CHRIS ROSEBROUGH''S STAGGERING SELF-CONTRADICTIONS! EZEKIEL 37-38

(54) F4F | A Biblical Perspective on Israel and Prophecy - YouTube

Chris Rosebrough's staggering self-contradictions! 

In the above video, Lutheran teacher and broadcaster Chris Rosebrough gives his take on Ezekiel 37-38 and Israel in bible prophecy. Rosebrough often asks what false teachers are talking about.. but we might ask him the same question.

Rosebrough (2023): "Ezekiel 37 is not a prophecy of the restoration of the nation-state of Israel.. This is a prophecy regarding the resurrection of the dead, not a resurrection of the nation-state of Israel in 1948. It is a misappropriation of the text to make it be anything other than that." (1:17 mark)

Rosebrough (2013): "The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy was not that the exiles were raised from the dead, but that the house of Israel was raised from the dead and brought out of exile into the land of Israel and was reestablished as a nation. ..This text is really a prophecy about God resurrecting the dead nation of Israel that ceased to exist as a nation because they were now in exile. That's what this is about. If you make it about something else.. then you are missing the whole point of the text.. (See note) (56) Louie Giglio Twists Ezekiel 37 at Passion 2013 - YouTube (11:00 mark)

Note: I have assumed that Rosebrough was not referring to 538 BC when the Jews in Babylon were allowed to return to the land of Judah due to Cyrus' decree. (Ezra 2:1-2). If this is what he was referring to then it is ill-founded. Ezekiel 37 identifies the land of Israel as a whole i.e. Judah and Ephraim (Ezekiel 37:15-29). Judah became the Persian province of Yehud Medinata following the return from Babylonian captivity. The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (Hebrew: הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948. 

Rosebrough describes Jesus' stinging condemnation of the Oral Torah/Law as taught by the Pharisees from approximately 200 BC. The Oral Torah is given predominance by rabbinic Orthodox Jews of today making them guilty of adding to the statutes and ordinances given to Moses on Mount Sinai. (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Matthew 23:1-36). 

Rosebrough observed that the modern state of Israel is in rank rebellion and idolatry, and he drew attention to the Buddha statue at the "Supernova Sukkot Gathering", the site of the Hamas massacre on the 7th of October. The "Supernova Sukkot Gathering" is the open-air psychedelic trance music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot near the Re'im kibbutz. Videos show the chilling spectacle of young Israelis dancing to trance music under a giant Buddha statue and prayer flags. 1 

Rosebrough makes a distinction between the genetic descendants of Abraham and those who have the same faith as Abraham, i.e. Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. (52:00 mark). He quotes from Romans 9: For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.. (Romans 9:6-8 cf. Galatians 3:27-29).

Rosebrough: "The genetic people of Israel who do not believe, who do not worship according to scripture and deny Jesus as the Messiah - they are not part of true Israel - at all. They may be genetically related to Israel, but true Israel are those who have the same faith as Abraham, the Yahwehists, not the Pharisaical Jews or the Hasidic Jews.."  (59:00 mark)  

Rosebrough acknowledges that true Israel was founded upon the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and he says that he rejects replacement theology (supersessionism). Nevertheless, he fails to acknowledge specific future promises concerning ethnic Israel ~ as such, he is a supersessionist by definition. Supersessionist theology is the belief that God does not have specific plans for the nation of Israel and that Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ have replaced ethnic Israel as the people of God.

Below are various promises given to ethnic Israel.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25).  

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! ..I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:11-12, 25-29 cf. Isaiah 59:20).  

"And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 59:20).

By "all Israel" Paul is referring to one-third of the Jewish people who will cry out to God in repentance during the great tribulation, the time known as "Jacobs Trouble" following the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel. (Matthew 24:21). Although they are in unbelief at the present time, a remnant of ethnic Jews will be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Romans 11:24). 

I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:7-8).

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:1-4 cf. Isaiah 11:59-62;  ).

Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10).

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:30-31).

..Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:21-28).

In my view, Ezekiel 38 is the eschatological battle at the end of the millennium cross-referenced in Revelation 20. The reason I hold this view is that Ezekiel 38 describes Israel dwelling securely. Many pre-tribulation rapture speculators claim that the Gog/Magog battle will happen in the near future. However, since it is highly unlikely that Israel will be at peace prior to the return of Jesus Christ this view is implausible. 

This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates— in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’ (Ezekiel 38:10-12).

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore. And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10).

This is an appropriate time to point out that Lutheran theology is amillennial. 2 Problematically Lutheran theology is based on a non-literal interpretation of Revelation 20:1-7 regarding a literal thousand-year period following the second coming of Jesus Christ. The amillennial position views the millennium as “realized” i.e. the 1,000 years allegedly occurs during the church age. Amillennialists believe that the second advent of Jesus Christ will be followed by the last judgement and the eternal state. The amillennial view was established in the 5th century by Augustine of Hippo, and was the primary view of most of the reformers in the 16th century. It should be noted that the dominant view of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, including Irenaeus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian and Hippolytus was historic premillennialism. Historic premillennialism (known in the early church as chiliasm) is the literal futuristic view that the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur prior to the thousand-year reign subsequent to the great apostasy. 

A critical concern about Lutheran doctrine that has major implications regarding salvation by grace through faith is their belief in baptismal regeneration which is an unbiblical throwback to Roman Catholicism. (Ephesians 2:8). It was a very bad day when Chris Rosebrough became a Lutheran. False doctrines inevitably come back to bite us! They are even more egregious when they are propagated by those who claim to be "watchmen" who call out false teachers in the church! (Matthew 7:5).

1. Re'im music festival massacre - Wikipedia
2. The Augsburg Confession - Evangelical Lutheran Synod (els.org)

Further Links:

(68) About Replacement Theology: Romans 11:25-32 - YouTube

(66) Premillennialism Answering Amillennialism - Dr. Alan Kurschner - YouTube

JOE SCHIMMEL: MUSLIM ANTICHRIST DEBUNKED

(58) The Coming Muslim Antichrist & the False Prophet? - YouTube

Very sadly Joe Schimmel has joined the speculators and has not taken the time to do his due diligence regarding the subject of the Antichrist. Many so-called "prophecy experts" have had a knee-jerk reaction to the recent tragic events in Israel and are engaging in sloppy exegesis. Schimmel's eschatology has always been problematic and he has mistaught the book of Revelation for years. In general terms, Schimmel's teaching has deteriorated, and his badly prepared sermons are delivered at warp speed in an almost crazed manner. The reason given for his failure to deliver clear concise teaching is that he is working against the clock. However, it seems the more likely cause of his poor presentation technique is due to a lack of discipline and preparation.  

The people of the prince who is to come 

And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. (Daniel 9:26)

The Arab auxiliaries mentioned by both Tacitus and Josephus were about 6,000 in number, compared to the 60,000 Roman soldiers who came against Jerusalem in 70AD. Chris White points out that only about 10% of the soldiers in 70AD could have been considered non-Roman. 

Chris White: "It should be noted here that the reason people joined the auxiliaries was so they could be awarded Roman citizenship at the end of their term of service. The other 54,000 men were all Roman citizens from the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 12th , 15th , and 18th Legions. Since it was required that a soldier must be a Roman citizen to be in the legionnaires, we can be pretty sure that these 54,000 men were, in fact, Roman citizens.." 

David Reagan: “A good example of [this kind of] tortuous logic can be found in [an] attempt to explain away the meaning of Daniel 9:26.. This is really grasping at straws in the wind! It doesn’t matter whether or not the legions were composed of Australian Aborigines, it was the Roman government that decided to destroy Jerusalem, it was the Roman government that gave the orders, and it was Roman generals who carried out the destruction. Rome was the rod of God’s judgment and it is from the Roman people that the Antichrist will arise.” 1  

Daniel 11:40-45

Schimmel fails to even mention Daniel 11:40-45. In this critcal passage, the Antichrist turns against the Muslim enemies of Israel and he destroys Egypt, Libya, and an Arab coalition including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and others. Furthermore, when the Antichrist invades Israel to take his throne, his primary targets are the Islamic nations surrounding Israel.

At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. (Daniel 11:40-45).

We arrive at sound eschatology from the scriptures, not by making false comparisons with the Quran!

I recommend Chris White's comprehensive critique of this view:

Islamic_Antichrist_Debunked_Chris_White.pdf (bibleprophecytalk.com)

1. Daniel 9:26 and a Muslim Antichrist - The Christian Thinker (christianworldviewpress.com)

FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS: SOME PRIVATE ENORMITIES OF THE INQUISITION LAID OPEN, BY A VERY SINGULAR OCCURENCE

When the crown of Spain was contested for in the beginning of the present century, by two princes, who equally pretended to the sovereignty, France espoused the cause of one competitor, and England of the other.

The duke of Berwick, a natural son of James II who abdicated England, commanded the Spanish and French forces, and defeated the English at the celebrated battle of Almanza. The army was then divided into two parts; the one consisting of Spaniards and French, headed by the duke of Berwick, advanced towards Catalonia; the other body, consisting of French troops only, commanded by the duke of Orleans, proceeded to the conquest of Arragon.
As the troops drew near to the city of Arragon, the magistrates came to offer the keys to the duke of Orleans; but he told them haughtily that they were rebels, and that he would not accept the keys, for he had orders to enter the city through a breach.
He accordingly made a breach in the walls with his cannon, and then entered the city through it, together with his whole army. When he had made every necessary regulation here, he departed to subdue other places, leaving a strong garrison at once to overawe and defend, under the command of his lieutenant-general M. de Legal. This gentleman, though brought up a Roman Catholic, was totally free from superstition; he united great talents with great bravery; and was the skilful officer, and accomplished gentleman.
The duke, before his departure, had ordered that heavy contributions should be levied upon the city in the following manner:

\\1. That the magistrates and principal inhabitants should pay a thousand crowns per month for the duke's table.
\\2. That every house should pay one pistole, which would monthly amount to 18,000 pistoles.
\\3. That every convent and monastery should pay a donative, proportionable to its riches and rents.

The two last contributions to be appropriated to the maintenance of the army.
The money levied upon the magistrates and principal inhabitants, and upon every house, was paid as soon as demanded; but when the persons applied to the heads of convents and monasteries, they found that the ecclesiastics were not so willing, as other people, to part with their cash.
Of the donatives to be raised by the clergy:
The College of Jesuits to pay - 2000 pistoles.
Carmelites, - 1000
Augustins, - 1000
Dominicans, - 1000

M. de Legal sent to the Jesuits a peremptory order to pay the money immediately. The superior of the Jesuits returned for answer that for the clergy to pay money for the army was against all ecclesiastical immunities; and that he knew of no argument which could authorize such a procedure. M. de Legal then sent four companies of dragoons to quarter themselves in the college, with this sarcastic message. "To convince you of the necessity of paying the money, I have sent four substantial arguments to your college, drawn from the system of military logic; and, therefore, hope you will not need any further admonition to direct your conduct."
These proceedings greatly perplexed the Jesuits, who despatched an express to court to the king's confessor, who was of their order; but the dragoons were much more expeditious in plundering and doing mischief, than the courier in his journey: so that the Jesuits, seeing everything going to wreck and ruin, thought proper to adjust the matter amicably, and paid the money before the return of their messenger. The Augustins and Carmelites, taking warning by what had happened to the Jesuits, prudently went and paid the money, and by that means escaped the study of military arguments, and of being taught logic by dragoons.
But the Dominicans, who were all familiars of, or agents dependent on, the Inquisition, imagined that that very circumstance would be their protection; but they were mistaken, for M. de Legal neither feared nor respected the Inquisition. The chief of the Dominicans sent word to the military commander that his order was poor, and had not any money whatever to pay the donative; for, says he, "The whole wealth of the Dominicans consists only in the silver images of the apostles and saints, as large as life, which are placed in our church, and which it would be sacrilege to remove."
This insinuation was meant to terrify the French commander, whom the inquisitors imagined would not dare to be so profane as to wish for the possession of the precious idols.
He, however, sent word that the silver images would make admirable substitutes for money, and would be more in character in his possession, than in that of the Dominicans themselves, "For [said he] while you possess them in the manner you do at present, they stand up in niches, useless and motionless, without being of the least benefit to mankind in general, or even to yourselves; but, when they come into my possession, they shall be useful; I will put them in motion; for I intend to have them coined, when they may travel like the apostles, be beneficial in various places, and circulate for the universal service of mankind."
The inquisitors were astonished at this treatment, which they never expected to receive, even from crowned heads; they therefore determined to deliver their precious images in a solemn procession, that they might excite the people to an insurrection. The Dominican friars were accordingly ordered to march to de Legal's house, with the silver apostles and saints, in a mournful manner, having lighted tapers with them and bitterly crying all the way, "heresy, heresy."
M. de Legal, hearing these proceedings, ordered four companies of grenadiers to line the street which led to his house; each grenadier was ordered to have his loaded fuzee in one hand, and a lighted taper in the other; so that the troops might either repel force with force, or do honor to the farcical solemnity.
The friars did all they could to raise the tumult, but the common people were too much afraid of the troops under arms to obey them; the silver images were, therefore, of necessity delivered up to M. de Legal, who sent them to the mint, and ordered them to be coined immediately.
The project of raising an insurrection having failed, the inquisitors determined to excommunicate M. de Legal, unless he would release their precious silver saints from imprisonment in the mint, before they were melted down, or otherwise mutilated. The French commander absolutely refused to release the images, but said they should certainly travel and do good; upon which the inquisitors drew up the form of excommunication, and ordered their secretary to go and read it to M. de Legal.
The secretary punctually performed his commission, and read the excommunication deliberately and distinctly. The French commander heard it with great patience, and politely told the secretary that he would answer it the next day.
When the secretary of the Inquisition was gone, M. de Legal ordered his own secretary to prepare a form of excommunication, exactly like that sent by the Inquisition; but to make this alteration, instead of his name to put in those of the inquisitors.
The next morning he ordered four regiments under arms, and commanded them to accompany his secretary, and act as he directed.
The secretary went to the Inquisition, and insisted upon admittance, which, after a great deal of altercation, was granted. As soon as he entered, he read, in an audible voice, the excommunication sent by M. de Legal against the inquisitors. The inquisitors were all present, and heard it with astonishment, never having before met with any individual who dared to behave so boldly. They loudly cried out against de Legal, as a heretic; and said, "This was a most daring insult against the Catholic faith." But to surprise them still more, the French secretary told them that they must remove from their present lodgings; for the French commander wanted to quarter the troops in the Inquisition, as it was the most commodious place in the whole city.
The inquisitors exclaimed loudly upon this occasion, when the secretary put them under a strong guard, and sent them to a place appointed by M. de Legal to receive them. The inquisitors, finding how things went, begged that they might be permitted to take their private property, which was granted; and they immediately set out for Madrid, where they made the most bitter complaints to the king; but the monarch told them that he could not grant them any redress, as the injuries they had received were from his grandfather, the king of France's troops, by whose assistance alone he could be firmly established in his kingdom. "Had it been my own troops, [said he] I would have punished them; but as it is, I cannot pretend to exert any authority."
In the mean time, M. de Legal's secretary set open all the doors of the Inquisition, and released the prisoners, who amounted in the whole to four hundred; and among these were sixty beautiful young women, who appeared to form a seraglio for the three principal inquisitors.
This discovery, which laid the enormity of the inquisitors so open, greatly alarmed the archbishop, who desired M. de Legal to send the women to his palace, and he would take proper care of them; and at the same time he published an ecclesiastical censure against all such as should ridicule, or blame, the holy office of the Inquisition.
The French commander sent word to the archbishop, that the prisoners had either run away, or were so securely concealed by their friends, or even by his own officers, that it was impossible for him to send them back again; and, therefore, the Inquisition having committed such atrocious actions, must now put up with their exposure.
Some may suggest, that it is strange crowned heads and eminent nobles did not attempt to crush the power of the Inquisition, and reduce the authority of those ecclesiastical tyrants, from whose merciless fangs neither their families nor themselves were secure.
But astonishing as it is, superstition hath, in this case, always overcome common sense, and custom operated against reason. One prince, indeed, intended to abolish the Inquisition, but he lost his life before he became king, and consequently before he had the power so to do; for the very intimation of his design procured his destruction.
This was that amiable prince Don Carlos, son of Philip the Second, king of Spain, and grandson of the celebrated emperor Charles V. Don Carlos possessed all the good qualities of his grandfather, without any of the bad ones of his father; and was a prince of great vivacity, admirable learning, and the most amiable disposition. He had sense enough to see into the errors of popery, and abhorred the very name of the Inquisition. He inveighed publicly against the institution, ridiculed the affected piety of the inquisitors, did all he could to expose their atrocious deeds, and even declared, that if he ever came to the crown, he would abolish the Inquisition, and exterminate its agents.
These things were sufficient to irritate the inquisitors against the prince: they, accordingly, bent their minds to vengeance, and determined on his destruction.
The inquisitors now employed all their agents and emissaries to spread abroad the most artful insinuations against the prince; and, at length raised such a spirit of discontent among the people that the king was under the necessity of removing Don Carlos from court. Not content with this, they pursued even his friends, and obliged the king likewise to banish Don John, duke of Austria, his own brother, and consequently uncle to the prince; together with the prince of Parma, nephew to the king, and cousin to the prince, because they well knew that both the duke of Austria, and the prince of Parma, had a most sincere and inviolable attachment to Don Carlos.
Some few years after, the prince having shown great lenity and favor to the Protestants in the Netherlands, the Inquisition loudly exclaimed against him, declaring, that as the persons in question were heretics, the prince himself must necessarily be one, since he gave them countenance. In short, they gained so great an ascendency over the mind of the king, who was absolutely a slave to superstition, that, shocking to relate, he sacrificed the feelings of nature to the force of bigotry, and, for fear of incurring the anger of the Inquisition, gave up his only son, passing the sentence of death on him himself.
The prince, indeed, had what was termed an indulgence; that is, he was permitted to choose the manner of his death. Roman-like, the unfortunate young hero chose bleeding and the hot bath; when the veins of his arms and legs were opened, he expired gradually, falling a martyr to the malice of the inquisitors, and the stupid bigotry of his father.

THE GAP THEORY REFUTED: TOM HORN AND DONNA HOWELL

(12) THE EARTH IS BOTH OLD AND YOUNG WITH A PRE GENESIS BATTLE? Tohu, Bohu, and the Chaos Dragon? - YouTube 

SkyWatch TV: "Today, most Christians maintain that the book of Genesis says the Earth is 6,000-10,000 years old at the most. Scientists on the other hand, teach that it is BILLIONS of years old. This discrepancy has not only drawn a line in the sand between faith and science, but has also created a wall between Christian believers. But what if we told you a different explanation that combines Old Earth Evidence, Young Earth Evidence, Scientific Evidence together into ONE harmonious conclusion? How can the Earth be old and young at the same time, and what does this have to do with Lucifer?"

The Gap Theory: Harmonise or Compromise?

The above video promotes a new book written by Donna Howell and Thomas Horn Before Genesis which the authors anticipate will cause a theological war. It appears that this book has been released at this time as a deliberate provocation to the widely held beliefs of traditional Christians. 

The gap theory (also known as gap creationism, ruin-restoration creationism, or restoration creationism) are speculative ideas originally introduced by Thomas Chalmers in 1814. Chalmers hatched the novel idea that there is a gap of unknown but lengthy duration between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Gap theorists argue that God judged this earlier creation due to Lucifer's rebellion. The gap theory claims to harmonize the conflict between the scriptures and the alleged long geologic ages, particularly with regard to the fossil records. 

The most notable proponent of the gap theory was GH Pember who was affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren and author of Earth's Earliest Ages (first published in 1876). Pember incorrectly identified the six days of Genesis 1 as "six days of restoration" rather than six days of creation. These ideas were also developed by Arthur C Custance and Donald Gray Barnhouse in 1970. 

The gap theory was included in the Scofield Reference Bible which popularized dispensationalism and became influential during the 20th century. Scofield's annotations alongside Bible verses have been widely challenged.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).  

(alleged gap of millions/billions of years)

Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)

Donna Howell: "Why do so many people act as if science and theology are two separate things.. Why is that even a question?"  She goes on to misquote the Herbert Spencer principle: "There is a principle which is a bar against all information which is proof against all argument and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance, that principle is church tradition before the open mind." The Herbert Spencer Principle in fact reads: "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”1 Donna's misquote immediately places tension between "church tradition" and "the open mind". Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was, in fact, a philosopher who developed an all-embracing conception of evolution. Wikipedia: "The basis for Spencer's appeal to many of his generation was that he appeared to offer a ready-made system of belief which could substitute for conventional religious faith at a time when orthodox creeds were crumbling under the advances of modern science. Spencer's philosophical system seemed to demonstrate that it was possible to believe in the ultimate perfection of humanity on the basis of advanced scientific conceptions such as the fist law of thermodynamics and biological evolution."2  

The answer to Donna Howell's question: The inerrant and infallible scriptures cannot be compared with knowledge attained by human agencies. Human knowledge or science should be approached with caution, especially when it introduces novel ideas that challenge our understanding of the scriptures. The scriptures themselves warn us of the danger of relying on human knowledge: O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” (1 Timothy 6:20). Strong's: "..knowledge/science From ginosko; knowing (the act), i.e. (by implication) knowledge -- knowledge, science." 3

There is a mountain of evidence that casts serious doubt upon the reliability of various forms of scientific fossil dating: 

Science Daily: "Radiocarbon dating is a key tool archaeologists use to determine the age of plants and objects made with organic material. But new research shows that commonly accepted radiocarbon dating standards can miss the mark -- calling into question historical timelines."4 

Donna Howell obviously knows that carbon dating is very suspect and she goes on to rattle off other specialist areas of research: "...paleomagnetism, river sediments, biostratigraphy.." (19:30 mark)    

The following articles cast doubt on these further specialties:

(PDF) Is paleomagnetic data reliable?: A critical analysis of paleomagnetism (researchgate.net)
(PDF) Biostratigraphy: What have we learnt? (researchgate.net)
Understanding the complexity of sediment residence time in rivers: Application of Fallout Radionuclides (FRNs) - ScienceDirect

j20_1_72-78.pdf (creation.com)

Reports of an agenda amongst academic institutions regarding fossil dating are very troubling. Tas Walker of Creation Ministries International explains that academics are penalized if they publish papers identifying a worldwide flood as the cause of the existence of fossils. The eighty whale fossils found at Cerro Ballena In Chile's Atacama desert in 2010 are a case in point. Tas Walker: "The people who do the research on this, the geologists, they can't say Noah's flood.. or they are cancelled, they lose their accreditation.. You would never get a paper published in that case and if you said that at your university or your research establishment, you would lose funding.."5   

Theological problems with the gap theory

Instead of questioning geological old earth theories, Pember and others inserted highly speculative and problematic ideas into the scriptures.

The gap theory is inconsistent with the doctrine that God created heaven and earth creato ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) approximately six to ten thousand years ago. 

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 20;11a). 

By situating death, disease and suffering prior to the fall, the gap theory throws the entire creation sequence out of sinc. The scriptures state that sin came into the world through one man. The apostle Paul describes Adam's fall as the circumstance necessitating the gospel. If sin and death did not enter the world through Adam, then Christ's sacrifice makes no sense. 

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrew 9:22)

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— (Romans 5:12).

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Ken Ham: "The basis of the Gospel message is that God brought in death and bloodshed because of sin” and “[i]f death and bloodshed of animals (or man) existed before Adam sinned, then the whole basis of atonement — the basis of redemption — is destroyed.”6 

CMI: "Müller points out that this issue is not just vital for the Gospel (see also p. 16). It also directly reinforces the authority of Scripture; with the corollary that old-earth compromise undermines Scripture. It also points to the goodness of God, who did not create a world with death and disease."7

The gap theory is logically inconsistent with uniformitarian geology and its alleged "long ages". According to gap theorists, the fossils were produced rapidly by a massive worldwide Luciferian flood. This contradicts the idea that the fossils were produced over millions or even billions of years. 

The proposal that the Noahic flood was either a local or a "tranquil" event that left no deposits whatsoever severely compromises the biblical narrative in Genesis 6-9. Noah's flood is described as a global event that was violent and destructive. (Genesis 6:13). 

The whole point of the Noahic flood was to cleanse the world of unprecedented evil and provide a new beginning for humanity via Noah and his family. (Genesis 6:5,9). In my view, we cannot realistically accept Tom Horn's suggestion that Lucifer fell in a previous garden if that is what he is suggesting (?)  A proposed pre-Adamic Luciferian flood was concerned, not with the sin of humanity, but with the fall of Lucifer. However, Lucifer was not judged and continued to operate in sin following this alleged event. In other words, nothing was accomplished by an alleged Luciferian flood. Satan will be destroyed at the end of the age. (Revelation 20:10). 

Tom Horn: "Why was the nachash.. the fallen Luciferian angel, Satan, why was he in the garden when Adam and Eve were created.?" (8:00 mark)  "Lucifer was already in the garden when Adam and Eve got there. When did that happen? We know he was kicked out of heaven. Jesus even said 'I beheld Satan like lightning fall from the heavens.' When did that all happen? It didn't happen in the Garden of Eden, it was already past. (28:00 mark)

And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18).

Jamieson: "..the imperfect tense in the original, it should be brought out in the translation: "I was beholding Satan as lightning falling from heaven."

There are various interpretations of Luke 10:18. The context of this verse is the return of the 72 disciples whom Jesus had sent out ahead of him. (Luke 10:1). On their return, they reported: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17).

Some bible scholars take Jesus' words in Luke 10:18 as a partial fulfillment of Satan's ultimate fall, since he still has limited access to heaven at the present time. (Job 1:6-12). Satan will not be finally defeated until he is thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. (Revelation 20:10 cf. Isaiah 14:1;). Although Satan is technically a defeated foe, there are further stages yet to be fulfilled from a finite perspective. (John 12:31-32; Revelation 20:1-3; Revelation 20:10). 

Pulpit Commentary: Verse 18. - And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. The Lord's words here were prophetic rather than descriptive of what had taken, or was then taking place.8

like lightning from heaven.. could simply be allegorical i.e. Satan (and the fallen angels) were rendered impotent against the message the 72 were authorized to deliver (?)

Ezekiel 28:13-19 is a continuation of the lament over the King of Tyre. These verses appear to compare the human King of Tyre to the anointed guardian cherub in Eden - on the holy mountain of God. Many scholars believe that these verses apply to the fall of Lucifer/Satan which occurred in Eden. If this is the case, then Genesis 2:8 presents a difficulty for gap theorists. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:8). Adam was created outside the garden which was situated on the eastern side of Eden where he was subsequently placed. Eden and the garden within Eden did not exist prior to day three of creation. Gap theorists claim that there was a previous Eden and a prior creation, but the scriptures supply no evidence that this is the case. It therefore appears that Satan's fall occurred within Eden at some point following the third day of creation. 

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.” (Ezekiel 28:13-19).

Barnes: This paragraph describes the planting of the garden of Eden, and determines its situation. It goes back, therefore, as we conceive, to the third day, and runs parallel with the preceding passage.9

The gap theory is endorsed by various dubious characters including Benny Hinn, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. It is also endorsed by Timothy Alberino, Gary Stearman (Prophecy Watchers), Derek Gilbert and Ryan Pitterson amongst others. In 2015, Gloria Copeland and her guest Billye Brim took these ideas to a new level with the claim that God made the earth perfect in an alleged "pre-Adamic civilization".9 

A pre-Adamic race? Tom Horn  "..a pre-Adamic race, human like individuals that lived on the earth possibly millions of years ago, during the age when the dinosaurs would have roamed the earth." (26:00 mark)  According to gap theorists, the so-called pre-Adamic civilization could not be corrupted since they did not have souls or fall within the parameters of salvation. This dubious theory is a very convenient way to explain away the presence of human and animal fossils.

 

The faulty interpretation of Genesis 1:2: "..but the earth became desolate of empty.."

The earth was (hāyâ) without form and void, (tohu and bohu) and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Keil and Delizsch: "And the earth was (not became) waste and void." The alliterative nouns tohu vabohu, the etymology of which is lost, signify waste and empty (barren), but not laying waste and desolating. Whenever they are used together in other places (Isaiah 34:11; Jeremiah 4:23), they are taken from this passage; but tohu alone is frequently employed as synonymous with איך, non-existence, and הבל, nothingness (Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 40:23; Isaiah 49:4). The coming earth was at first waste and desolate, a formless, lifeless mass, rudis indigestaque moles, ὕληἄμορφος (Wis. 11:17) or χάος.10

tohu = formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
bohu = emptiness     

Genesis 1:2 simply informs us that the earth was formless and empty, not that it became desolate and empty. Pember adopted the word "chaos" as a further descriptive noun in order to make the comparison with "the ancient and widespread doctrine of chaos in the time of our Lord."11 There is no indication in the text that indicates that the world was chaotic. These additional descriptive nouns are superfluous and go beyond the meaning of tohu and bohu . In order to facilitate their presupossitions, various proponents of the gap theory have illegitimately changed the interpretation of hāyâ to became/had become. 

Although hāyâ can be interpreted as become, there are grammatical reasons why this interpretation is invalid in this instance. Charles C Ryrie: "In the present case the verb normally serves as a linking verb ('to be' not 'to become') as in Genesis 1:25 and 3:1 where it could not be understood as 'to become'..  the disjunctive use of the waw seems required because the author apparently is calling the readers attention to something about the earth - now as to the earth it was..  More so while contextual situation may require the translation of hayetah as 'become' such a rendition occurs only 22 of its 1,522 appearances in the Pentateauch.."12   A detailed linguistic and theological assessment of the gap theory with particular reference to Genesis 1:1-2b can be found on the following link: (PDF) A Linguistic and Theological Assessment of the Gap Theory with Particular Reference to Genesis 1:1-2b (researchgate.net)

Further passages with to·hu va·vo·hu

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty (to·hu), he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18). This indicates God's process in creation which was subsequently brought into form and order without a gap of millions or even billions of years.

I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void (to·hu va·vo·hu); and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. (Jeremiah 4:23-27).  The context of this passage indicates a future prophecy of judgement against Judah; it does not revert back literally to Genesis 1:2, but is rather an allusion to it. It is bad hermeneutics to simply find the same wording (tohu va-bohu) and apply it carte blanche according to our own presuppositions.

Unfortunately, Tom Horn, Donna Howell, Derek Gilbert and Timothy Alberino have appeared a number of times on the Jim Bakker Show. Bakker is of course infamous for a number of reasons and is disqualified from the ministry. In 1987 Bakker was accused of sexual misconduct which led to his resignation. In addition, Bakker's illegal misuse of ministry funds eventually led to his imprisonment.13 In 2021 there was further scandal over Bakker's sale of silver solution as an alleged cure for COVID.14 Bakker's latest scheme is peddling emergency doomsday food buckets, hence his nickname "Bucket Jim". (2 Timothy 3:13).15 It is insupportable for any bona fide bible teacher to be associated with Jim Bakker! (1 Corinthians 5:11.) "Reverend" Donna Howell claims to be a "prophet" and is an admirer of Kathryn Khulman which speaks for itself! The constant merchandising of books and videos by Prophecy Watchers and Skywatch TV is another reason to be wary! (2 Peter 2:3). For the most part, the gap theory is relegated to compromised substandard outlets. 

Tom Horn and Donna Howell have released this book under the pretext of evangelization. It is proposed that unbelievers will more readily accept a pre-Adamic Luciferian flood as against the biblical account of the Genesis flood. The church is not called upon to make alterations or adjustments to the scriptures in order to make the gospel more acceptable. (Proverbs 3:5). 

A Luciferian flood is extra-biblical and is not recorded anywhere in the scriptures. To their shame, it appears that gap theorists would rather promote a speculative Luciferian flood as against the scriptural record of Noah's flood in the book of Genesis. In my view, no genuine bible teacher should buy into this defective theory.

1. William Paley - Wikiquote
2. Herbert Spencer - Wikipedia
3. Strong's Greek: 1108. γνῶσις (gnósis) -- a knowing, knowledge (biblehub.com)
4. Inaccuracies in radiocarbon dating | ScienceDaily
5. (23) Whale Fossils in the Desert - Evidence for a Worldwide Flood? - YouTube
6. Do Old Earth Creation Views Compromise Scripture and Destroy the Gospel Message? | Facts and Faith
7. Young Earth and Flood: Why they matter (creation.com)
8. Luke 10:18 Commentaries: And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. (biblehub.com)
9. Genesis 2:8 Commentaries: The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. (biblehub.com

. (7) The Pre-Adamic Civilization - YouTube
10. Genesis 1:2 Commentaries: The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (biblehub.com)
11. (12) The Alberino Analysis Earth's Earliest Ages Episode 1 - YouTube
12. The Gap Theory in Light of Grammar - Genesis 1:2 Word Study - The Disjunctive Conjunction Part Two (gaptheorygrammardcparttwo.blogspot.com)
13. Jim Bakker - Wikipedia
14. Jim Bakker to Pay $156K Over COVID-19 Cure Claim...... | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
15. (27) Pastor Jim Bakker Helps You Stay Alive During the Apocalypse - YouTube

Further Links

Closing the Gap - Listen to Answers in Geneis with Ken Ham - Radio Ministry Sermons (oneplace.com)
The Global Flood of Noah's Day | The Institute for Creation Research (icr.org)
(23) Was Eden on a Mountain? - YouTube
The Gap & Ruin-Reconstruction Theories | Answers in Genesis
Gap Theory Interpretation | Evidence Unseen