There are basically two thoughts in the Christian realm as to the age of the earth. The millennialist view holds that the day is 24 hours as based on the statement "and the morning and the evening was the first day." However, based on that, a day would have only been 14- 16 hours. Also note that the 24 hour time scale was developed thousands of years after Genesis was written.
The second thought, "The day age theory" supports the idea that the earth is millions of years old. Scriptural support for this are; psalms 90:4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and 2 peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Always remember: when debating the creation of the universe, keep the discussion relegated to either biblical or scientific. Mixing the two will automatically loose many readers, as they are adamant about their beliefs and will not acknowledge arguments from an apposing view.
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Thanks roswellrockman,
I think it good for Christians to have both a strong faith and an open mind to what the Bible actually teaches, along with a kindness and tolerance in communicating our views. I will share some scriptures which impress me in this way:
Acts 17:10, 11: Immediately by night the brothers sent both Paul and Silas out to Be-roe’a, and these, upon arriving, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now the latter were more noble-minded than those in Thes-sa-lo-ni’ca, for they received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so. – NWT
Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge the house servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Jehovah can make him stand. – NWT
2 Tim 1:7 (Amplified Bible) – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm {and} well–balanced mind {and} discipline {and} self–control.
Gal 5:1 – Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV
Gal 5:13 – For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. NKJV
2Co 3:17 – …where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. NWT
John 8:31, 32 – And so Jesus went on to say to the Jews that had believed him: “If YOU remain in my word, YOU are really my disciples, and YOU will know the truth, and the truth will set YOU free. NWT
If 1 John 4:8 says “God is love,” then shouldn’t love, not fear, be our motivation to serve Jehovah? Are you serving Jehovah in a certain way because you are afraid/fearful of being destroyed in Armageddon?
Hebrews 13:6 (Amplified Bible) – So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?
Amen! Thank you for your response and your eagerness to share the word. Please be assured that my comments were meant solely as an encouragement and to share what have been my experiences in discussions pertaining to this matter. I firmly believe it is our duty as Christians to encourage, exhort and/or admonish fellow brothers in Christ with love and respect, as per required in scripture. I am a firm believer in Creation as opposed to evolution. But I was raised with a scientific mindset. Which is to say that I was taught that evolution and "The Big Bang" were facts. It was later in life that I learned these were not so. As far as the age of the universe is concerned, I try to be as objective as I can, steer away from vain and useless arguing. If some one wants to have a constructive and edifying discussion on the matter, I am open to it. I will not however engage in a conversation that involves solely on changing my or someone else's view.
God Bless
Don & Andrea
Thanks Don & Andrea,
I am a Christian and an accountant. So I am really not qualified to make scientific pronouncements. However, I think it's good to do the best we can to explore the evidence. Honestly, I have a hard time understanding why God would have taken billions of years to create the universe. Scientists tend to calculate time based on conditions today. Yet just as on there earth, there were catastrophes like a world wide flood, so I wonder if there was the same in the creation of the universe that scientists can't see and maybe it happened much faster than they think. I can only speculate. Those like yourself with a more scientific background may have better insight than myself. Thanks again for the very friendly conversation.
Why God does anything the way He does is one of his greatest mysteries. An interesting note: in all the miracles mentioned in the bible, there is always form of physical manifestation associated with them.
I suppose any form of physical manifestation is for our benefit.
Amen! I will not pretend to know the mind of GOD.