George Burnside
Futurism has at least tw0 fatal “Gaps”. One of these “Gaps” is found at “the beginning” of Scripture, and the other stretches throughout the whole of the Christian Era. Both are based on “fables”. They rest on the imagination and the theories of mere mortals. The presence of these fables should not surprise us as the sure word of divine prophecy foretold this hundreds of years before.
2 TIMOTHY 4:3,4 “For the time will come * when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
When people reject sound doctrine and they turn away their ears from the truth, they turn to fables. When truth is rejected individuals do not believe in nothing, they will believe anything that pleases them, even “fables.”
Those that follow Truth, the Truth of God for this tremendous “Time of Terror” is to “neither give heed to fables”, 1 Timothy 1:4, nor to follow “cunningly devised fables”, 2 Peter 1:16. For “His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4.
Futurisms first fatal gap is found between the first two verses of Scripture.
GENESIS 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The note on this verse in the Schofield Reference Bible states:-
“The first creative act refers to the dateless past, and gives scope for all the geologic ages.”
Here Schofield is attempting to harmonize Scripture with the popular theory that this world is millions of years old. This he calls “the dateless past,” so he can give scope for “all the geologic ages”. This liberal theory has given place to what futurists call the “Ruin Reconstruction” theory of the pre Adam world. The world they claim was created millions of years ago in “the dateless past” and was ruled by Lucifer. It was eventually wiped out. This they call the “Lucifer Flood” and then God reconstructed the world in six literal days. They use the fossils, to try to confirm their-fable.
The facts of Scripture rebel again this table of futurism. Let us notice a few plain facts.
1. This pre Adam Ruin - Reconstruction fable is nowhere mentioned in Scripture. It is solely imagination.
2.Scripture refutes this myth.
Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
God’s Word clearly states that the heaven and the earth were made in six days and all that in them is, were also made in these same six days. Therefore the six days of creation included the making of all things: this earth; vegetable life; animal life; and man. This is clearly and definitely included in this Scripture.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:45 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul.” This is recorded in:-
GENESIS 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Before the creation of Adam we read in God’s word “There was no man.” Genesis 2:6. Adam was the first. 1 TIMOTHY 2:13 “Adam was first formed.”
At the creation of Adam there was no others. God said:-
GENESIS 2:18 “It is not good that man should be alone.”
Here God’s own words make it clear that Adam was alone. There were no other humans on the earth.
GENESIS 2:20 “For Adam there was not found a help-meet for him.”
So our God made Eve. The scriptures plainly state:-GENESIS 3:20 “Eve was the mother of all living.”
Thus we have the true picture. Adam was first formed. There were none before him. With his wife Eve they became the parents of all living. There were none before them and there were none that did not come from them.
ACTS 17:26 God “Has made of one blood all nations of men.”
“He created the first man and from him all the races of men.” (Rieu)
ROMANS 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
There was no death on earth before Adam’s sin. No human died either spiritually or literally before Adam - “the first man” - sinned. Therefore the whole of futurism’s ruin-reconstruction fable is nothing more than a fable, a myth of mere mortals. The Schofield Reference Bible’s note is not only wrong but it has also led multitudes into error.
GENESIS 1:2 “And the earth was without form and void.”
We are referred to the margin in Schofield’s Reference Bible where we find this statement:
“Jeremiah 4:23-26, Isaiah 24:1, and 45:18, clearly indicate that the earth had undergone a cataclysmic change as a result of a divine judgment.”
These are favorite texts of the advocates of the “Gap” theory. They all use these texts to try to uphold the mythical Lucifer Flood theory.
Let us notice these sacred scriptures.
JEREMIAH 4:23 “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” Yes similar language is used as in Gen.1:2.
JEREMIAH 4:24, 25 “I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.” No man is seen. It is a desolate earth. “All the birds were fled.”
This could not be the first day of creation, for at that time no birds existed to have fled.” “Winged” creatures were created on “the fifth day” of creation’s week.
JEREMIAH 4:26 “I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.”
Note “the fruitful place was a wilderness.”
Here the prophet must be looking forward for the place that was once fruitful had become a wilderness. We read further:-
“All the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord and by His fierce anger.”
This is future. It could not be otherwise. There were no “cities” on the first day of creation. So we are told when this will be. It is after our Lord returns. It takes place “At the presence of the Lord.” This tremendous visitation is likewise described by the Apostle Paul.
2 THESSALONIANS 1:7-10 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”
Then those who “obey not the gospel” are punished with everlasting destruction from “the presence of the Lord.”
Our Lord at His “presence” settles up with the guilty who “obey not”. Now notice that at the same time that He deals with the disobedient that “He shall come to be glorified in His saints.” Our Lord deals with those who “obey not” first. He deals with the tares first. ‘.’First the tares” as we noticed in leaflet Number 6 of this series. Then He gathers together His elect. What wonderful harmony we find in the “Scriptures of Truth.” What contradictions of this precious Scripture do we find in futurism. Take for instance:
MATTHEW 13:30 “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Jesus said “Gather ye together first the tares.” Schofield say in his note on this text “At the end of this age the tares are set apart for burning, but first the wheat is gathered into the barn.” This twisting of Scripture is to fit in with his erroneous theory of the secret rapture.
Schofield says: - “First the wheat.” But Jesus said “First the tares.
Jesus and Schofield are in conflict. Here, as in many other places, his “Gap” theory is but a “fable.”
ISAIAH 45:18 Has really no bearing on the subject, and one wonders why Schofield included it. So let us notice his final support text.
ISAIAH 24:1 “Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty, and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants thereof.”
This verse is not dealing with creation, but it is prophetic. It points forward. Note the similar language: ISAIAH 24:1 “The Lord makes the earth empty.”
ISAIAH 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied. “Shall” Is future tense. It relates to the final judgments of God. When at the “presence of the Lord,” when our Lord returns and lifts His saints home to Glory and the wicked are struck dead by the brightness of His Glory, the earth is emptied.
Further this Scripture that Schofield lists as proof of his theory, in actual fact, refutes it.
According to futurism’s fable, When Christ comes for His people the redeemed are all raptured home to glory. This is followed by the reign of Antichrist for seven literal years and then Christ comes in Glory. The millennium follows wherein Christ reigns. At the close of the millennium the wicked are destroyed and the earth is made new. This new earth then becomes the eternal home of Christ’s people. Thus according to futurisms imaginary line up, this earth will never be empty.
1 have asked many a futurist as to just where he would fit these scriptures Isaiah 24:1, 3 and Jeremiah 4:2325 into their program of coming events. They don’t know where to fit them in. It is plain, if the Word of God will not fit into any man made program, it is because the line up is wrong. God’s word is true, and its prophecies will be fulfilled.
These prophetic statements are still future. They are in the future tense. They have never been fulfilled, but they certainly will be. “The Scriptures cannot be broken.” Schofield invented his ‘Gap’ and into that manmade “Gap” he would fit these sacred prophecies, despite the fact that God places them into the future.
The Scofield Reference Bible
GENESIS CHAPTER 1
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[Billions of Years Ago]
MILLIONS OF YEARS GAP
[Billions of Years Later]
2 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.
3 And God said. Let there be light and there was light.
4 And God saw the light that it
The tragedy is, multitudes are confidently following futurisms path of error. But worst of, all we have men like our Brother Hauser quoting Schofield for support for his own errors and some are accepting his errors.
Oh foolish Adventists what hath bewitched you.
MATTHEW 22:29 “Ye err not knowing the Scriptures.” HOSEA 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
In this time when knowledge is increased (Daniel 12:4) many of God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. What an hour! Knowledge greatly increased. Yet millions perish for lack of knowledge. May our Lord bring us back to His Scripture of Truth. (Daniel 10:21)
“Gaps” appear to be very necessary to futurism’s fables. The first Gap is between Genesis 1:1-2. This Imaginary “gap” is unmeasured and unrevealed.
Schofield evidently believed in the theory that the earth was created as a home for Satan and the wrecking of it was the result of Satan’s fall. To support his gap theory he places Genesis “V’ in the “dateless past.
In doing this Schofield ignores the chronological account of Genesis chapters 5 and 11.
Schofield also claims that his theory “gives scope for the geologic ages.” These are evolutions millions of years. But it is impossible to have “ages” an believe the Bible. The Word of God as recorded in Genesis 5 to 11 makes the millions of years or what Schofield calls “geologic ages” fantastic fables. Total up the ages of Adam and his descendants from the birth of the first sons as recorded in Genesis 5:3-32.
Here the word of God states that from Adam to Noah was 1656 years. It is simple arithmetic. Again from Shem, the son of Noah, to Abraham (Genesis 11:10-26) we have the genealogy, stated chronologically. That is the years are clearly stated which brings the period from Creation to Abraham just over 2000 years. Thus Schofields “dateless past” and his “scope for all the geologic ages” are “fables.”
“Thy Word is true from the beginning.” Psalm 119:160. With the sure and certain “Scripture of truth,” Daniel 10:21 we do not need “fables” for such are the hopeless mix ups that futurism’s fables lead its deceived followers.