Originally published on Genesis Apologetics
YouTube is filled with videos that discuss “ancient civilizations” and “pre-flood civilizations.” Many of these videos include a lot of speculation and inference. However, some of them attempt to draw realistic conclusions through a biblical framework. When viewing this type of evidence about supposed pre-flood civilizations, consider bracketing the information presented within a framework of the biblical “knowns”:
Known #1:
There was a single worldwide flood between 2,348 BC at the latest and 3,300 BC at the earliest (based on the Masoretic and Septuagint texts, respectively) and that Flood devastated the globe, in keeping with God’s promise to “… destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth” (Genesis 6:7). Ask yourself “how could a civilization/ancient structures” survive such a catastrophe?
https://youtu.be/i8SCjn1hubc
Known #2:
If we find sedimentary layers with fossils under the structure (especially from the last few Flood-deposited Megasequences of deposition[i]), the structures were built after the Flood.
Known #3:
The Bible is clear that technologically advanced civilizations existed before and after the Flood. Many of these advanced civilizations built structures, and some of these structures likely required advanced building methods, some of which may not be known today.
Known #4:
Most Flood deposits contain grains of pulverized rocks, or remains of mostly crushed and sorted animal parts. Its violence would have pulverized ancient buildings.
Given the biblical knowns, it is possible but very unlikely that some parts of these structures (e.g., perhaps large foundation stones) still exist today.
[i] T.L. Clarey and D.J. Werner, “Use of Sedimentary Megasequences to Re-create Pre-Flood Geography.” In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism, ed. J.H. Whitmore, pp. 351–372. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Creation Science Fellowship (2018).