I think among many Christians the Age of the Earth could not
be more of a non-issue. For others there is a huge division of
those who passionately defend an Old Earth vs. those who support
a young earth. On face value, it would seem not that relevant.
But I firmly believe upon further examination of the Scriptures
there are not options open to us who are commanded to "contend
for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints"
(Jude: 3). I also believe that if the age of the earth question
were rephrased to ask "Does God expect man to be able to
tell time?" and we can Biblically support the answer to
this question, there then would remain no longer any doubt about
man’s response to the question and the question of the age
of the earth would no longer be open to private interpretation.
I further maintain, that if the Bible is absolutely clear on
this subject, it does not matter what science says. And my defense
below does not depend on science, though it does answer some
of the questions that science raises.
I think that one of the biggest arguments used by both Evolutionist
and old earth Biblical Creationists which causes confusion in
Christians, and buckles the knees of even many young earth Biblical
Creationists, is the distance of the stars question. If the stars
are so far away, then how could the earth be young? This is a
very good question. Even many young earth Creationists, including
astronomers, physicists, and geologists have varying and intriguing
models to defend a young earth. But these models are, in great
part, very dependent on science alone. And I believe that the
Bible does not contradict science (when, in fact, the science
is truth), or if it does, as in the case of miracles, then we
are informed in the passage. But science explains only the physical
and natural world and it often fails miserably at that.
But there are some very important Scriptures which are left
out in these formulas for explaining the age of the earth. Both
Old Earth and Young Earth scientific models are flawed in this
respect. They leave out the invisible. Hugh Ross’s Universe
(an old earth advocate) is solely governed by Physical laws.
But the Bible has both physical (visible) and invisible laws
and governing principalities. It is not even a matter of natural
vs. supernatural, as even the natural world and universe is governed
by the invisible. Here are the Scriptures that must be addressed:
Romans 1:20: "For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."
- This Scripture is amazing in two respects. First, it has
man seeing
-
- (The eye of God, Courtesy
NASA)
and understanding from the beginning of Creation. So there
is no billions or even millions of years that the earth was here
before man appears. He is here from the beginning. But this passage
is significant in a second respect that "invisible"
qualities are used to govern the Universe, but they are qualities
that continued PAST Creation week to this day.
Colossians 1:16: "For by him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and INVISIBLE, whether
thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created
by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things
hold together."
Once again the main principle of the Universe here is NOT
visible. Christ the Invisible God holds everything together,
not Newton’s or Einstein’s Laws or anyone else’s
laws who ever lived.
Hebrews 11:3: "By faith we understand that the universe
was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen (the physical
universe of earth, sun, moon, and stars) is NOT MADE OUT OF WHAT
WAS VISIBLE." It was made of what is INVISIBLE.
Here is where the natural laws and that which is visible,
as the only explanation of what has been observed, completely
collapse. Men such Hugh Ross and Big Bang supporters have almost
everything made proceed forth from visible materials and debris
left over in this imaginary explosion. Both Old Earth and even
Young Earth Scientists, even Christians, often give us E=MC2
(Energy = Mass times the square of the Speed of Light) Theory
of Relativity. The Big Bang Theory of the Age of the Earth tells
us that the earth is 4.6 billion years old. But in order to come
up with that figure, they would have to be able to measure the
Universe. Dr. Hugh Ross confirmed that the Universe can be measured.
In an interview he states: "Now that astronomers have measured
the universe, we have means for measuring the Creator."
How can any Christian claim to be able measure the Universe,
let alone measure the Creator, God, who is INFINITE? For Job
and the Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah soundly refute this speculation:
Job declares in the Chapter 38:5 "Who hath laid the measures
thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon
it?" Verses:18-20: "Hast thou perceived the breadth
of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all. Where is the way
where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place
thereof, That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and
that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?"
And verse 33: "Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst
thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?"
Jeremiah 31:37: "Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above
can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out
beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all
that they have done, saith the LORD."
The Prophet Isaiah further demolishes Hugh Ross’ conjecture
that the Universe can be measured:
Isaiah 40:12: "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow
of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended
the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains
in scales, and the hills in a balance?"
The supreme irony is that Dr. Hugh Ross claimed in his debate
with Dr. Kent Hovind on the Age of the Earth on the John Ankerberg
Show that these very Prophets back up his claims. The truth is
that NO man can measure the Universe. That does not mean it is
infinite, as God can measure it. God, alone, is infinite. His
Creation is finite.
In the Theory of Relativity, along with the Big Bang Theory,
where is the invisible spoken of in the above Scriptures? The
answer is NOWHERE. I don’t know what percentage, if any,
is attributable to the physical laws vs. the invisible laws.
It might be 40%, it might be 99.9% invisible. It might be even
be 100% invisible and the natural laws are only pale distorted
images like Paul describes ("we see through a glass dimly").
Plus, what is seen in the physical laws today has been subject
to the curse from the Fall of Adam and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
And, if as the Scripture reveals the "heavens wear out like
a garment" (Psalm 102:26), what we see today may not even
be recognizable. Though I should point out, if man is still without
excuse according to Romans 1:21, according to what is still seen
visibly, these distortions would have to have limits.
Romans 1:21:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him
not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened."
For, we are still without excuse, even with these distortions.
If Christ alone is holding the electron together from flying
apart at the seams, no physical law known or unknown to man is
going to hold it together. And if God says in the beginning "Let
there be light" no physical law is going to bind him from
bringing starlight to the earth instantly, because it is Christ
himself, using his invisible attributes and laws that we do not
know, who is bringing that light instantly to the earth. Those
stars do not exist because they obey some natural law, but because
God spoke them into existence instantly, named each one by name.
The stars may be innumerable to man in that he can’t count
them all, but that does not mean there are an infinite number
of stars. To God there is a FINITE number of stars.
Psalm 147:4: "He telleth the number of the stars; he
calleth them all by their names."
The Apostle Paul ampliflies on the fact of God creating a
finite number of stars by stating that the stars differ from
one another in glory.
I Corinthians 15:41:
"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of
the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth
from another star in glory."
Psalm 102:25-26. "Of old hast thou laid the foundation
of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands. They
shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax
old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and
they shall be changed:"
A garment is finite. It has dimensions. Ask any tailor. If
a garment were infinite (the heavens) they would never wear out!
The Universe can't be infinite, only God is infinite, his
creation is finite. He does not create a clone trait of his Omnipresent
nature. If it were infinite it would impossible for the anything
to come and go from the Third Heaven, since an object would have
to traverse infinity to get to the earth. The Apostle Paul and
Elijah would still be on their way to the Third Heaven and could
never return. But the Bible clearly reveals that they did come
back!
Here are two more Scriptures which prove that the heavens
are finite:
I Kings 8:27 "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain You".
This makes his presence greater than the vessel, the vessel
must have boundaries and capacity.
Ephesians 4:10. "He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things."
Jesus Christ ascended to fill the Universe. If the Universe
were infinite, it could never be filled. QED
So, this brings the next set of Scriptures which defend that
God not only moved things great distances in the twinkling of
an eye during Creation week, but he itemizes how he did it throughout
Biblical history (this Present Age) and will do as he prophesied
in the Age to Come.
Below I would like to add a list where god performs works
over great distances, being covered instantly from Heaven to
earth, earth to Heaven, and different places on earth as fast
or even faster than the speed of light, unbound by the speed
of light:
SATAN’S FALL LIKE LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN
Luke 10:18: "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as
lightning fall from heaven."
ENOCH’S TRANSLATION
Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God: and he was
not; for God took him."
SATAN TRAVELS TO AND FROM THE EARTH SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR,
at least at the speed of light, and according to the Book of
Job was able to approach God’s throne in a dialog with God.
Job 1:7 "And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest
thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and
fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
SENDING MANNA AND QUAIL FROM HEAVEN
Exodus 16:31 "And the house of Israel called the name
thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the
taste of it was like wafers made with honey."
Exodus 16:13 "And it came to pass, that at even the quails
came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay
round about the host."
Job 2:2: "And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest
thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and
fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."
ANGELS ASCENDING AND DESCENDING ON JACOB’S LADDER
Genesis 28:12: "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set
up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold
the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
ELIJAH’S SACRIFICE CONSUMED INTO HEAVEN
2 Kings 1:10: "And Elijah answered and said to the captain
of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from
heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire
from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty."
ELIJAH’S CHARIOT (He went to heaven and even came back
from the 3rd Heaven at Mount Transfiguration, just like Paul
did and we will do at the Rapture. To do this, they all have
to go even farther than the ends of the first and Second Heavens.)
2 Kings 2:11: "And it came to pass, as they still went
on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire,
and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah
went up by a whirlwind into heaven."
AXEHEAD FLOATS (this completely capsizes Newton's Law of Gravity)
II Kings 6:6: "And he cut down a stick, and cast [it]
in thither; and the iron did swim. "
SENDING DREAMS FROM HEAVEN TO JOSEPH AND DANIEL
Genesis 37:5: "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told
it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more."
and Daniel records:
Daniel 2:19: "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel
in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven."
THEOPHANIES OF CHRIST
(such as appearing to Abraham, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
in the fiery furnace):
Genesis 19:27 "And Abraham gat up early in the morning
to the place where he stood before the LORD:"
Daniel 3:25: "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men
loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;
and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
STAR OF BETHLEHEM
(A normal star could not go west to east, then cut south for
several miles. Now here is a case where God brought the whole
star from the ends of Heaven...not just its light.) "Suddenly
a heavenly host appear at the birth of Jesus....then disappear"
Matthew 2:2: "Saying, Where is he that is born King of
the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come
to worship him."
Luke 2:13-15:
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came
to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem,
and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath
made known unto us."
JESUS DESCENDING INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH
Ephesians 4:9: "Now that he ascended, what is it but
that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?"
CHRIST’S RESURRECTION
Mark 9:31: "For he taught his disciples, and said unto
them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and
they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise
the third day."
Mark 10:34: "And they shall mock him, and shall scourge
him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third
day he shall rise again."
Luke 9:22: "Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things,
and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be slain, and be raised the third day."
Luke 24:7: "Saying, The Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third
day rise again."
JESUS MAKES INSTANT APPEARANCE AFTER HIS RESURRECTION
John 20:19: "Then the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in
the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."
PHILIP BEING INSTANTLY TRANSPORTED IN THE SPIRIT TO ANOTHER
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Acts 8:39 : "And when they were come up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw
him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
Acts 8:40 : "But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing
through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."
PAUL VISITING THE THIRD HEAVEN AND RETURNING TO THE EARTH
2 Corinthians 12:2: "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out
of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught
up to the third heaven."
CHRIST’S RETURN TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
(If it takes as long as the speed of light for Jesus to get
to Heaven and back, we can’t expect to see his return for
millions of years, plus we would see him returning as we would
see Haley’s Comet approach the earth, but the Bible says
no man knows the day or the hour; we would be able to chart his
return from the Heavens...it would be hard to miss Him if he
is brighter than the sun. And Paul and Elijah could not have
returned to the earth again. We would still be waiting for their
first return.)
Zechariah 14:4: (& Revelation Chapter 19: 11-16)
"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount
of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount
of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and
toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and
half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half
of it toward the south."
Acts 1:11: "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand
ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven."
EVERY PRAYER THAT EVERY SAINT HAVE EVER PRAYED ARRIVING INSTANTLY
IN HEAVEN
THE RAPTURE
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord."
ARRIVAL OF THE NEW JERUSALEM (Revelation Chapter 21)
Note that the above examples of the Bible recording that God
moved things great distances in the twinkling of an eye, are
not confined to God’s initial creation, but how he continued
to do these things throughout Biblical history and promises to
do at the end of the Present Age, and will do in the Age to Come.
It is amazing to me that the same Christian will passionately
defend an old earth, in that it took the starlight billions of
light years to get here, while at the same time defend the Rapture,
where in a twinkling of an eye we will instantly arrive at the
Third Heaven with Jesus, which is even further than any star
in the known and unknown Second Heaven. Isn’t this is a
classic case of straining at a gnat but willingly swallowing
a camel?
Now this brings me to the two most famous Scripture used by
Christians who defend an old earth, and therefore begs the ultimate
question: does God intend for man to know what a day is and does
he expect him to be able to keep time?
Here are the two Scriptures:
II Peter 3:8: "But beloved (talking to Christians), be
not ignorant (sounds a lot like God wants us to know), that one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years
is as one day."
and
Psalms 90:4: "For a thousand years in thy sight are but
as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."
The first thing that one should see here is WHO is Peter talking
about? The Lord, of course. Secondly that it does not say a day
"is" a thousand years. But even if you try to insert
this length of day into the Genesis account of Creation for old
earth (Day Age) proponents such as Hugh Ross (or Christians who
are Evolutionists, for that matter), it doesn’t help them.
If a thousand years equals a day, then Creation Week is only
Six Thousand Years. Even six thousand years is a drop in the
bucket to old earth "Big Bang" proponents, which demand
billions of years. You could only add the six thousand years
from Adam to today plus the six thousand years of Creation week
and you only get 12-13 thousand years....hardly enough. But let
us examine this Scripture even more. It is certainly clear that
this passage is saying that time, whether days or years, is created
by God. But, God is not bound by time, particularly if he knows
the future. But, the question remains, is man bound by time?
Does the age of the earth or duration of a day or year make any
difference to man in God’s eyes? Well let us try to substitute
the word "man" for the word "Lord" in this
Scripture, for that is what you would have to do in order to
make any case for the old earth model:
II Peter 3:8
"But beloved (talking to Christians), be not ignorant
(sounds a lot like God wants us to know), that one day is with
man as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day."
Of course, this rendering is absurd.
Psalms 90:4 would, likewise, have to be rendered: "For
a thousand years in man’s sight are but as yesterday when
it is past, and as a watch in the night." This, of course
is an equally untenable meaning of a thousand years, as both
Scriptures must refer to God’s perspective of time, NOT
man’s. And even then the passages don’t mean that one
day IS a thousand years to the Lord, but simply that God is not
bound by time....man is!
Now allow me to show you what man, who can now make a day
mean anything he wants...any length of time, can do with certain
Scriptures and commands.
THE SABBATH DAY
Jesus said that the Sabbath was meant for man. Actually, he
made the other six days for man also. The only difference is
that he worked on those six and rested on the seventh day. If
this Sabbath day could be an indeterminate length, how could
man (Adam) know its beginning or end in order to rest? How would
Adam ever know when the first day of the week began again. Doesn't
the length of the 7th day (Sabbath) determine the length of the
other days (1-6)? How would Adam know when the first day would
begin again to repeat the cycle? If the Sabbath Day is made for
man and he does not know its length, then how would he know when
the Sabbath Year begins in order to leave the ground fallow when
the Law of Moses was given? So critical was this in God's mind,
that in disobeying the Sabbath Year for 70 Sabbaths, God collected
them anyway (to restore the land), by sending the Israelites
into captivity for 490 years (70 times 7). (Good thing for the
Israelites that a day was not a million years or they would be
in captivity for 490 million years.) How could God be so cruel?
Unless he had reason to expect that they were responsible for
knowing when a year was up and when six years had expired, to
leave the ground fallow for the seventh year? Or, in other words,
be able to tell time. Furthermore, how could they know when 49
years was up to celebrate the 50th year (Year of the Jubilee)
to set debtors free? God created the sun and moon to govern the
seasons (each season is 3 months) and years: Genesis 1:14 and
reconfirmed in
Genesis 8:21-23: "As long as the earth endures, seedtime
and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night
will never cease."
Day and night...that’s 24 hours for days and that is
four seasons!! (Some have argued that there were no seasons if
the earth were untilted until the Flood. But here we clearly
see Seasons in the beginning from Genesis on.) So his people
could not miss when a year was up!
Hugh Ross in his Old Earth Theology tries to maintain that
the days in Genesis were not literal 24 hour days, yet God defines
a day ("yom") in this very first Chapter of Genesis
1:14-19. So, a day is day, even here. And, if a day is not a
day, then what is a year? What is a season, if it is not three
months?
Exodus 12:40-41 reads:
"Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt
in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass
at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame
day (NIV: to the very day) it came to pass, that all the hosts
of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt." Now doesn’t
"to the very day" mean "to the very day".
The text does NOT say about four hundred and thirty years".
So, does God expect his people to keep time precisely? The answer
is unequivocally and absolutely YES.
How could Noah record such a precise journal of how many days
it rained, how many days the earth was deluged during the Flood,
if he had no idea what a day was, in terms of duration? Noah
even recorded the number of days he was floating on the waters
high above the earth. If Noah recorded it, God wants us to know
it. Joshua was given precise instructions in terms of days, to
march around the city of Jericho, etc., by God, which he had
to obey before God would destroy the city. Now, if a day could
mean anything and Joshua could not tell time, it would make obedience
impossible. Finally, when Jesus cursed the fig tree upon his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus condemned them because
"they did NOT know this very day of his visitation."
Luke 19:42,44: "Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou,
at least in this thy day (NIV: "on this day"), the
things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from
thine eyes." "And shall lay thee even with the ground,
and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee
one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of
thy visitation."
I take this to mean not just day in general, but literal day,
because the Prophet Daniel prophesied the exact number of years
and days from the Decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
Daniel 9:25: "Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times."
Once, as in Exodus 12:40-41, we see one of the most important
events and prophecies being fulfilled TO THE VERY DAY. But again,
if a day can mean virtually any length of time, God was again
quite cruel, to then blind all of Israel for their failure to
recognize Him and the day of his visitation. In other words,
he held them accountable for knowing the length of a day and
the numbers of days to his visitation.
So clearly, the Sabbath Day was sundown to sundown (after
the 4th day of creation), or 24 hr. prior to the sun's creation.
If one of the seven days is 24 hours, then all of the seven are
24 hours. If they weren't, the cycle of a week would be totally
destroyed. The cycle of a year would be destroyed. The cycle
of seven year Sabbath would be destroyed. The Jubilee cycle would
be destroyed. Noah was on the ark for 300 million years. How
was Noah then so able to even keep track of every day, month,
and year and record them so precisely? Miriam was put outside
the camp for leprosy for 7 million years? Jonah is in the whale
(the great fish) for 3 million years? Christ is in the grave
for 3 million years and would still be there today, according
to this logic. Jesus Christ prophesied of himself that he would
be in the grave three days. He gives us this in Scripture and
we are not supposed to count?
So, God tells the Israelites, as one of the Ten Commandments
to "Remember the Sabbath and keep it, holy"....requiring
them to keep it but then not clue them in what a day is and how
long it is? How would they know how to keep this day "holy",
as compared to the other six days, if they weren’t expected
to be able to tell time to set this time aside? If the Seventh
Day, as Hugh Ross maintains, is perpetual, with no break, how
could you even have ANY days that were NOT holy, from Day Six
in Creation, until today and beyond?
Now, there is one Scripture that I have never heard used to
defend that a day really is a day and that the earth is really
young. And that is:
Zechariah 14:6-7: "On that day there will be no light,
no cold or frost. It will be a UNIQUE DAY, without daytime or
nighttime -- a day known only to the Lord. When evening comes,
there will be light."
This is one of the most powerful Scriptures in the entire
Bible, which actually defines not only what a day is, but what
all days must do. All must mean all. Note that we have to be
talking about a real 24 hour day, because it describes what takes
place when sunset arrives, which is the beginning of an evening.
Now, when evening comes it is always dark (for the whole earth,
though not always observed in Alaska) always has been. But, here
we have an evening come, when it is light. This is not normal
for what happens in the evening. This Scriptural passage says
that, except for one unique day, light at night has never happened.
And this passage is talking about the Lord’s return, so
it encompasses ALL time, where, when evening comes, it would
be dark, EXCEPT on this UNIQUE Day. The only way this could be
unique is if there were NO other days, ever, that when evening
came, it would be light. So, this would have to include the first
six days of Creation Week (and the Seventh for that matter too).
Otherwise, we would have at least six more unique days, when
evening came, it would be light. But, even Genesis itself records
that the evening part of the day was dark. (Joshua extended a
day for 12 hours, but when evening came it was still dark, so
this is not an exception to the rule of Zechariah’s Scripture.)
This is astounding, because it leaves NO days throughout history,
from the beginning of Creation, that were not days as we know
them. This puts an absolute lock on young earth creation, based
on Scripture, therefore, refuting old earth theology and cosmology.
***
Hugh Ross and many old earth proponents argue that it would
be deceptive of God to give us the impression of apparent age
of the star, based on the speed of light. But God has created
much more complex things in a very short period and in most cases
in the twinkling of an eye, or no longer than one day. This all
may result in God’s Creation having apparent age. How old
will our glorified bodies look? However old they look does not
really matter, because any age they appear still means they were
only a twinkling of an eye old.
EXAMPLES OF GOD CREATING THINGS INSTANTLY
OR IN A MATTER OF DAYS OR MONTHS:
CREATES LIGHT ON DAY ONE
Genesis1:3: "And God said, Let there be light: and there
was light."
CREATES WATER ON DAY ONE
Genesis 1:2 "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."
DIVIDES THE WATERS ON DAY TWO
Genesis 1:6: "And God said, Let the waters under the
heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear: and it was so."
CREATES PLANTS AND TREES ON DAY THREE
Genesis 1:12-13: "And God said, Let the earth bring forth
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit
after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and
it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding
seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed
was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And the evening and the morning were the third day."
CREATES MOON AND STARS ON DAY FOUR
Genesis 1:14: "And God said, Let there be lights in the
firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and
let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:"
CREATES CREATURES OF THE SEA, LAND, AND AIR ON DAY FIVE
Genesis: 1:20,24: "And God said, Let the waters bring
forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl
that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven....And
God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after
his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth
after his kind: and it was so"
ADAM AND EVE CREATED FULLY FORMED ON DAY SIX
Genesis 20:27: "So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them."
SPEECH (FIRST HUMAN ADAM SPOKE)
Genesis 2:23: "And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of Man."
ENOCH’S TRANSLATION
Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God: and he was
not; for God took him".
GLOBAL FLOOD (Genesis Chapters 5-9)
BRAZEN SERPENT (healing reverses decay rate)
Numbers 21:9: "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and
put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had
bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
CLOTHES AND SANDALS OF THE ISRAELITES IN THE WILDERNESS NEVER
WORE OUT IN FORTY YEARS (total suspension of decay rate)
Deuteronomy 29:5: "During the forty years that I led
you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did
the sandals on your feet."
SUN AND MOON STAND STILL FOR TWELVE HOURS
IN JOSHUA’S BATTLE OF JERICHO
(suspends time and decay rate for entire solar system)
Joshua 10:13: "And the sun stood still, and the moon
stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still
in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole
day."
EGYPTIAN PLAGUES (Exodus Chapters 7-11)
PARTING OF THE READ SEA (SEA OF REEDS)
Exodus 14:21: "And Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east
wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters
were divided."
GUIDING THE ISRAELITES IN A CLOUD BY DAY & PILLAR OF FIRE
BY NIGHT
Exodus 13:20: "And the LORD went before them by day in
a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:"
MIRACLES OF JESUS CHRIST:
CHRIST’S FIRST MIRACLE OF TURNING WATER TO WINE
(accelerates decay rate), (John Chapter Two)
CHRIST CASTING OUT DEMONS INTO A HERD OF PIGS
Matthew 8:32: "He said to them, "Go!" So they
came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down
the steep bank into the lake and died in the water."
CHRIST HEALING THE WOMAN’S TWELVE YEARS OF BLEEDING WHICH
HAD STOPPED, RESTORING HER MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Luke 8:43-45 "And a woman was there who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She
came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately
her bleeding stopped."
CHRIST WALKING ON THE WATER
John 6:19: "So when they had rowed about five and twenty
or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing
nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid."
CHRIST RAISING LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD AFTER FOUR DAYS
(reverses decay rate)
John 11:17,43: "On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus
had already been in the tomb for four days...When he had said
this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURATION
Matthew 17:2: "There he was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white
as the light".
THE RESURRECTION (demolishes decay rate)
Luke 24:46: "And said unto them, Thus it is written,
and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day:"
NEW CREATION (BEING BORN AGAIN)
John 3:3: "In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you
the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born
again."
GLORIFICATION (AT THE RAPTURE) (demolishes decay rate)
I Thessalonians 4:16-17: "For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH (demolishes decay rate)
Revelation 21:1: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea."
So because these were all done instantaneously or very rapidly,
God is deceiving us because of the apparent age they often portray?
There is NO deception, if God told us what he did!
As to whether or not God expects us to tell time from the
beginning, he gives us the genealogy of Christ four times in
the Bible. If God did not give these and expect us to be able
to tell time, there would be no way of determining your inheritance,
something so critical to all of the tribes and clans of Israel.
How would you properly identify the Messiah, without keeping
track, in time, of his lineage?
I would now like to address a few points in on this subject
of "time", though I have also addressed it above. Christians
who have trouble with a global flood cannot then accept the clear
account in Genesis, that God flooded the whole world with water,
when he created it, before he brought dry land out of the water?
If one postulates that you assume God works through the Laws
of Nature that he created, then I agree that he normally does
that. But, we still don’t know all of the laws of nature
he created. Secondly, based on what I presented about the "invisible"
laws, we have no idea what impact or limitation God himself has
imposed on the natural laws. But once again, based on all of
the Biblical examples above, he preempts them at will. We know
for certain God breaks the natural laws we can observe. That
is how we know it is a miracle. But what about his laws we can
NOT observe? There is a whole lot going on in the unseen world.
But we have no idea what is occurring in this realm. The Scriptures
give us occasional windows into this unseen world such Saul bringing
Samuel’s spirit, the Archangel Michael in a perpetual battle
defending Israel, as described in the Book of Daniel, other visions
of the prophets, Jesus Christ’s description of the torment
of the rich man in Sheol, and the war in Heaven described in
the Book of Revelation.
But as a whole, we are not given the ability to peer into
the unseen world and, in fact, are prohibited from doing so.
God certainly does work within the framework his own created
natural laws, in the observed physical Universe, but he also
periodically suspends them as well as works simultaneously in
the invisible realm. So, I hope my arguments from Scripture about
God’s "Invisible" laws that govern the Universe
are compelling.
Many people (including Christians) will say something like:
"When someone asks me the age of the universe, I simply
shrug and say ‘it depends’. I think it is actually
the most correct answer. "
Comment: If I could humbly disagree. Reason: God tells us
the age of the Universe, then he tells us what to do during this
Present Age (once again using my above arguments). If one is
forced to use the words "it depends", then my answer
would be, it depends on if you are man or the Lord. And, it depends
on where you are (on earth, or in heaven). If I were God, I would
then ask back similarly to his dialogue with Job. "Where
are you?’ Answer: "On the earth or in heaven".
God’s second question: "Who are you, the Lord or Man?"
Answer: "Man."
So does God want us to keep time? Absolutely and unequivocally
YES! And if he does, he expects us to know the age of the earth
(at least upper limits).
Regarding the Canopy Theory of a water vapor surrounding the
earth prior to the Flood, then collapsing to produce the Flood,
I should underscore that it definitely rained. But it did not
rain until there was a canopy created by the fountains of the
deep filling up the sky. And God certainly could have created
rain without dust. But ,we know there would be dust, if "all"
of the volcanoes blew into the Sky. Mt. St. Helens should put
that to rest. The water condensing on the dust gives it the gravity
to fall to the ground. This still keeps it as a judgment. Remember,
that there was enough water to cover the earth in Genesis Chapter
I, AFTER God has placed the waters above the sky (space). And,
even if you support the Canopy Theory, even the most generous
limits of a canopy by young earth Christian geologist models
maintain that a canopy would only add several feet more water
to the surface...which is virtually nothing when compared to
the volume of water that would be needed to totally submerge
the earth. I know that the canopy creates a good model for the
barrier needed. But, that is also assuming that we know, with
absolute certainty, that there even was a need for a pre-Flood
barrier; to do what? Produce long life spans? I have seen various
charts of the drop off in longevity since Adam. But the fact
is, you can’t find a convenient place to put the Flood.
The downward slopes in life spans, though somewhat jagged, are
quite uniform right up through Moses, when life spans really
taper off to 60-100 years. I continually hear about this 120
years life span after the Flood. But, you can’t find one
person in the Bible who lived to be exactly 120 years.. the closest
you get is Joseph who lived 110 years. But Joseph lived almost
700 years after the Flood. The only true Biblical support for
a deterioration of life spans is really the effects of the original
curse and Fall of Adam. Scripture:
Genesis 6:3: "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not
always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days
shall be an hundred and twenty years."
"I will no longer tarry with man and his days shall be
120 years" is a prophecy of the number of years until the
Flood. (Though I personally think that the Flood had some impact
on longevity). Then there is another problem with this supposed
rosy quasi-Paradise pre-Flood. That is Genesis 5:29, which Lamech,
in referring to Noah states:
Genesis 5:29: "He will comfort us in the labor and painful
toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed."
It does not sound to me like there was much of a paradise
on earth going on here up to the Flood. In fact, it is implied
that the ground would be better after the Flood. The Flood perhaps
rototilled the entire earth, leaving the soil more user-friendly
for agriculture. The ground would still be cursed until Christ
recreates Paradise. But the effects of the curse were reduced
by the irrigation caused by the Flood. We certainly would agree
with Lamech today, for those of us who drive cars and heat our
homes with the fuel that would only be available to us, if there
were a global deluge, which buried all of the vegetation deep
underground, to create oil, gas, and coal. Who knows...you may
have even put a little "Harry"...a Flood victim from
Mesopotamia into your last tank of gas.
In conclusion, I find it inconceivable that God would give
us such a precise blueprint of time in mornings, days, evenings,
seasons, years, Sabbaths, genealogies, and a host of prophecies
containing days, weeks and years, with specific, even cataclysmic
dire consequences (curses for disobedience), which are directly
tied to these various time frames, and, likewise, blessings were
accrued to those who were obedient. Then conclude that God did
not intend for man to tell or keep time, right back to the beginning
of the earth and the universe. So I do not think we can answer
the question "How old is the earth" with "It depends".
Jesus himself, on the Road to Emmaus, thought it was important
enough to tell these disciples everything about who he was from
the beginning of Creation.
Luke 24:27: "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself".
I cannot imagine that he would do this, if he did not think
it was important to have them have a reference point in time
of who he is. Without this blueprint of time and genealogy, there
would be no way of identifying and knowing for certain who the
Messiah would be. God gave the whole future history of Israel
in the Prophets and the whole future history of the World to
his prophets. Jesus is so concerned about our perception of time
and identifying signs, particularly the End Times, that he gave
us some of his greatest warnings about being deceived in the
last days, as do the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John. This warning
would be unimaginable, if time and the fullness of time did not
have to be reckoned by mankind. How could we ever discern the
fullness of time if we could not keep time, and be expected to
keep time, so that it does not come upon us unaware. Paul said
to the Thessalonians concerning the return of Christ that "of
the times and seasons you have no need for me to tell you".
He did not say this because they did not need to know, but because
had already told them. The Antichrist is referred to as one who
will try to "change the times and the laws" (Daniel
7:25). How could we identify him, if we do not know what time
or laws are, so that we could recognize when he changed them?
So, it was important that they knew. We are also called to gather
together that much more often, as we see the day of our redemption
draw near.
Luke 21:28: "And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh."
How could we even comprehend how to comply with this instruction,
if we have no reliable mechanism of time, in order to obey that
command? The age of the earth is directly connected with how
old the earth will be when Christ returns. We will not know the
day or the hour, but we will know when it is even at the door,
because we remained vigilant and forewarned and prepared for
this very time.
Matthew 24:33: "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all
these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
When he comes is dependent on when he came and when he descended
from Adam.
Regarding physical or natural laws (visible vs. invisible),
I think there is also an important distinction between man's
laws, which are visible vs. God's law of the natural order, given
by Divine Revelation. Example: both gravity and entropy are physical
and observable laws. But, gravity is a law based on man's observation.
Entropy, on the other hand, is a physical law too, but it was
given by God's revelation in the Scriptures, such as the "heavens
wear out like a garment", and physical death. This does
not mean that an observable law of man is not true, as it is
pretty hard to argue against gravity. Also, both gravity and
entropy were not always here but were introduced and are temporary.
Death was not originally natural, but introduced because of the
Fall. And death won't be here in the New Heavens and Earth, or
for that matter neither will the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Death will be the last enemy thrown into the Lake of Fire. Our
glorified bodies will certainly not be bound by gravity. Newton’s
and Einstein's equations are man made, so are not the final authority.
We always talk about the known universe having to obey the three
laws of thermodynamics, and that they must follow uniformitarian
principles. But, we must be very careful here, because the 2nd
Law (entropy) is also a God given law. But, it is temporary.
Furthermore, if life must come from life, there could never be
a beginning of life in the natural, according to the Law of Biogenesis,
because you would have to go backwards to infinity, since you
could never get life without parents that had life. But, from
a Biblical view, life never began without God breathing it into
what he had formed....it would NEVER live. But, God was not life
in the natural sense (biogenetically), as he is INVISIBLE...that
is, until he came as the Messiah (excluding Old Testament Theophanies).
Though once life was here, I certainly would agree with this
law.
In conclusion, I think the best statement that can be made
whether God expects man to be able to tell time is in Jesus Christ’s
own words: Matthew 16:2-3: "When it is evening, ye say,
It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning,
It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring.
O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can
ye not discern the signs of the times?"
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Copyright Andrew Rigg & the Association of Christian Astronomers
International, 2000-2002. All Rights Reserved.
