Vol.2 No.5

Q. The Bible seems to indicate that the earth was created by God just a few thousand years ago, yet all the best scientific evidence indicates that the earth is billions of years old. Please clarify.

A. The Bible does indicate that the earth is about 6,000 years old. You are also right that much scientific evidence points to the earth possibly being billions of years old.

Let me recommend a fine book defending the Biblical chronology of creation Creation's Tiny Mystery by Robert Gentry. Here are some brief comments that might explain the apparent difference:

When the earth was created, it was perfect (Genesis 1:3 1). After Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God, God cursed the earth. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake. . ." (Genesis 3: 17-19).

The earth seemed to age dramatically after the sin of man and no doubt looked vastly older than it was. There was a further cursing of the earth after the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive they brother's blood from thy hand.. ." (Genesis 4: 11-12). Again, the earth was made to appear older than it really was.

At the time of the world-wide flood, God also cursed the earth (Gen. 8:21). As you can see, God cursed the earth at least three times, no doubt aging it dramatically each time. The Psalmist also indicates that the earth "shall wax old like a garment" (Psalm 102: 25-26).

Vol.9 No.3

Q. If the Genesis record is accepted as a literal account of history, the biblical age of the earth seems far too young (around 6000 to 7000 years old) to fit with current scientific dating. How can you explain this?

A. Current techniques used to date the earth are based on theories about the way our planet was formed that have not been scientifically proven. The theory of uniformity is a primary example.

This theory postulates that all geologic events may be explained as the result of existing forces operating uniformly (at the same rate) from the origin of the earth to the present time. In other words, the formation of continents, oceans, and islands evolved over thousands, perhaps millions of years. For this theory to be true, the planet would have to be very old, in fact, 17 billion years old.

Some recent findings completely refute this theory and provide abundant evidence for a young earth.

In 1963, a volcanic eruption off the coast of Iceland formed a new Island, one square mile in size, now known as Surtsey. Surtsey’s subsequent geological formations prove that significant erosion occurs in a few brief years and not in thousands of years as current geological theory postulates. 

In 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state, U.S.A., demonstrated that remarkably deep gullies and waterways could be crafted in a few years by natural processes present in the earth today. 

The construction of First World War limestone memorials have proven that stalactites of remarkable size may be formed in a few decades rather than the many thousands of years most scientific experts suggest.

Scientists use the results of radioactive dating to arrive at their “old earth” measurements. By measuring the radioactive substances still present in the earth’s layers, they estimate the amount of time it would have taken for these substances to “decay” to their present condition. Radioactive dating by these methods puts the age of the earth at 17 billion years. Yet the concept of radioactive dating is entirely dependent on the premise of uniformity—long ages of incremental evolution.

But from 1967  to 1977, research documenting the presence of decayed polonium (a radioactive substance) in granite rock quietly shook the very foundations of the uniformity premise. Scientists have believed and taught that precambrian granite, considered to be the basement layer rock of the earth’s crust, was formed over millions of years. Science textbooks teach that hot molten gases from the “Big Bang” cooled over vast expanses of time, forming our planet.

Why did the presence of polonium in precambrian granite challenge the idea of an “old earth?” Polonium decays in less than three minutes into intermediate radioactive elements. Under the microscope, decayed polonium can actually be seen in granite as rings or halos around the parent substance polonium.

If the premise of uniformity were true, these rings could not be present! Magma cooling into granite over millions of years could never have trapped a substance that decayed within three minutes. Only an instantaneous formation of granite, totally out of harmony with the premise of long ages of rock formation, could account for their presence.

The December 4, 1995 issue of Time magazine trumpeted, “Evolution’s Big Bang—New discoveries show that life as we know it began in an amazing biological frenzy that changed the planet almost overnight.” 

Scientists who cling to the theory of evolution as though it was inspired are baffled by discoveries supporting a “young earth.” But to creationists, these cause no surprise. The Scriptures record that God, in six literal days, spake the world and all life forms into instant existence. (See Genesis 1.)