FYI: Found this website with interesting view of the "gap theory" of Genesis 1:1 -Rightly-Dividing Geology and the Book of Genesis Beyond the "Gap Theory" of Christian Creationism
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
(Genesis 1:1 KJV)
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
(Genesis 1:2 KJV)On this website you will learn about an alternative, lesser known literal interpretation of the Genesis narrative that does not contradict the scientific evidence for an Old Earth. Called the "Gap Theory" or Ruin-Reconstruction interpretation, it is primarily based on the Scriptural fact that, in the second verse of Genesis, the Holy Bible simply and clearly states that the planet Earth was already here (but in a ruined state) before the creative process of the seven days even begins. Why is that so? And what happened to the Earth in the time gap between the first two verses of the Genesis narrative? A key to unlocking this mystery is found in the precise wording of this New Testament cross-reference:
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
(2 Pet 3:5-7 KJV)Contrary to popular interpretation, the above passage is not a reference to Noah's flood (see Introduction Pages for specifics). And the only other place in the Bible where the Earth was covered in waters is Genesis 1:2. The ramifications are obvious: The literal wording suggests that the "heavens and the earth, which are now" (made during the seven days) was not the first-time creation of all things, as is traditionally assumed. If you have ears to hear, the Word of God appears to be telling the reader there was a previous world on the face of this old Earth before God formed the present world of modern Man. If true, this invalidates the Doctrine of Young Earth Creationism and opens a more perfect way to understanding how and why the Bible and the Geological record are in agreement.
...Full website: