The Gap between Genesis 1:1 & 1:2: Was There a World Before Adam? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 9, 2026 · 43 MIN

The Gap between Genesis 1:1 & 1:2: Was There a World Before Adam?

from The Broadcasting Seeds Podcast · host Bennett Tanton

Isaiah 45:18 is explicit: God did not create the earth tohu — formless and empty. Genesis 1:2 says the earth was tohu va'vohu. If both are true, something happened between verse 1 and verse 2. The Gap Theory isn't a modern workaround for geology. Thomas Chalmers laid it out in 1814. G.H. Pember examined it in depth in 1876. The Scofield Bible carried it to millions of readers. And the Hebrew verb hayetah — usually translated "was" — can legitimately be rendered "became." The earth became formless and empty. Something made it that way. This episode walks the linguistic case for the gap, the strongest arguments against it, what the gap may have contained theologically, and what changes about the whole biblical narrative if there was a world before Adam — a prior creation under the anointed cherub, judged into ruin by his rebellion.Scripture covered: Genesis 1:1-2 · Isaiah 45:18 · Isaiah 34:11 · Jeremiah 4:23-26 · Job 38:4-7 · 2 Peter 3:5-6 · Revelation 12:4This weeks episode arc so far:Ep. 1 — Who the adversary was before he became the adversary Ep. 2 — The two-stage fall: the throne room and the crossEp. 3 — This episode: the gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2Ep. 4 — Coming next: why did God allow the rebellion at all?🎧 Ad-free audio: $5/mo · Ad-free audio + video: $10/mo — patreon.com/c/BroadcastingSeeds 📖 Books & more: BennettTantonBooks.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-broadcasting-seeds-podcast--6402290/support.Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/BroadcastingSeeds. for Ad-Free audio & video content.Books-BennettTantonBooks.comWhat We Have (Grid Collapse Series Book 1)What We Have (Grid Collapse Series Book 1)The War You Didn’t Know You Were In: Understanding and Winning the Spiritual BattleCREATURES AT THE EDGE: Cryptids, Archetypes, and the Human Encounter with Mystery (At the Edge Series)The Last Witch Hunter’s Journal WebsiteYouTubeThis episode includes AI-generated content.

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