Which Is True, the Bible or Evolution?

Does the word “day” in the first chapter of Genesis signify a twenty-four-hour period, or is each “day” really a long age? This is an important question. It is unfortunate that some Christians, in an attempt to reconcile the Bible account of creation with scientific claims of an ancient universe, have rejected the former and contend for the latter. This is an unnecessary compromise because scientific evidence supports the young earth theory rather than the old earth theory.

The theory of evolution needs billions of years for life to form and to evolve. Evolutionists insist that man came along millions of years after dinosaurs became extinct. The reason they cannot tolerate the idea that dinosaurs and man co-existed is because this fact proves a young earth, as the creation account describes (approximately six thousand years). . Of course, we all know, based upon known scientific laws, that something (both matter and life) cannot come from nothing. We also know that animals and plants reproduce after their kind (Gen. 1, 6, 7).

It is noteworthy that evolutionists insist that dinosaurs preceded man by millions of years. But we have solid evidence, both internal (biblical) and external, that man co-existed with dinosaurs (Job 40:15-24). One external evidence is the recent unearthing of thousands of ceramic figurines in Mexico that clearly indicate that an ancient culture was well aware of the dinosaurs. Some of the figurines clearly depict men fighting dinosaurs. It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that these figurines are authentic and are at least 2,500 years old--certainly more than 200 years old, which is how long "science" has been aware that these creatures existed. Since evolutionists have been wrong in their estimation of how long ago dinosaurs roamed the earth, support for the ancient world theory (that they need in order to have any basis upon which to argue their theory) is seen to be lacking.

The Bible suggests, based upon genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, that the creation week took place only about 6,000 years ago. The "day-age" theory is the idea that each day of the creation week was actually millions of years in length. But the Bible language suggests that a day was a twenty-four-hour period. Another popular idea is that long periods of time existed between the days. But Genesis 2:2 tells us God "rested on the seventh day." The fact that God "rested" after his week of work indicates that the days were consecutive. He would have rested after each day if it was a long time.

Much evidence exists to support the idea that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, as the Bible suggests. If you would like to consider these evidences look for this article on our web site. It will contain more writings that provide evidence to support the twenty-four-hour "day," more evidence in other areas that support the young earth idea, and links to some very informative videos that may be downloaded free of charge.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

To download the videos click on the following link:
http://www.totalhealth.bz/spiritual-health-creation-education.htm

Unless you have a very fast connection I recommend you “save” the file instead of running it. This will avoid time outs and disconnects.

The following was written by by Greg Gwin:

The "day-age" theory [is an attempt to harmonize, r.w.] the Bible account of creation and the claims of some scientists that the earth is very old. Each day of the creation week, we are told, should actually be understood as a very long period of time - certainly millions of years in length, perhaps even billions of years long. This view demands that the biblical reference to a "day" should be interpreted as a figurative expression denoting a long "age" of time. There are several difficulties with such an interpretation.

First, it has been noted by many scholars that the Hebrew word for day ("yom") when used in conjunction with a numeral always refers to a normal twenty-four hour day. In Genesis one, "yom" is consistently connected to numbers (vs. 5,8,13,19,23,31, 2:2). Such usage is found 357 other times in the Bible, and in every case a twenty-four hour day is in view. The challenge for those who would urge a figurative meaning in Genesis one is this: produce even a single instance in the Scriptures where the word (when found in the same grammatical construction) has anything other than a literal meaning. The fact of the matter is that, if the Lord had intended to convey the notion of long periods of time, there are exact words in the Hebrew language that could have been employed.

Our understanding of the days in the creation account is further aided by the fact that God actually defines His own terms. "And God called the light Day, and darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5). Thus, a period of light followed by a period of darkness constituted a day. Again and again He tells us that "the evening and the morning were the _____ day" (vs. 8,13,19,23,31). Similar usage of the phrase "evening and morning" is found dozens of other times outside of Genesis one, and the reference is always to literal twenty-four hour days. Can the "day-age" proponents explain why they see an exception to the rule in Genesis one?

"Days" are not the only division of time introduced in the creation text. We also read "seasons" and "years" (vs. 14). If the days were actually long geologic ages, what were the seasons and years? Jesus adds a bit of pertinent information on this issue with a simple proclamation in Mark 10:6. Concerning men and women, He said: "From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." Those who believe that God made Adam and Eve within the same week that He created all other things have no trouble harmonizing the Lord's statement with the facts as revealed in Genesis one. The "day-age" folks have a more serious problem on their hands. The universe came into existence 20 billion years ago, they say, but man has been here for "only" four or five million years. If this is true, one wonders how it could possibly be said that "from the beginning of creation God made them male and female."

Paul further complicates things for those who would add vast periods of time within the creation week. In Romans 1:20 (NIV) he wrote: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." Again, the conclusion is clear. Intelligent life - human life - has been here on earth "since the creation of the world," viewing God's handiwork and comprehending His greatness from it. The "day-age" people cannot explain this verse due to the fact that they have man arriving on the scene billions of years after God created the earth. The "day-age" concept has some serious "scientific" complications right in Genesis one. As noted above, the text defines a day as a period of light followed by a period of darkness. Can anyone believe that life could have survived daylight periods millions or billions of years long followed by similar periods of darkness? But, bypassing this difficulty, there is another. Plant life was created on day three (vs. 11-13). But insects, birds, and land animals were not created until days five and six (vs. 20ff). Think of the "botanical" issue here. Many trees and plants depend on insects and animals to accomplish the pollination necessary to produce seeds. They simply cannot reproduce themselves in any other way. Yet, the "day-age" theory necessarily has these trees and plants existing for millions of years without the mechanism in place that would allow them to "yield fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself" (vs. 11).

Volumes have been written to explain an increasing body of scientific evidence that points to a young earth. Space will not allow a thorough discussion of any of these proofs. However, the diligent student will find an abundance of information about such things as: 1) The shrinkage of the sun (Based on precise measurements we now know that just 100,000 years ago the sun would have been twice as large as it is today. (This would, obviously, make life impossible on the earth.); 2) The decay of the earth's magnetic field (Noted as one of the fastest occurring geophysical phenomena, the earth's magnetic field is predicted to be gone within the next 2,000 years, but just 10,000 years ago the force would have been so strong that the earth would have disintegrated from its own internal forces; 3) Erosion of the continents (From known rates of erosion, it is possible to calculate that the earth's land masses, including the tallest mountain ranges, would have long ago disappeared into the seas.); 4) Sedimentation of the oceans (Given millions or billions of years to accumulate sediment from continental erosion, one would expect to find an incredible thickness of mud and muck on the ocean floors.) It is not there.); 5) Accumulation of meteoritic dust on the earth and moon (Scientists have learned the rate at which meteors are entering our atmosphere. In millions of years they would expect to find significant accumulations on the surface of the earth - and even more on the surface of the moon where there is no atmosphere to burn them up. Again, they are not there.); 6) The continued existence of comets (Comets lose part of their mass as they pass near the sun on each of their orbits. The very fact that comets still exist argues that our solar system could not possibly be as old as some are suggesting.) These are just a few of the many scientific proofs of a young earth. There are many others, and they clearly point to the unmistakable conclusion that the earth could not possibly be millions or billions of years old. In fact, these scientific indicators point to an earth that could not be more than ten thousand years old. This, of course, harmonizes quite well with the biblical account of creation.

Finally, it must be admitted that there is no way to reconcile Genesis one and the claims of an ancient earth and universe. This is no minor difference. The literal twenty-four hour day understanding differs from the "day-age" interpretation by a factor of millions if not billions. Those who would try to force great eons of time into the creation account simply cannot do so. The context of Genesis one forbids it. Scientific considerations make it impossible. Moses stated the simple truth when he wrote: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Exodus 20:11).