Creation
Creation - Part 3
The Age of the Earth
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A. Introduction: A simple question...
1. The question of "How old is the earth?" is a simple one but one that has led to much controversy. However, it is not an absolute issue and ought not to hinder our fellowship.
2. It is not as important as the following fundamental teachings of the Scripture:
(a) God created the universe out of nothing (ex-nihilo).
(b) God is distinct from the universe (transcendence) yet He sustains it (immanence).
(c) The universe was created for God's glory i.e. it shows his excellence.
(d) The universe God created was very good.
(e) There will be no final conflict between the Scripture and science.
(f) Man was especially created by God in His image and likeness.
(g) Any origin model that denies any of the above teachings is false e.g. evolution.
3. The answer to the question of the earth's age is relevant to our understanding of the creation account and will help us to decide which origins model should be pursued.
4. There are only two possible answers to the question:
(a) The "young earth" answer is that the earth is relatively young.
- This answer is based on the most literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11.
- The age range given is between 20,000 to 6,000 years.
(b) The "old earth" answer is that the earth is very, very old.
- It is based on the least literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 and secular science.
- The approximate age given is 4.5 billion years.
5. While the observations of modern science are important to consider in regards to the age of the earth, the answer MUST be coherent with Scripture: -
(a) Our starting point must be the unchanging Word of God.
(b) Note that scientific theories are often dynamic and therefore not always stable.
6. With the exception of the Gap theorists, all "Old Earth" creationists believe in a figurative interpretation of the creation days as representing an extended period of time.
7. To answer the question of the age of the earth there are three areas we must consider:
(a) What is a day in creation?
(b) Could death have occurred before the fall?
(c) What about the dinosaurs?
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B. Are the Six Days of Creation Ordinary 24-Hour Days?
1. Background Information: Both old and young earth proponents agree that:
(a) The word "day" is translated from the Hebrew word "yom."
(b) It may be interpreted as:
- Daytime: "God called the light day..." Genesis 1:5
- 24-Hours: "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses..." Exodus 12:19
- An indefinite period: "The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble..." Psalms 20:1.
- Figuratively: "But let us, who are of the day, be sober..." I Thessalonians 5:8
(c) "Yom" has been translated as "time" (Genesis 4:3; 26:8), "space" (Genesis 29:14), "today" (Genesis 30:32), "season" (Genesis 40:4) and "year" (Exodus 13:10).
(d) The understanding of the meaning of the word "day" depends on the context.
2. What the "Old Earth" proponent say:
(a) The 6th day of creation includes too many events to be a 24-hour period. These include:
- Creation of all land animals. Genesis 1:24
- Making of Adam. Genesis 2:7
- Planting of the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:8
- The naming of the animals and birds. Genesis 2:18-20
- Making of Eve. Genesis 2:21-22
(b) The 7th day does not conclude with the phrase "the evening and the morning were the seventh day." This implies that the 7th day is still continuing as seen in Hebrews 4:4-11.
(c) The use of the word "day" in Genesis 2:4 to mean the whole creation week shows that each creation day is not necessarily a 24-hour period.
(d) The phrase "the evening and the morning" does not necessarily constitute a normal 24-hour day since the sun was not created until the 4th day. It may simply have been used to show the end of one creative period and the beginning of another.
(e) Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 say that a day is as a thousand years for God.
(f) There are some proponents who propose other arguments including:
- There are 2 contradictory creation accounts and therefore the creation account should not be seen as historical but poetic writings.
- That the creation days are "God days" and should not be seen as history.
- The days are merely days of revelation.
3. What the "Young Earth" proponents say:
(a) Genesis was written as history and not as poetry:
- The most literal interpretation is required for all of the writings, including chapters 1-11.
- Even if it were poetic it does not mean that it is not historically true.
(b) The word "day" (yom) is used with a number 410 times outside of Genesis and with a number it always means an ordinary day e.g. Numbers 7:10-84
(c) The words "evening" and "morning" are used with the word "day" 23 times outside of Genesis and always mean an ordinary day.
- The words "evening" and "morning" are used without the word "day" 38 times outside of Genesis and always mean an ordinary day.
(d) The word "day" in Genesis 2:4 is not a reference to the creation week. It is merely a part of the phrase "in the day that" which is a Hebrew idiom for "when."
(e) God created light on the first day of creation and this is all that is needed to establish a normal day with ‘evening' and ‘morning'. (Note also Revelation 22:5)
(f) God said in Exodus 20:9-11 says that He created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7th
- This is the basis for an ordinary 7-day week.
- God did not need 6 days to create. (Isaiah 40:28) He did so to establish a 7-day pattern for man.
(g) 2 Peter 3:8 as well as Psalms 90:4 do not show that a creation day is 1000 years but simply contrasts God's eternal perspective with man's temporal one.
(h) Genesis 1 and 2 are not two creation accounts.
- With proper interpretation it can be shown there are no contradictions between them.
- Genesis 2 simply focuses on the issues that were of direct importance to Adam.
(i) All the events of the 6th day of creation can be done in a normal day!
- With the exception of the naming of the animals by Adam, all events were done by God.
- Adam only had to name the kinds (not species) of animals God brought to him to show him he was missing something - a mate. Genesis 2:18-23.
(j) Hebrews 4:4-11 does not say that the 7th day is continuing but rather that God's rest is continuing. Additionally, it is a spiritual rest for all those who are in Christ.
(k) Mark 10:6 says God made man "from the beginning of creation." This makes no sense if a creation day was eons of time since man was made on the 6th day.
(l) Plants were created on day 3 (Genesis 1:11) but pollinators were not created until day 5 and 6. If each day were eons of time there could hardly have been any fruit!
(m) Since God made plants the day before the sun was made they could not have survived without sunlight if each day were eons of time.
4. How has the days of creation been understood in Church history?
(a) Most of the early church fathers believed that the days of creation were ordinary days.
(b) Origen and Augustine were willing to accept the possibility that each day may have been longer than an ordinary day. Both believed the earth to be young.
(c) John Calvin and Martin Luther both persistently taught that each day was an ordinary one.
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C. Could death have occurred before the fall?
1. All "old earth" proponents believe that death could have and did occur before the fall.
2. The "young earth" proponents believe there was no death before the fall.
Note: The consumption of plants does not constitute death in the biblical sense because they do not have a soul. See Leviticus 17:11.
3. Some arguments for death before the fall:
(a) God told Adam that the day he ate of the tree of good and evil he would surely die. This suggests that Adam may have been familiar with the concept of death. (Genesis 2:17)
(b) After the fall man was banished so he could not eat of the tree of life. This shows that man was not immortal and was capable of dying. (Genesis 3:22)
4. Arguments against death before the fall:
(a) God created everything and declared that it was very good! (Genesis 1:31)
- I Corinthians 15:26 identifies death as the last enemy.
(b) There were no carnivores before the fall. (Genesis 1:29-30; 9:3)
(c) When the earth is restored there will be no death or violence. (Acts 3:21; Isaiah 11:6-9)
(d) Sin and death entered the world through Adam. (I Corinthians 15:21)
5. Note the implication of the question: If there was no death before the fall the fossil records cannot be millions of years old!
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D. What about the dinosaurs?
1. All land animals, including land dinosaurs, were created on the 6th day. Since Adam and Eve was also created on that same day Man and dinosaurs existed together!
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2. Dinosaurs did not live millions of years ago because the fall of Adam could not possibly have occurred more than 20000 years ago as confirmed by the genealogies given in Scripture.
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3. Prior to 1841 dinosaurs were called "dragons."
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4. Some "Young Earth" creationists believe that Job 40:15-19 possibly describes a Brachiosaurus dinosaur named Behemoth.
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5. "Young Earth" creationists believe the Flood was a global event that created the fossil records of dinosaurs we find today. (Here is an example...
(There are scientific evidences* that suggests that dinosaur and man lived together. Here is an animated presentation showing actual photos of petroglyphs... followed by a presentation on Red Blood Cells found in dinosaur bones...)
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* Please note that this handout was prepared to address the question of the age of the earth from the perspective of what the Bible teaches and NOT from what scientific theories postulate. This does not mean that scientific observations are not important. However, all scientific theories and hypothesis must be evaluated in light of what the inerrant Word of God teaches.