by Rusty Fulp on 5 March 2017
When I’m out on the road speaking, one of the questions that sometimes comes up during a Question and Answer session is: “How are we to believe the earth is only 6,000 years old with all the evidence saying otherwise?”
There are many arguments that are used to support an old earth, however as one researches the basis for each, it’s quickly discovered that each argument is based on assumptions. For Christians, our authority must be the Word of God. The only logical place to begin is with Genesis, especially chapters 5 and 11. These chrono-genealogies, by their nature do not contain any gaps.
With the help of these genealogies, we can date when Abram (later change to Abraham) left Haran (Genesis 12:4), as 2,083 AM, (Anno Mundi, the year of the world), the date from creation to this event. Next we discover in Genesis 12:4 that Abraham’s descendants would be in Egypt for exactly 430 years. Also,we know that Solomon built the temple 479 years after the Exodus. Solomon reigned in Jerusalem for 40 years (1 Kings 11:42) andthen he died and the kingdom was divided 37 years later. It was 390 years later that Jerusalem was destroyed according to Ezekiel 4:4-6, dating the destruction of Jerusalem in 3419 AM. Then using a creditable extra-biblical date for the destruction of Jerusalem in 584 BC, and adding 3419 to 584, places the date for creation at about 4003 BC.
Keep in mind that we must allow room for slight error, as the date given for the age of a biblical character or biblical event could vary by nearly a year. A good example would be the age of Abram (75 years old) when he left Haran. We do not know if Abram was exactly 75, on his birthday or 75, just proceeding his 76th birthday. We only know Abram left Haran sometime during his 75th year. Although we have to take into account this slight degree of error, we can be confident that the earth is not much older than 6,000 BC.
While some will claim I am not taking into account the “gap” between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, there is absolutely no biblical or scientific reason to insert a gap between these verses. However, that’s an article for another day.
When dealing with science, always remember that man’s scientific theories continually change (For example: Junk DNA). However, no scientific or archaeological discovery has ever been made that disproves even one word in the Bible.
God has spoken, so with confidence pick up your Bible and read. Begin with prayer, asking God to open your eyes; then beyond just reading: study, meditate, obey, love and treasure your Bible, knowing you have in your hands, the very words of God. You can trust His Word, even when “science” says otherwise. Within a few decades, scientists will again change their story, but God’s Word will never change! ‘God’s Word endures forever.’ (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25)
For more indebt information and a sound analysis of this issue concerning biblical chrono-genealogies, see Dr. Jonathan Sarfati’sarticle on this important subject.1
1. Sarfati, J. (2003), Biblical Chronogenealogies, < http://creation.com/biblical-chronogenealogies >, accessed 2/17/2017
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