The age of the Earth and the universe is one subject that causes no end of frustration for both sides. Did our space time continuum come into existence 13.8 billion years ago, or six thousand years ago? This is a very important question, and in many instances vital (necessary for life) when it comes to where we spend eternity.
Science uses a myriad of physical evidence to conclude the universe we live in is 13.8 years old, give or take a few years. Reference
Science uses a myriad of physical evidence to conclude the universe we live in is 13.8 years old, give or take a few years. Reference
Those who promote it is 6,000 years old use the geneologies of man going back to Adam from the Bible to date the Earth. They also conclude the six days of creation are literal twenty-four hour periods. Dinosaurs and cavemen and everything that left behind a fossil also lived during the past 6,000 years. Herein lies the prolonged contention.
They will also state it was the Great Flood during Noah’s time that caused the physical features like the Grand Canyon and such. But even a flood of this magnitude cannot cause the extreme features our Earth exhibits. Perhaps some. But it cannot come close to explaining what would take hundreds of millions of years to make.
The Answer Is Quite Simple: The time between the verses of Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 holds the key. Some people call this the Gap Theory. I’ve heard both sides of the argument in great detail. Let them argue.
No one knows how much time transpired between these verses. It could be one day. Or it could be 13.8 billion years.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
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.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Important Note: God did not create everything we see around us during the "Six Days of Creation" detailed in Genesis chapter one. He created everything that makes up everything during Genesis 1:1. He simply spoke into being what we read in the following verses and this is what we see and experience every day. The stuff that makes up the stuff in our universe already existed. He simply spoke it into an orderly fashion for us to live in 6,000 years ago. Everything else, including dinosaurs, cavemen, and Pangaea occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.
Science and the Bible have had a long standing feud. Lots of people were killed because they took a stance different from what the established Church at the time held. Example: for centuries people held an Aristotelian geocentric view of our universe, mainly that the Earth was the center of our universe and everything including our sun revolved around it.
Galileo:
When Galileo championed a heliocentrism view (the sun being the center and Earth revolved around it) he was persecuted by the Catholic Church. Simply because he used science to stand up to long held Church tradition.
The same can be said today. Many who hold to a centuries old tradition of a 6,000 year old universe will draw a line in the sand. I’ve even been told I can’t be saved if I do not accept the 6,000 year theory. Huhn???
Why Does It Matter? I have heard far too many people state they would love to believe the Bible and its message of salvation. But, because of the 6,000 year tradition they know is false, they simply cannot regard the Bible as truth. They see an error here, and conclude the Bible may be a good book, but cannot be taken literally.
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The result is many people die in their sins and spend an eternity separated from God. How many when it is all said and done? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Millions? Why? Because of the 6,000 day theory that the Bible does not teach. Man does. Tradition does. But the Bible does not.
So you can see why I am passionate about this topic. Science and the Bible can co-exist just fine, thank you very much.
Action and Modern Day Sci-fi writer Stephen Tremp is the author of the Breakthrough: The Adventures of Chase Manhattan trilogy. His third book Escalation is the final installment in the series and is set for release March 10, 2014.
Escalation is an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global and the adrenaline-charged action is non-stop.
You can visit Stephen at Breakthrough Blogs.
