Doug Velting
We know from history that Jesus lived 2,000 years ago. Historians have calculated that 2,000 years plus the genealogy from Jesus back to Adam adds up to around 6,500 years ago. Where is this genealogy?
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was
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the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,….
…the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam the son of God.
Luke 3:23 , 38
You can also read the rest of the genealogy in the verses between. The Jews toke genealogies very seriously as part of their history, which gives us a high level of assurance about its accuracy.
Many Christians want to believe in millions of years because the scientists that don’t believe in the Bible say that science proves that age. But they also want to believe the Bible; so they believe things like the days of creation equaling long periods of time. If you look at the context we know that these days are 24 hour days.
What do I mean by context?
If I told you that in my Grandfather’s day it took four days to travel to Florida, which of the uses of the word “day” means a 24 hour day? That’s right, the days it took to travel to Florida. How did you know that? Because of the number in front of it. Look at the end of the verses of creation; each ends with a number and “there was evening and there was morning.”
And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault sky. And there was evening and there was morning—the second day. Genesis 1:6-8
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When the text has that, it means a 24 hour day. Does it get any clearer than that? But this isn’t all God said!
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:11
Allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. There are other Christians who believe that there are millions of years between Genesis verse 1 and 2. When Genesis was first written there was no chapters or verses and there is no indication that anything happened between the first two verses in Genesis. These Christians who believe in millions of years want to force their beliefs into the Bible. What we as Christians need to do is trust the Word of God as truth and take our beliefs out of the Bible.
Is there evidence of a universe that is only 6,500 years old?
Yes. Many scientists and some Christians believe that the universe is about 13 billion years old, but that age is based on a belief not science. Science is based on the present and only knows what is observable, testable and repeatable. A 13 billion year old age is not based on history because any history that is outside the Bible can only go back around 5,000 years.
All so called knowledge, outside the Bible, farther than what history documents and what science can observe, is guess work, it is what people believe. We know what happened at the beginning because God was there and He used men to write down what happened and when. And the Word of God is much more trustworthy than mans’ beliefs.
And we are not without evidence; there have been about 80 studies trying to figure out how old the earth is, and all but a few point to a young earth.
Here are a few examples:
1. The Moon’s Orbit
Everyone has heard of high tides and low tides. This is because of the gravitational pull of the moon. This, in turn speeds up the moon, causing it to spiral outwards very slowly. Because of the known rate of the moon’s movements over time, we can calculate how much the moon would have moved away in the past. At present rates, the moon would have been about 800 feet closer 6,000 years ago. But where would have been billions of years ago?!!! Or, if the moon was at the current distance back so long ago, it would be far out in space away from earth by now.
2. Topsoil thickness
Scientists estimate that it takes between 100 to 500 years for soil to build up a single inch. Around the world topsoil is generally under two feet thick. If the earth is millions of years old the topsoil thickness would be far greater than what we observe.
3. Earth’s Magnetic Field
The earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that protects us and all living things from the sun’s solar radiation. Without a strong magnetic field life on earth would die from radiation from our sun. But the magnetic field is getting weaker over time. Scientist began measuring this field back in 1845 and they are still taking measurements. They have determined that the magnetic field has been decaying at a rate of 5% per century. Knowing the rate of decay, the magnetic field can only be a few thousands of years old, not billions.
Conclusion
The Bible points to a young earth and observational science is in alignment with the history of the Bible. So why do people believe in a universe billions of years old? You can’t have evolution without an old universe. And with evolution you can replace God’s rules with man’s rules. Mankind wants to sin and not feel guilty; you can’t do that with a holy God around.
This article is an excerpt from Lesson 3 from the website easycreationlessons.com.
Bible verses were taken from New International Version by Zondervan Publishing.
