make Genesis 1:2 read: “The earth BECAME without form, and void…” rather than “The earth WAS without form, and void…” Of course, the vast majority of Hebrew translators do not think the word should be translated this way in the context of Genesis 1:2, and that’s why our English translations read “was” instead of “became.” Nevertheless, the fact remains that in certain instances hayah can mean “became.”
  4. Strength #4:  In the original Hebrew of Genesis 1:1-2, there is no break or pause at the end of Genesis 1:1. However, the Masoretes, who were an ancient group of Jewish scholars, added a small mark called a rebia following Genesis 1:1. Such a mark plays the role of informing the reader that there is a break in the narrative and that he should pause before going on to the next verse. The Masoretes added this mark because, in their considered opinion, there was a break between the two verses. Obviously, the Masoretes could have been mistaken in their opinion, but they were a highly respected group of scholars.  
  5. Strength #5: The Gap Theory leaves plenty of room for all the scientific and geological data that supposedly shows that the earth is billions of years old. For example, how should we fit the dinosaurs into Genesis chapter 1? By way of The Gap Theory they become part of the Genesis 1:1 world that got laid to waste by Satan’s fall. How do we categorize the various “subhuman” skeletons that have been dug up around the world? Those supposedly pre-Adamic beings become part of that Genesis 1:1 world, too. How do we explain the multiple layers of strata found in the earth’s geologic column? According to the theory, all those layers got laid down either during the unspecified amount of time of Genesis 1:1 or during the unspecified “gap” of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
  6. Strength #6: The old King James translation (the K.J.V.) quotes God in Genesis 1:28 as saying to Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…” That word “replenish” seems to indicate that the earth was once home to some type of pre-Adamic race that got wiped out. The Hebrew word translated there as “replenish” is male, and it’s a common word that is used many times in the original Hebrew of the Old Testament. Interestingly, the K.J.V. translators translated it more than fifty different ways, going with “replenish” or “replenished” in only seven of the instances. In the context of Genesis 1:28, only the K.J.V. translates male as “replenish.” Other translations translate it as “fill.”
  7. Strength #7: In 2 Corinthians 4:6, the apostle Paul uses the idea of God commanding the light to shine out of the darkness as a way of illustrating that God has similarly given Christians the light of the knowledge of His glory. And since Christians are part of Adam’s race, a race that was originally created perfect but became ruined by God’s judgment upon sin, such an illustration aligns nicely with the idea of God creating the earth in perfection only to have it ruined by His judgment upon the sin of Satan and his fellow rebellious angels.

Well, as you can see, the strengths of The Gap Theory do make for a compelling case to support it. This explains why noted Bible teachers such as R.A. Torrey, Arthur Pink, Harry Rimmer, M.R. Dehaan, Donald Grey Barnhouse, Merrill Unger, A.C. Gaebelein, Arthur C. Custance, and J. Vernon McGee preached it. Even though Scottish theologian Thomas Chalmers is generally credited with first making the theory popular, it was C.I. Scofield who took it to new heights of popularity. By advocating the theory in the 1909 edition of his Scofield Reference Bible, Scofield made the theory quite prominent among the conservative preachers of the early 20th century. Still, though, before we fully embrace the theory, we must examine its weaknesses. As we will see, there are several of them and they are, to say the least, highly problematic.

  1. Weakness #1: Exodus 20:11 says: “For is six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” The Hebrew word translated there as “made” is asah, and it’s the same word that is consistently translated as “made” in the creation story. And it’s not a word that usually means “recreated,” “restored,” “reconstructed,” or “fixed.”
  2. Weakness #2: Genesis 1:31 says: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” First, how could God classify all of His creation (including all His angels) as “very good” if Satan and his fellow rebellious angels were already in a state of rebellion and had been so for some time? Second, how could He classify everything as “very good” if His original earth from Genesis 1:1 had been decimated to the point where He had to step in and redo it? Third, how could He classify everything as “very good” if the remains of all the plant life and animal life — not to mention the possibility of a pre-Adamic race of beings — from that Genesis 1:1 world were now being walked upon by Adam, Eve, and the new creatures?
  3. Weakness #3: In Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, the apostle Paul explains that it was Adam, with his sin in Eden, that brought death into the world. This teaching stands in direct contradiction to The Gap Theory, which contends that it was Satan, with his fall, that brought death into the world. How could Adam have been walking atop what would have amounted to a worldwide fossilized graveyard (complete with dinosaur skeletons) if death didn’t come into the world until he sinned?
  4. Weakness #4: To believe The Gap Theory is to believe, for all intents and purposes, that Genesis 1:1 is its own separate Bible, a Bible that doesn’t give us enough details about itself to amount to anything. Was the Genesis 1:1 earth round? Did it have seasons? Was there a race of pre-Adamic beings that called it home? If there was such a race, did they have souls? Were the creatures of that earth similar to the creatures of our modern earth? Obviously, if we believe The Gap Theory’s version of events, we can’t know the answers to any of these questions because the Bible never addresses them.
  5. Weakness #5: A major strength of The Gap Theory interpretation is the supposed contradiction between Genesis 1:2 and Isaiah 45:18. But are we really to believe that God expects us to get just two verses into reading the Bible and then race over to some obscure passage from Isaiah so that we can correctly interpret what we just read? Pity the poor reader who would have tried to make sense of Genesis 1:1-2 before Isaiah lived and wrote! Doesn’t it make much more sense to conclude that Isaiah 45:18 simply means that God did not create the earth to be uninhabited but from the get-go in Genesis 1:1-2 intended to shortly place Adam, Eve, and their descendants upon it?
  6. Weakness #6: The Gap Theory gives Satan and his fall an incredible amount of influence over God’s creation. Think about it, if God is all knowing, and if He knew going in that Him judging Satan and the other rebellious angels would completely wipe out all life on earth and decimate the planet to the point of inhabitability, why would He choose that course of punishment? Why punish life on earth because of the sin of a group of angels?
  7. Weakness #7: Since Genesis 1:3 has God creating light to illuminate the darkness of the earth of Genesis 1:2, are we to believe that Satan’s fall was so catastrophic that it literally destroyed or extinguished all the light from the completed earth of Genesis 1:1? Such a thought simply defies belief.

And so, in conclusion, I just can’t take all the evidence into account and throw my support behind The Gap Theory. While I understand the theory’s appeal — it certainly makes the job of reconciling the Bible to modern science easier — there are just too many problems with it for me to buy it. I find it so much more believable that God created all of creation, including a crude version of the earth, in Genesis 1:1, and then He singled out the earth from all the other planets for extra detail work because He had to get it ready to sustain the human race. This, to me, is the way a loving God who wants His people to understand how He gave us creation would explain His process, and it’s so much better than believing that He would play homiletical word games with us right out of the opening gate of scripture. As for how we should explain the dinosaurs, the Neanderthals, the earth’s geologic column, and other such conundrums, stay tuned. I promise to address those issues in future posts before we are finished with this series.

Posted in Angels, Bible Study, Creation, Demons, Dinosaurs, God's Word, Satan, Scripture, Series: "How Old is the Earth?", The Bible, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What Jesus Taught About the Age of the Earth

Posted on July 7, 2025 by russellmckinney

“How Old Is the Earth?” series (post #4)

There is no passage in which Jesus provides the exact age of the earth. There are, however, multiple passages in which He verifies the Genesis account of history by referencing various stories from Genesis. Interestingly, He seemed to go out of His way to reference the ones that people find the most incredible and hardest to believe (i.e., Creation, Adam and Eve, Satan’s fall, Noah’s ark, and Sodom and Gomorrah). Here’s the list:

  1. God created creation. (Mark 13:19)
  2. Adam and Eve were a real couple who were around at the “beginning” of creation. (Matthew 19:3-6; Mark 10:6-9)
  3. Satan’s fall occurred sometime around the “beginning” of creation. (John 8:44)
  4. Cain and Abel were real brothers who were around at “the foundation of the world,” and Cain really did murder Abel. (Luke 11:49-51; Matthew 23:34-35)
  5. Noah was a real man who built a real ark to escape a real worldwide flood. (Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-27)
  6. Abraham was a real man who was the father of the Jewish race. (John 8:37-58; Matthew 8:11; Matthew 22:32; Luke 13:16; Luke 13:28; Luke 19:9; Luke 20:37)
  7. Sodom and Gomorrah were real cities that were destroyed in judgment. (Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:23-24)
  8. Lot was a real man who fled from real fire and brimstone that rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and his wife was a real person who really did look back toward Sodom and in so doing had her body turned into a real pillar of salt (Luke 17:28-32).
  9. Isaac was a real man who was Abraham’s real son. (Matthew 8:11; Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 13:28; Luke 20:37)
  10. Jacob was a real man who was Isaac’s real son. (Matthew 8:11; Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 13:28; Luke 20:37)

By the way, in case you are interested, Jesus also referenced (thus verifying) the following stories:

  • Moses and the burning bush (Luke 20:37)
  • Moses lifting up the bronze serpent on the pole in the wilderness (John 3:14)
  • God sending manna for the Israelites to eat (John 6:30-33)
  • The queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon (Matthew 12:42)
  • Elijah predicting a three-and-a-half-year drought upon Israel and being sent to the home of the widow of Zarephath (Luke 4:25-26)
  • Elisha healing the leprosy of Naaman (Luke 4:27)
  • Jonah being swallowed by a great fish (Matthew 12:38-41)

You see, before we start dismissing the stories of the Old Testament as myths, legends, allegories, or fairy tales, we’d do well to realize that Jesus took them seriously and literally. He used them as examples to teach others about: sin, judgment, salvation, God’s omnipotence, God’s plan for mankind, God’s program of prophecy, obeying God, and living for God. Therefore, anytime we start drawing lines of distinction between Christ’s teaching and all that “Old Testament stuff” we get into serious trouble theologically and doctrinally.

And so, what does all of this show us concerning what Jesus taught about the age of the earth? The answer is simple:

  1. He taught that God created creation (Mark 13:19), the obvious implication being that God did it just as Genesis chapters 1 and 2 describe, which equates to a literal week of literal 24-hour days.
  2. He taught that Adam and Eve were there for the “beginning” of creation (Matthew 19:3-6; Mark 10:6-9), which only makes sense if they were created on day six of the creation week. The idea that they came along millions or billions of years after creation is just wrong.
  3. He taught that Satan’s fall occurred sometime around the “beginning” of creation (John 8:44), which makes perfect sense in regards to the Genesis storyline because Satan shows up in Genesis 3:1, inside the serpent, to tempt Eve.
  4. He taught that Abel’s blood was shed from “the foundation of the world” (Luke 11:49-51), which only makes sense if Abel’s death was relatively close to the creation week.

Lastly, as my way of closing this post, I’ve got one more line of thought for you to consider. Still on the subject of what Jesus taught about the age of the earth, consider the following:

  • God spoke directly to Moses and used the seven days of the creation week as His example for why He was commanding the Jewish people to observe a weekly Sabbath day (Exodus 20:1,8-11).
  • Jesus said, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30)
  • Jesus was the Word from the beginning, and was not only with God but was God. (John 1:1-2)
  • Jesus is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15)
  • All things were made through Jesus, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:1)
  • By Jesus all things were created that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, and all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16)
  • Therefore, in light of all these facts, it logically follows that what God told Moses about the Sabbath’s relationship to the creation week was at the very least agreed with by Jesus and was possibly even literally voiced to Moses by Jesus.
Posted in Creation, Scripture, Series: "How Old is the Earth?", The Bible, The Sabbath | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What the Sabbath Teaches Us About the Days of Creation

Posted on July 4, 2025 by russellmckinney

“How Old Is the Earth?” series (post #3)

Did you know that #4 of the famous 10 commandments tells us something about the age of the earth? Do you remember which commandment that is? It’s the one about keeping the Sabbath. It goes like this:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11, NKJV)

In the Jewish mind, a day ran from sundown to sundown rather than sunrise to sunrise. This went back to the days of the creation week, which are described as beginning at evening. And why are those days described by that seemingly reversed description? It’s because day one of the creation week began in darkness (Genesis 1:2). Light didn’t enter into the picture until God said, “Let there be light” later that day (Genesis 1:3).

So, a Jewish Sabbath day began at sundown on Friday evening and ended at sundown on Saturday evening (Leviticus 23:32). During those 24 hours a Jew could do no work (Leviticus 23:3). Under the Mosaic law, the penalty for working on a Sabbath day was death (Exodus 31:14, Numbers 15:32-36).

With all this said, I should probably point out that keeping the Sabbath has always been an exclusively Jewish thing. Not only was it a part of their Old Testament law, it was nothing less than a sign that marked the covenant that God had entered Himself into with Israel. Consider carefully God’s words from Exodus 31:16-17:

Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

I realize that some well-meaning Christians, in their attempts to make every single one of Exodus chapter 20’s ten commandments applicable today, contend that Sunday is the “Christian” Sabbath and that we should therefore rest on that day. But that simply isn’t a right interpretation or application of the Sabbath. The Sabbath has always been about God’s dealings with the Jews, not the church. I do find it interesting that those who believe that Christians must keep Sunday as a “Christian” Sabbath have no problems whatsoever blowing off the part about inflicting the death penalty upon anyone who happens to do some work on Sunday.

Anyway, I didn’t sit down today to write a post about all the details of keeping the Sabbath. What I sat down to write is a post about how God used His creation week as an example of why the Jews should keep a weekly Sabbath. After giving the Jews the command to keep the Sabbath, what did He say?:

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:11, N.K.J.V.)

And so, now I ask you, “How much sense would God’s example have made to the Jews if the days of the creation week were anything other than 24-hour days?” Think about it, God didn’t want the Jews to work six thousand years and then take a thousand years of rest for a Sabbath. He didn’t want them to work six million years and then take a million years of rest for a Sabbath. He didn’t want them to work six billion years and then take a billion years of rest for a Sabbath. Any such interpretations are ludicrous. So, what does His use of that specific example tell us about the days of the creation week? I think you know. You see, before we start trying to harmonize the Bible to the beliefs of modern science, we’d better start paying closer attention to what the Bible actually says.

Posted in Bible Study, Creation, God's Work, Scripture, Series: "How Old is the Earth?", The Bible, The Old Testament Law, The Sabbath | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Adam & Eve Lived Through Days 6 & 7

Posted on July 2, 2025 by russellmckinney

“How Old Is the Earth?” series (post #2)

The Bible teaches that the days of the creation week, as described in Genesis chapter 1, were literal 24-hour days. Need proof of that? Then hang with me for this series entitled “How Old Is the Earth?”

In the series’ first post, I dealt with the Hebrew word yom, the word our English translations translate as “day” in the Bible’s creation story. There’s nothing unique or exciting about yom. For the most part, it’s just the common Hebrew word for “day.” That in itself is significant. Then, when we add in that the Bible specifically says that the six days each had an evening and a morning, well, it takes some imagination to read anything other than 24-hour days into that.

Okay, now with this second post, I’d like to hit upon another easy-to-understand piece of evidence for those days being 24-hour days. That second piece of evidence is this: Adam and Eve were created on day six and lived all the way through days six and seven. You see, this one is so simple and obvious that many people read right past it. Call it a case of hiding in plain sight.

The record of God’s work on day six of creation is found in Genesis 1:24-31, with further details of that work being provided in Genesis 2:1-25. First, the day began with God creating all of the earth’s land creatures: the beasts of the earth, livestock, insects, snakes, lizards, etc. (Genesis 1:24-25). Second, God created Adam and placed him in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7-8,15). Third, God gave Adam the command not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Fourth, God brought the land creatures that He had created earlier in the day and allowed Adam to show his dominion over them by naming them (Genesis 2:19-20). Fifth, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and while Adam slept, God took a rib from him and from that rib created Eve (Genesis 2:18, 21-25).

All of this allows us to place Genesis 2:1-3 into its proper chronological place in the order of events. Those verses say:

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (N.K.J.V.)

The Bible doesn’t tell us how old Adam was when Eve gave birth to Cain or Abel (Genesis 4:1-2), but it does tell us that he was 130 when she gave birth to Seth (Genesis 5:3). That would be 130 years after the day when Adam himself had been created. Following Seth’s birth Adam then went on to live another 800 years before dying at the age 930 (Genesis 5:4-5).

So, you tell me, does any of that sound like either day six or day seven of the creation week was anything other than a 24-hour day? I mean, once Adam was created and placed in Eden, if either the rest of that sixth day or the entirety of the seventh day was thousands, millions, or billions of years long, Adam would have been much older than 930 when he died. And the same thing holds true for Eve despite the fact that the Bible doesn’t mention her age at any point of her life or death.

You see, Adam dying at 930 — and there are solid explanations for how those early people lived such long lives — isn’t a problem if the days of the creation week were 24-hour days. But it becomes a colossal problem if we try to interpret those days as eons of time that gobbled up thousands, millions, or billions of years. I would even go so far as to say that God purposely inspired Moses to write Adam’s age at death as a way of confirming that the creation week was just that, an actual week. And needless to say, a literal week of creation adds up to an earth that is a few thousand years old and no more.

Posted in Creation, Scripture, Series: "How Old is the Earth?", The Bible | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hebrew Word “Yom”

Posted on June 30, 2025 by russellmckinney

“How Old Is the Earth?” series (post #1)

I am in the “young earth” camp. That means that I believe the earth, not to mention the rest of the universe, is less than 10,000 years old. Yes, I am a college graduate. Yes, I know about carbon dating. Yes, I know about the geologic column. Yes, I know about the speed of light. Yes, I know about the theory of evolution. Yes, I know what scientists tell us about the enormity and vastness of space. Trust me, I’ve heard the evidences for an earth and a universe that are billions of years old. But here’s something else I know: Like it or not, believe it or not, scoff at it or not, the Bible teaches that the earth is only a few thousand years old. Don’t believe me? Then I hope you will hear me out in this new series entitled “How Old Is the Earth?”

With this opening post I’ll define the Hebrew word yom, the word our English translations translate as “day” for each of the seven days of the creation week in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. And how is yom defined? It’s the word the Jewish people use to refer to a typical 24-hour day.

The Bible’s first instance of yom comes in Genesis 1:5, which describes the first day (Sunday) of the creation week. That verse says:

God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (N.K.J.V.)

In keeping with this first instance, we find this same kind of summary phrase and use of yom following each of the remaining five days upon which God worked. The pattern is always the same: “So the evening and the morning were the ______ day.” We see this in Genesis 1:8; 1:13; 1:19; 1:23; and 1:31. The only exception to this rule is that we don’t get such a phrase following God resting on the seventh day (the Sabbath day, Saturday).

The fact is that yom is used some 2,300 times in the Old Testament text, and in the overwhelming majority of instances it refers to nothing more than a 24-hour day. Admittedly, there are some passages in which it is used in reference to a more general, larger period of time. Most of those passages, however, are prophetic in nature. In particular, there are various verses that speak of a coming period of judgment called “the day (yom) of the Lord.” None of this applies, however, to the days of the creation week because those had nothing to do with prophecy or judgment.

Even more than that, each day of creation is assigned a definite number (“the first day,” “the second day,” etc.). This is important to note because in every instance where the Old Testament applies a numerical adjective to yom the reference is to a 24-hour day. And then there is the fact that each of the six days of God’s work is specifically described as having an evening and a morning.

Seriously, how much clearer does God have to make it? Think about it like this: If the days of the creation week really were literal 24-hour days, the descriptive language God would use to convey that teaching to mankind as simply and as directly as He could would be the language used in Genesis chapter 1! That being the case, how can we be so quick to explain such language away and seek other interpretations?

Of course, there are those who try to bring a New Testament verse, 2 Peter 3:8, into this whole discussion. That verse says:

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (N.K.J.V.)

According to some this verse allows for the idea that the days of the creation week were vast geological ages that could have extended for millions of years. This is known as “the day-age theory.” Obviously, though, even if we take the verse hyper literally, it still doesn’t teach that the earth is millions of years old. At most, the creation week would have lasted 7,000 years and the earth would still be under 20,000 years old.

Actually, though, a close reading of 2 Peter 3:8 shows that it has nothing to do with creation. The verse is found in the context of a teaching on God’s judgment, and it’s used figuratively to illustrate how patient and longsuffering God is about sending judgment upon the world. Peter is saying, “The fact that God hasn’t poured out His judgment yet doesn’t mean that He isn’t going to do it.”

So, in conclusion, we just need to let the Genesis account of creation read the way it is written and stop trying to bring dicey word-plays into it. First, yom is the word the Jews used for a 24-hour day. And second, God’s six days of work are each described as having an evening and a morning. I dare say that these two facts by themselves make the case for a young earth. I’m happy to report, though, that there is even more evidence to be seen, and in the next post we’ll look at another important piece of that evidence.

Posted in Creation, Scripture, Series: "How Old is the Earth?", The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shaking the Dust Off Your Feet

Posted on June 27, 2025 by russellmckinney

“And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.” (Matthew 10:12-13, N.K.J.V.)

Let me be clear about the fact that Jesus spoke these words in the context of a teaching on the topic of evangelism. He was sending His chosen 12 out to witness for Him, and He wanted them to know how to handle any home where they either wouldn’t be received or their witnessing would fall upon deaf ears. However, with that specific context understood, I think we are safe to assume that the core principle at the heart of Christ’s words can be applied to other settings and situations.

God knows when you’ve tried your best to reach someone. He knows when you’ve thrown your all at making a situation work. He knows when the problem is the other party, not you. He knows when there is little, if anything, to be gained by you continuing to knock on a door that isn’t opening to you. He knows when it’s time for you to shake the dust off your feet and move on to something else.

I have no idea where this post finds you right now, and I’m certainly not trying to cause unwise upheaval in your life, but it could be that you are in the midst of some situation that God is now calling you to abandon. Obviously, I’m not talking about you bailing out on a marriage simply because of irreconcilable differences or you doing something else that violates scripture. (Don’t use this principle of shaking the dust off your feet as carte blanche to step outside God’s will and do anything that suits you!) But I am talking about you putting a period any place in your life where God wants you to put one.

You ask, “How do I know where those places are?” Oh, that takes commitment to Jesus. It takes prayer. It takes spiritual discernment. It takes seeking God’s will and committing yourself to that will whatever it may be. The good news, though, is that God will show you those “time to put a period” places if you sincerely ask Him to show you. Remember, He wants you to do His will more than you want to do it.

The truth is that there will be times when God will have you to keep on knocking on a door. As Jesus Himself said in another passage, “…Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7, New Living Translation). But there will be other times when God will have you shake the dust off your feet and saturate the scene with your absence.

So, is God whispering to you these days concerning some situation, some goal, or some relationship, “It’s time for you to give up on this and start pouring your time and energy into something new”? More than whispering, is He SHOUTING it to you? Either way, your job is to listen to what He is saying and obey Him. Just shake the dust off your feet and move on down the road with Him. Not only will He reward you for your efforts at making the situation work, He’ll also reward you for your obedience at putting an end to you trying to make the situation work.

Posted in Adversity, Business, Change, Choices, Church Attendance, Commitment, Decisions, Disappointment, Discernment, Evangelism, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Work, Ministry, Obedience, Problems, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Charcoal Fire

Posted on June 25, 2025 by russellmckinney

Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. (John 18:18, N.A.S.V.)

On the night of Christ’s arrest, Peter denied even knowing Him. To make matters worse, Peter spoke three such denials, just as Jesus had foretold he would. And where did Peter speak those three denials? He spoke them while he was warming himself in front of a fire in the outer courtyard of the home of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest. At the time, Jesus was being tried by Caiaphas and the other members of the Jewish Sanhedrin inside the house.

John’s gospel uses a highly specific Greek word, anthrakia, to describe that fire by which Peter warmed himself. Some Bible translations translate anthrakia as “a fire of coals” but other translations more precisely render it “a charcoal fire.” So, Peter denied Jesus three times while standing before a charcoal fire.

Now let’s fast forward to a morning more than a week after Christ’s resurrection. Peter and some of the rest of the chosen 12 have made their way north from Jerusalem to Galilee. They have done so in obedience to Christ’s word that He will meet them there (Matthew 26:32; 28:7; Mark 16:7). While they are waiting for the resurrected Jesus to appear to them, the group acquires a small fishing boat and goes fishing one night on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-3). But they fish all night and catch nothing.

The next day, just as the morning sun is beginning to illuminate the scene, the group looks toward shore and sees a figure standing on the beach. The figure shouts to them, “Have you caught any fish?” Bluntly, the answer is sent back, “No.” Then the figure shouts, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some fish.” The word of advice is followed and the net brings up 153 large fish. Such a haul would normally tear a net, but this net handles the job with no problem.

It’s at this point that Peter figures out who the man on the beach is. After all, Peter has had this same type of experience once before in his fishing career (Luke 5:1-11). Impulsively, he jumps into the water and swims the 100 yards to shore ahead of his friends, who are left to bring in the boat and the fish. And when they all get to the beach, what do they find? They find that Jesus has built a fire and is cooking Himself some fish. The men then accept Christ’s invitation to a breakfast of fish and bread and proceed to cook some of the fish they’ve just caught.

Once breakfast is done, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Simon (Peter’s name before Jesus had renamed him), son of John,do you love Me?” And three times Peter gives the response, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love you.” There you go, Peter. Consider your three denials forgiven and yourself restored to the ministry.

You say, “Boy, what a great story.” Yes, it is, and it gets even better. Do you remember that fire that Jesus had going on the beach that morning? Guess what kind of fire it was. It was a charcoal fire. As a matter of fact, the only two times where that specific Greek word, anthrakia, are used in the entire New Testament are John 18:18 (the scene of Peter’s denials) and John 21:9 (the scene of Peter’s restoration). Therefore, don’t be surprised if Jesus restores you following a failure or a setback by somehow reproducing the exact same situation in your life. It worked for Peter, and it will work for you, too.

Posted in Adversity, Backsliding, Brokenness, Forgiveness, Grace, Mercy, Ministry, Rebellion, Repentance, Restoration, Seeking Forgiveness, Service, Sin | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Some Bible Basics About Gun Control

Posted on June 23, 2025 by russellmckinney

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know that gun control has become a major topic in American culture. Well, as with any topic, it is the Christian’s job to look to the Bible to gain God’s perspective on the issue. So, that’s what we’ll do in this post. My goal here is not to write the absolute last word on this subject. It is, instead, to merely offer the basics of what the Bible has to say about it.

Since the Bible was completed centuries before the invention of the first gun, we aren’t going to find a verse that says either: “Thou shalt own a gun” or “Thou shalt not own a gun.” Nevertheless, there are some definite Bible facts that can be applied to the topic. I’ll list five of them.

Fact #1: The Bible speaks of the use of many different kinds of weapons. Even though guns aren’t found in the stories of the Bible, other weapons certainly are. The list includes bows, arrows, swords, daggers, spears, and javelins. These were the “guns” of the ancient world.

In addition to these typical weapons, the Bible also speaks of atypical ones. David killed Goliath with a sling and a rock (1 Samuel 17:49-50). Jael killed Sisera with a tent peg (Judges 4:21-22; 5:24-27). An unnamed woman mortally wounded Abimlech by dropping a millstone on his head (Judges 9:50-55). Shagmar killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad (Judges 3:31). Similarly, Samson killed 1,000 Philistines with a jawbone from the fresh corpse of a donkey (Judges 15:15-17). Based upon all this, I think it’s safe to say that if the Bible were being written today, guns would be on the list of the weapons mentioned.

Fact #2: In no place does the Bible blame a weapon for the effect the weapon causes. As an example, I’ll use Herod Agrippa I’s killing of the apostle James. In Acts 12:1-2, we read that Herod killed James with a sword. (He either personally killed him with the weapon or ordered him to be executed with it.) But in Acts 12:20-24 we read that an angel of the Lord struck Herod and caused him to die a gruesome death. The point is that God had the angel strike the man, not the sword. If you really want to get technical about it, the Bible even relates the word of God to a sword (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).

There’s a saying, “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” While this saying has become something of a cliche’, it still holds much truth. The fact is that even if there weren’t any guns, someone who is bent on killing would find a way to kill. After all, there weren’t any guns in the days of Cain and Abel, but that didn’t stop Cain from killing his brother. You see, the true heart of the problem is the sinful, Adamic nature with which we are all born. Take that nature out of each of us and all killing will stop. But there’s simply no way to take out that nature, and we will all, including Christians, struggle with it until we pass into the afterlife.

Fact #3: The Bible depicts conflict and warfare as inevitable byproducts of living in a fallen world. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the Bible says there is a time for every purpose under heaven. Shockingly to some, that list includes a time of war. Likewise, in Psalm 144:1 David actually praises God for training his hands for war and his fingers for battle.

Even Jesus said that wars must come to pass (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9). As a matter of fact, there are multiple instances in the Old Testament, particularly involving Israel’s conquering of the land of Canaan, when God commands Israel to go to war against other races of people. Furthermore, a sensible, intelligent argument can be made that guns, used rightly, help make the peace (Matthew 5:9).

Fact #4: Jesus Himself made some allowance that there are times when carrying a weapon is appropriate. On the night of His betrayal and arrest, just after His famous “last supper,” Jesus said to His disciples, “…he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one” (Luke 22:36, N.K.J.V.). When the disciples answered Him, “Lord, look, here are two swords,” He said, “It is enough” (Luke 22:38). However, later that same night, as Jesus was facing arrest following His praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, He told Peter, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, N.K.J.V.).

How can we explain Jesus’ seemingly contradictory attitude toward carrying a weapon? One possible answer is that even though He never intended to resist arrest or allow Peter and the other disciples to defend Him, He didn’t want to be arrested before He had a chance to do His final praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Another possible answer is that He wanted the disciples to understand that their circumstances were about to turn much darker and He wasn’t going to be around to protect them as He had been (Luke 22:37).    

Fact #5: God commands that each person be subject to his or her governing authorities. The origins of government can be traced all the way back to God’s new commands for Noah after Noah and his family disembarked from the ark (Genesis 9:6). Since then, God has been pro government, and the Bible teaches that He raises up rulers, puts down rulers, and grants power to whom He chooses so that His rulers can suit His purposes, whatever those purposes might be. Some of the relevant passages on this topic are: Psalm 75:6-7, Daniel 2:20-21, Daniel 4:17, and Matthew 22:15-22. God even called Nebuchadnezzar, the spiritually lost ruler who would lead the Babylonians in the conquering of Judah, His “servant” (Jeremiah 27:4-8; 43:10). Similarly, He called Persia’s Cyrus the Great, who also was lost spiritually, His “shepherd” (Isaiah 44:28).

Once we understand this relationship between God and government, it doesn’t surprise us to learn that God commands us to be subject to our governing authorities. Passages such as Romans 13:1-7, Titus 3:1-2, and 1 Peter 2:13-17 will never be popular among the rabble rousers of any day, but these passages really aren’t all that hard to understand. And gun control laws (or a lack of them) don’t cancel out the truth of what the Bible teaches about submitting to your government.

Are there times when God would have His people disobey their government by obeying God rather than men (Acts 5:29)? Yes, there are. A list of Biblical examples of believers who did just that would include: the Hebrew midwives of Moses’ day (Exodus 1:15-21); Moses’ parents (Exodus 2:1-2); Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:1-18); and Daniel (Daniel 6:1-10). As for citizens disobeying their government’s gun control laws, though, I’m not prepared to add that cause to the list.

In conclusion, let me state for the record that I’m not a “gun guy” or a member of the National Rifle Association. I’ve only shot two guns in my life — not counting b.b. guns — and I didn’t particularly enjoy either experience. With that said, though, I’m honest enough as a Bible teacher to share with you what I’ve shared in this post. As for my take on gun control laws, I see them as fine as long as they are well balanced and within reason. I would even say that we’ve reached a point where they are fairly necessary for living in this world where evil seems to be bubbling to the top more and more. Like so many of life’s issues, I think “balance” is the key word here, and my counsel to anyone would be that God really does have a will in all this if we are just open to finding it.

Posted in Current Events, Government, Gun Control, The Heart, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Before Genesis 1:1

Posted on June 20, 2025 by russellmckinney

“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5, N.K.J.V.)

Take your Bible and turn to its very first verse, Genesis 1:1. You’ll see that the verse begins with the word “In” (“In the beginning God created…”). Focus your eyes for a moment on that word “In,” and let your mind try to imagine the time of the beginning of creation. Got it?

Okay, now let your eyes drift to the left of “In” and focus on the whiteness of the page you find there. Do you know what you call that white space? Eternity past. That’s the time Jesus is referencing in our text verse. It’s a time before the creation of the heavens and the earth. It’s a time before the creation of Adam and Eve. At least some part of it is even a time before the creation of the angels. Way back there at some point in eternity past, it was only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know if you’ve ever studied the Bible passages that relate to eternity past, but it is absolutely amazing what all God did back there. So, I thought it would be good if I used this post to list the relevant passages and identify that work. Keep in mind that God did all of this before Genesis 1:1. Here goes:

  1. By way of His perfect foreknowledge of all history (Isaiah 46:9-10), He foreknew each person who would voluntarily place saving belief/faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:29) (It is important to understand that having foreknowledge of a decision does not imply causation of that decision. For example, God the Father had a foreknowledge that Jesus would be delivered to the cross, but He didn’t make the Jews and Romans perform the deed: Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 1:20.)  
  2. He granted those foreknown believers grace, which refers to undeserved favor or unmerited blessing. (2 Timothy 1:8-9)
  3. He chose those foreknown believers to be “in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:4)
  4. He classified those foreknown believers as “the elect.” (1 Peter 1:1-2; Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 2 John 1,13; 1 Peter 5:13; 2 Peter 1:10; Matthew 24:24,31; Mark 13:22,27; Luke 18:7 )
  5. He blessed those foreknown believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ, including the blessing of a heavenly inheritance reserved for each of them (Ephesians 1:3; 2:4-7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
  6. He predestined those foreknown believers to be conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29)
  7. He wrote the names of those foreknown believers in a book called The Lamb’s (Christ’s) Book of Life. (Revelation 17:8; 13:8; 20:15; 21:27; Luke 10:20)

You see, Christian, your salvation is not some dicey, day-by-day, moment-by-moment, “hope so” standing you have with God. It is, instead, something that has been settled in eternity since before Genesis 1:1. As Acts 15:18 says: “Known to God from eternity are all His works.” And since those works include your salvation, you should rest in the scriptural promises of what God has already done for you, and live each day in the blessing, hope, and deep-settled peace those promises are meant to provide.

Posted in Assurance of Salvation, Belief, Calvinism, Creation, Eternal Security, Eternity, Faith, God's Foreknowledge, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereignty, God's Work, Grace, Heaven, Inner Peace, Reward, Salvation, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Posted on June 18, 2025 by russellmckinney

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? is a Christian hymn written in 1907/1908 by Ada R. Habershon and Charles H. Gabriel. The song asks the question of whether or not earthly families will be reunited in heaven. As popular as the song was, though, it was A.P. Carter’s 1935 reworking of it, entitled Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)?, that made the song a national treasure. Truth be told, the Carter version has become so popular that it has rendered the original version virtually obscure.

Carter was a founding member of country music’s legendary Carter family, and his new lyrics for the song told the story of the death and funeral of the narrator’s mother. The Carter family sang their version as part of their shows for years. Then June Carter married Johnny Cash, and he took the song to an even wider audience. From there, the Carter version has been covered by some of the biggest names in music history, including Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Willie Nelson, the Neville Brothers, and the Allman Brothers band.

In answer to the song’s question, let me say that as important as your earthly family is, it pales in significance to your membership (or lack of it) in God’s eternal family. Despite what a million movies, television shows, books, and songs tell us — to say nothing of the entire Mormon religion with its false doctrine of “celestial marriage” — earthly relationships do not extend into the afterlife. I will know my wife Tonya in heaven, but she won’t be my wife. I will know my sons, but they won’t be my sons. I will know my mom and dad, but they won’t be my parents. I will know my brother, but he won’t be my brother. These relationships won’t be inferior to what they are now; they’ll just be different. Not worse. Better. Everything in heaven is better.

What’s key, though, is that all these people I have mentioned will be there. And why will we all be there? Will it be because everybody ends up in heaven? No. Will it be because we were such a tight-knit group on earth? No. Will it be because our love spans the test of time across the ages? No. We will all be there because each of us, as an individual, has placed saving belief in Jesus Christ and thereby become a Christian. That’s how one becomes a part of the eternal family of God. Consider the following passages (all from the N.K.J.V.):

  • And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mothers and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven (He explains in John 6:40 that this will equates to receiving eternal life by believing in Him) is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50, explanation mine)
  • But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
  • Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
  • For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)
  • Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone… (Ephesians 2:19-20)

These passages all teach the same thing, which is that placing life-changing, eternity-altering, soul-saving belief in Jesus Christ is how you become a part of the family of God. And did you know there are no less than three ways by which the Bible analogizes the Christian becoming a part of that family? Let’s look at each of the three.

First, to place saving belief in Jesus is to become a “born again” “babe in Christ.” This means that the Christian is (in a very real sense) born into the family of God. As we read in John 3:3:

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (N.K.J.V.)

Other passages that speak of the new Christian becoming a “born again” “babe in Christ” are:  John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:22-25; 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Hebrews 5:12-14; and 1 Peter 2:1-3.

Second, to place saving belief in Jesus is to become an adoptee. This means that the Christian is (in a very real sense) adopted into the family of God. As the apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:4-7 to the Christians of Galatia:

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

Other passages that speak of the Christian as being adopted are: Romans 8:14-17; Romans 8:22-24; and Ephesians 1:3-6.

Finally, third, to place saving belief in Jesus is to become a bride. This occurs because the new Christian automatically becomes a part of Christ’s bride, the church. This means that (in a very real sense) the Christian marries into the family of God. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:2 to the Christians of Corinth:

For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

Other passages that speak of the Christian as becoming a part of the bride of Christ are: Matthew 9:14-15; Mark 2:18-20 John 3:27-30;  Ephesians 5:22-33; and Revelation 19:5-9.

You see, the Christian just can’t be more a part of the eternal family of God. He or she is born into it, adopted into it, and married into it. Because of this the Christian will enjoy a dual existence in eternity as not only a child of God but also a part of Christ’s bride. All earthly relationships will be rendered obsolete as God the Father fills the role of the Christian’s father and God the Son fills the role of the Christian’s spouse. So, to answer the old song’s question, the family circle will indeed remain unbroken for Christians in heaven, but it will be a much different (and better) family circle than anything we experience on this earth.

Posted in Belief, Children, Death, Entertainment, Eternal Security, Eternity, Faith, Family, Fatherhood, Heaven, Husbands, Marriage, Motherhood, Music, Parenting, Personal, Salvation, Wives | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment