Between The Verses



Chapter 5

Between The Verses

“Where were you when I laid the foundations

of the earth? Tell Me if you have understanding.”

Job 38:4

“B’reshiyt bara Elohiym et hashameh et haareth.”

“In the beginning (B’reshiyt) created (bara) God (Elohiym) the (ha) heavens (shameh) and (w) the (ha) earth (areth).” (Genesis 1:1).

The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2).

The Hebrew word B’reshiyt means in the beginning. However, B’reshiyt or in the beginning, in itself is a non-time oriented event. Therefore, if B’reshiyt has no specific time relationship, then how long ago was this “in the beginning”? We have no ability to determine or to define when this event took place. But, we do know from the Scriptures there was a beginning, and we also know from Scripture that the heavens and the earth were created at that time. God so states that in Genesis chapter one, verse one. Although we know there was a beginning one thing we definitely do not know in regards to that beginning is that how long before the start of the six days of creation was “B’reshiyt” - this “In the beginning”? Also, what is the difference, if any, between Genesis chapter one, verse one and the creation story we read in the remainder of Genesis chapter one?

One thing we do have, that being the time frame for the creation story beginning in Genesis chapter one, verse five where God called the light day and the dark night. That was the first day of what we call creation - the evening and the morning of the first day. This is the initial generation of time, as we know it. It is the first twenty-four hour period in creation and is the same twenty-four hours we have today. Most people of the world measure the twenty-four hour period of a day from twelve o’clock midnight to twelve o’clock midnight. However, the Jews measure the twenty four-hour period of a day from six PM to six PM, which is in accordance with Genesis – the evening and the morning. In other words, night is from six PM to six AM with day being from six AM to six PM. Regardless which form is used, from this time forward, we have a time frame, and a standard, with which to measure, and date events. So, if the initial twenty-hour time frame was created on the first day of the six days of creation of our present world (Genesis chapter one, verse five), then what was the time frame before this initial twenty- four-hour period? There was none. There was no measurement of time as we know it, or have an ability to discern it. We therefore have no ability to determine when “In the beginning” actually took place. This is a key point to remember, as we will discuss the time before the first day of creation, and its relevance to the science of carbon dating in later paragraphs. This is also critical in the understanding of Second Peter chapter three, which supports this analysis.

The theme of this text is not intended to present an argument of creation versus evolution, as evolution has no basis of proof, even though most of the world embraces it as fact. The design of this presentation is to bring out some basic truths regarding what happened before the six days of creation. Many have missed or have not accepted this truth as a result of belief in man-made doctrines, traditions or secular positions on the subject. Thus, this text will detail what happened between Genesis chapter one, verses one and two, which when read properly gives an indication that something is missing in the text. Additionally, a discussion is presented regarding man’s relationship to time, God’s relationship to time, and what caused the problem defined in Genesis chapter one, verse two – “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” Hopefully these arguments will require you to question your belief in some scientific statements, and finally may even test your knowledge of the Scriptures. In any case, the intent of this subject is to make you think, and hopefully urge you to study the Word in a different light, and with renewed intensity.

Traditions and Doctrines

In the Book of Acts, chapter seventeen, verse eleven, we are told that the Bereans searched the Scriptures daily. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” We too need to search the Scriptures daily to see if what we hear is the truth, if it is indeed the Word of God. Based on this direction, we need to question man-made doctrine by a careful and detailed search of the Word of God in order to ascertain its true meaning, and the meaning of that Word in relationship to our every day life. Yes, there are many commonly held doctrines in Christian circles that are not in total alignment with the Word of God. Some of these doctrines even conflict with Scripture. In Matthew chapter fifteen, verse three Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Why do you transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” Then again in verses eight and nine, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as false doctrines the commandments of men.”

Back in the 1960’s, a lady in the church I attended made a statement that shocked me. She said she believed in both God and evolution. The Pastor of that same church told a group of young people that the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis was just that, a story, it did not really happen that way. He never did provide clarification of his statement, so the young church members were left believing this to be the truth. Are statements such as these man-made doctrines or simply traditions of men? In most cases, those who make statements like this accept both man-made doctrines and traditions. Then again most people who apply this application to Scripture have never truly studied the Word to ascertain the real truth. They are either satisfied with their traditions or believe false doctrines as gospel or have enlisted them to deceive. They are not like the Bereans who study the Scriptures daily to verify what they read and hear align with the Word of God. They aren’t really concerned with truth, and are satisfied with error, false doctrines, and traditions of men. Either way, they are in trouble, and you are in trouble if you follow them. Therefore, the intent of the presentation on this subject is to provide an element of truth relating to Genesis, and to dispel man made doctrines and traditions one may have relating to the creation story. God gave us the ability to reason – the ability to separate fact from fiction – the ability to separate truth from deception. We need to make sure that the doctrines the churches adhere to, and the traditions they espouse align with the Word of God. Our spiritual lives are literally at stake!

There are some additional reasons for writing on this subject, and that is that many in the Christian realm do not believe in Satan:

• They really don’t know the origin of sin. But, do believe the story that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden – supposedly an apple.

• They believe that the serpent in the Garden was really a snake that had the ability to speak and walk upright, and this was the origin of the snake. However, snakes were created on the sixth day of creation along with other creepy, crawly things.

• They don’t believe that Satan is real and freely roams the earth. First Peter chapter five, verse eight tells us otherwise, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

• They don’t want to connect the origin of sin with the Adversary. Revelation chapter twelve, verse nine, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

The Creation Story

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was not made.” (John 1:1-3). “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). This is the sequence. The Word, who is Christ, was with God before the creation of the heavens and the earth; and according to John chapter one, verses one through three, it was Christ that did the creating, as He is the Word. In his book, God’s Master Plan, Peter Michas states, “Yehoshua is referred to as ‘the Word’. Therefore, before time began Yehosua existed as God, with God, i.e., as a distinct Person of the Godhead. He existed before the world was created and, through Him all things were created. In Jewish thought, the Word of God is the same as God. Therefore, before time began, not only was the universe created by the Word (Yehoshua), but it is held together moment by moment by Him.” Isaiah chapter forty-five, verse seven states, “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.”

The Jewish Torah Anthology provides two different perspectives on the creation; both differ slightly from what will be presented herein relative to the first two verses in Genesis. But, I think they are well worth reviewing in order to present research from a different perspective. According to Rabbi Yehudah, the order of creation took place in the literal six days as stated in Genesis chapter one. But, according to Rabbi Nehemiah creation occurred the instant God spoke the words, and therefore believes that the succeeding days in the Genesis creation story are merely the specifics of that initial creation. Then again, Rabbi Yehudah never does explain the meaning of the first verse in Genesis; “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” On the other hand, Rabbi Nehemiah does explain the first verse somewhat by stating these were God’s plans and blueprints for the creation. He goes on to state that the physical manifestation of the plans began on day two. However, I think his position is based on the analysis that Genesis chapter two is a more detailed presentation of the creation of man initially cited in chapter one verse twenty-six. In essence, Rabbi Nehemiah is saying that the heavens and the earth were created in verse one then all the rest of Genesis chapter one is nothing but what God did in the various acts of creating the heavens and the earth. In other words he is stating that the rest of chapter one is nothing but a detailed account of the creation.

The problems I have with these concepts are twofold. One is that neither rabbi really explains the meaning of Genesis one, verse one, and its true relationship to the rest of the chapter. The second is that I do not believe that God needs to make plans and create blueprints in order to create anything. Scriptures states otherwise: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the hosts of them by the breath of His mouth.” (Psalms 33:6). “Let all the earth fear the lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For he spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalms 33:8-9). This does not sound as though God needed to make plans and blueprints before He created the heavens and the earth. So, by definition of the differences between the first two verses, there must be an explanation that makes sense, one that can be substantiated by other Biblical text. There is, and that is the essence of this presentation.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). Did God partially create the heavens and the earth in the beginning? Did He create plans and blueprints for review before construction could begin? Did he start creation and then go off to do something else before finishing the project? No, He did not create each thing in stages until it was finished. Everything was created in its fullness when it was created. He created the firmament in its fullness, the beasts in their fullness and man in his fullness. Look at it this way, if God created the heavens and the earth in a step-by-step process would He not have created everything in the same manner? In Genesis chapter one, verse one we find that He created the heavens and the earth. Then in Genesis one, verse two we find it is covered by water, void and dark. If this is God’s step-by-step process in creating the earth, then why didn’t He create man the same way? If this were to be the case, we might find the creation of man reading thusly: “On the sixth day He created man; he was lifeless, void of features, and still covered with mud”. No, God created everything in its fullness when He created it. There is nothing in Scripture that suggests anything but the fact that each act of creation was complete when the object was created. He spoke and it was created in its fullness. Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two, verse four states, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect.” Then Psalms, chapter eighteen, verse thirty states, “As for God, His way is perfect.” God does not do things half way. His initial work is perfection. Therefore, in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth they were created perfect. So, we must assume that the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1 were created perfect when they were created. If they were perfect, and Scripture says they were, then why do we find the earth in such disarray in Genesis chapter one, verse two? Before I answer this perplexing question, I want to review the six days of creation found in Genesis chapter one, verses three through thirty-one.

Six Days of Creation

This may come as a surprise to many, but everything listed in the so-called six days of creation was not created during that six-day period. There is no such term in Scripture as “the six days of creation.” The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17). This phrase does not imply that all things were created in the six days, but that the Lord made the heavens and the earth in those six days. In other words, He created some things, and He caused some things to be arranged in order. As can be seen in some of the verses in Genesis chapter one, some things God commanded and were created, and some things were just divided, such as in verse seven. “Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.”

Part of the above position is the result a detailed analysis of the text, the other being based on the analysis of creation and made. In Exodus chapter thirty-one, verse seventeen, the Hebrew word translated as made means in a broad sense to accomplish, to do or to make, whereas create means to bring about something through a formative process. In relation to the English Language, Webster defines make as bringing something into being by putting parts or ingredients together. On the other hand create is defined as causing something to come into existence, to bring into being, to originate. Therefore, this leaves us in a quandary. If all things were not created during the six days of creation when were they created? And, secondly how do we know what was created and what was not created during this six-day period?

The evidence of this is supplied by one small word in Genesis, which is not translatable from the original Hebrew to English. Therefore, it does not appear in our Bibles. However, in the original Hebrew this one small word is used every time something is created. “B’reshiyt bara Elohiym et hashmayim w et haarets.” This is the transliteration of the Hebrew of Genesis chapter one verse one. With the translation into English it becomes, “In the beginning created God the heavens and the earth.” Notice that the letters et are omitted in the translation. They are not translatable. In this regard, Bill Cloud states, “Therefore, the word et serves as a sign of the direct object, ‘the heavens’. What makes the word et so special is that it is not translatable. The purpose of the word is to serve as a sign of the direct object. For instance, the first time it appears in Scripture is in Genesis 1:1. It comes before the word hashmayim, being translated ‘the heavens’. This word et is made up of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet – alef and tav, thus there is no word in English to describe the meaning of these two letters. But, they have a significant meaning in regards to understanding the creation story. Bill Cloud states, “In Revelation 1:11, Jesus told John, ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last’. This passage was translated from Greek, hence, the term alpha, the first Greek letter, and omega, the last Greek letter. If Jesus spoke to John in his native tongue, Hebrew, Jesus would have said, ‘Ani haalef ve hatav’. ‘I am the Alef and the Tav.” Therefore, by implication, Jesus was saying, ‘I am et’. Hence, He was the sign before the creation of the heavens and the sign before the creation of the earth in Genesis chapter one verse one.

In fact, et appears before every word in Genesis chapter one when something is created, such as et hashmayim (the heavens). And conversely, et does not appear before a word whereas one would think the item in question was created, such as the grass and the trees on day three. For example, the literal translation of Genesis chapter one verse eleven is, “And God said, ‘Let sprout the earth tender sprouts, (the) plant seeding seed (and) of tree fruit producing fruit after its species, which it (is) in it on the earth. And it was so’.” The New King James provides the following translation of the same verse, “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so’.” The transliteration of verse eleven from the original Hebrew is, “Wayomer, Elohiym adshe haarets deshe esebmazriya zera ets priy oseh priy lmiynow sher zar ow-bow al-haarets wayhiy-ken.” One may think that the Hebrew word ets appearing before the word priy is the plural of et (alef-tav), however ets is the Hebrew word for tree. Therefore, the word et (alef-tav) does not appear in verse eleven when the trees and the grass are brought forth on the earth. Thus, they were not created on the third day, as it would seem. God said, “Let the earth bring forth the grass…” This is not an act of creation, but a command to grow. So, if the trees and the grass were not created on day three they must have been created earlier than day three. We know they were not created later as there is nothing related to them, and all things were finished on the sixth day. Therefore, they must have been created earlier than day three. This fact leads us to the conclusion that Genesis chapter one, verse one, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, is a stand-alone creation, and as such is separate from what we call the six days of creation. Now this fact ought to create some problems with the reader!

Analysis of The Six Days

In order to fully understand this concept, and the application of the word et in its context to the creation, it is necessary to analyze each of the six days of the creation relative to et. “Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:3-5). Since et does not exist in this context we can safely state there is no act of creation in this verse, but are we sure? Since God said, “Let there be light” this on the surface may appear to be an act of creation. But, the word let is key to the correct analysis of this verse. Let is translated from the Hebrew word hayah meaning to exist, be or become or come to pass. Hayah is comparable to havah, which means to be, i.e. to be in the sense of existence or already existing. Thus, God was speaking of a light that already existed when these words were spoken. That Light was Christ.

The translation of the word light here is from the Hebrew word ore meaning illumination or lightning. It also means happiness, bright, and clear. It comes from a root word also spelled ore, which means to set on fire, to shine, to make luminous. To understand this, it is necessary to look at the various derivations of ore to isolate the definition of light in Genesis chapter one, verse three. Oor is also from the root word ore, and means flame, whereas oraw, another derivation of the root word ore, means prosperity. Then there is ooreem, the plural of ore, meaning lights. Thus, the meaning of light in this sense is the Light of Christ (more on this later). Since Christ is the Word and the Word was with God in the beginning, then the Light in Genesis chapter one, verse three was not created when the division between light and darkness was made. The Light was already there. God simply caused the Light to overcome the darkness.

“Then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.” (Genesis 1:6-8). Isaiah chapter forty-two, verse five supports this statement in Genesis. “Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and the spirit to those who walk on it.” This is an act of creation. God created the firmament called heaven when he divided the waters from the waters. If there is water below and water above, then what is in the middle: the earth’s atmosphere? Our environment is what God created.

This may be somewhat confusing in that God created the heavens in verse one. However, there are currently three heavens. Initially, there were only two heavens. For explanation purposes lets call these original heavens one and two. God resided in the second heaven. The first heaven, at that time, was the location of the earth. When God divided the waters and made what He called heaven, He created the earth’s atmosphere, which is the third heaven. Since there are three heavens, the Scriptures must give a definition for each. They do just that. The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere; “Look to the heavens and see; and behold the clouds are higher than you.” (Job 35:5). The second heaven is the stellar universe; “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.” (Genesis 1:17). The third heaven is where God dwells; “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” (2 Corinthians 12:2). So, here we have the first thing that was created: the earth’s atmosphere, which was on the second day.

“Then God said let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning of the third day.” (Genesis 1:9-13).

The text here is very critical to the understanding of the differences between Genesis chapter one verses one and two, and the rest of the creation story. In verse nine God said let the waters be gathered together and for the dry land to appear. The waters are those that were divided in verse seven when the first heaven was created. So, the waters were already there. God also said for the dry land to appear. This indicates that the land was already there. It was under the water. So, as God gathered the waters to form the seas, the land appeared. God said it was good for order was now returning to the earth. Note that I state order was now returning, which means at sometime in the past order was there. This we will prove as we go through the analysis of the Scriptures related to the six days of the creation.

The next part of the text, Genesis chapter one verse eleven, is more meaningful when viewed in the literal translation of the original Hebrew. “And God said let sprout the earth tender sprouts, the plant seeding seed and of tree fruit producing fruit after its species which it is in it on the earth.” The key to this verse is in the last phrase “which it is in it on the earth.” Thus, the seeds for the grass, herbs and trees were already in the earth. They were created prior to the six-day period of creation. God simply gave them the commandment to grow.

“Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning of the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:14-19). Here we again have creation. God made the sun, the moon, and the stars. Please note that this is not the same light we read about in verse three. That Light, Christ, divided the light from the dark, that darkness being evil. Also note for later reference that the actual seasons and years are created here in verses fourteen through nineteen whereas the first twenty-four-hour period occurred in verse five. So, now we have, on day four, the full creation of time, which can be used to discern and measure time in days and years.

“Then God said, let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let the birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abound, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth. So the evening and the morning of the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:20-23). Here again we have creation. The birds and the sea creatures did not exist prior to the fifth day.

“Then God said let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, and each according to its kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. The God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, see, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food; and it was so. The God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning of the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:24-31). Finally we have the last day of creation. First God created the cattle, the beasts, the creeping things, and after He saw that it was good, He created man.

Thus, the summary of the creation story is:

• Day one: God caused the Light of Christ to overcome the darkness. There was no creation on this day.

• Day two: God divided the waters and made the first heaven. Here is the first act of creation during the six days of creation.

• Day three: God gathered the waters into seas and caused the dry land to appear. This is not an act of creation, as the water and land were already in existence. God only caused the separation to take place. However, He did state that the land would bring forth grass, herbs, and trees. The explanation given in above paragraphs, relating to Genesis chapter one, verse eleven, can be one of interpretation; however, it does not diminish the fact that there were days when God did not recreate something that was already created.

• Day four: God created the sun, the moon, and the stars. This is the second act of creation or third if you are counting the grass.

• Day five: God created the great sea monsters and the birds of the air. This is the third act of creation or fourth if you are counting the grass.

• Day six: God created the cattle, the beasts of the field, creeping things, and man. This is the fourth act of creation or fifth if you are counting the grass.

Therefore, God created things on four (or five) of the six days. On the other two days He caused things to happen, which in essence He made order of things already in existence. So, we have the Light on day one that was already in existence, then on day three we have the waters, which when gathered form the seas, caused the dry land to appear, and finally we have grass, trees, and herbs. The water, the land, the grass, the herbs, the trees, and the first two heavens were created in Genesis chapter one, verse one, sometime far beyond the time of the first day of the creation story beginning in verse three.

Please understand that I am not at all denying the creation story presented to us in Genesis. I firmly believe that God did just what He said He did. Nor am I modifying the creation story one bit. What I am saying herein is that some things that we have taken for granted were based either upon man-made doctrine, tradition, misunderstanding the Scriptures, or an incorrect interpretation of the text. Rest assured, I will fully demonstrate in the analysis of the Scriptures herein that some things were created in Genesis chapter one, verse one, and the remainder was created in the six-day creation period. Since all things were not created in the six-day creation, we need to define what was on earth during the previous period. And finally, we need to define what happened between Genesis chapter one, verses one and two to cause the situation presented in verse two.

Now, we begin the examination of this mystery.

The Six Thousand Year Concept

Although I do not hold with the six thousand-year concept, it nevertheless must be presented and explained in order to dispel some of the myths around the creation story. The six thousand-year concept, in my view, distorts the true picture we are presented in Genesis for the creation.

The concept is derived from the sum of the years beginning at the creation and ending with the return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. The proponents of this concept state that the six-day creation story is a pattern for the time between the creation and the thousand-year reign of Christ. The thousand-year reign beginning the seven thousand years of life on earth. Proponents of this concept base their beliefs on Second Peter chapter three, verse eight, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.” The six thousand years time frame is calculated as the sum of the years from Adam to Abraham being two thousand, from Abraham to Christ being two thousand, and from Christ to the end of the age of Grace being two thousand. They say this summation concept equates to the six days of creation. And finally, the thousand-year reign of Christ equates to the seventh day of the creation where God rested. Although, these numerical sums do fit somewhat, they do not in themselves provide a method for dating the return of Christ. And, I think that is precisely what the proponents of this concept are trying to do.

Then again there are those who advocate that the six days of creation are equal to six thousand years; each day is a thousand years. They too base their beliefs on the analysis of Second Peter chapter three, verse eight. Therefore it is necessary to dispel these theories and concepts in order to arrive at the real time frame within the creation story.

The Hebrew word for day is yown. The definition of yown in Strong’s Concordance is, “to be hot, a day as in warm hours, or from one sunset to the next.” This is the application within the context of Genesis chapter one, verse three. However, Keith Harris, an advocate of the thousand-year concept, states, “the meaning of yown can also be translated as a space of time or a process of time”. He then applies this rendering for day to the text within Genesis for “the evening and the morning”. This application fits perfectly into his analysis that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. The problem is Keith Harris is using a multiplication of the word yown, which denotes a rendering in the Authorized King James Version (AKJV) that results from an idiom peculiar to Hebrew. In regards to this rendering, yown can also mean whole, end or full life. Additionally, it can be used in the singular or plural sense, based on the application. In his analysis of yown, Keith Harris applies it as a space of time or a process of time in relation to Genesis chapter one, verse five. However, this application is best used to describe the text of verse fourteen, which states, “…for seasons, and for days, and for years.” Yown is best translated here as a process of time or a space of time since the number of days in this usage applies to the seasons and therefore are never the same length for any given season.

To expand on this somewhat, and to prove the analysis, one needs to apply the primary root of the translation in relation to other Scriptural text that relates to the same theme within the text sequence. For example, God said in Genesis chapter one, verse five, “…the evening and the morning of the first day.” He also said in verse sixteen that He, “...made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.” At this point in the creation, we are still in the process of seeing the creation as it relates to one day at a time. Furthermore, we have other segments within the same paragraphs that point specifically to the fact that God is speaking of a twenty-four-hour time frame, that being seasons, days and years. Days become seasons, and seasons become a year then on to years. Thus, the translation of yown in each of the “...the evening and the morning” statements refer to a twenty-four-hour period, nothing longer. Therefore, the concept that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day cannot be applied to the phrase defined as the six days of creation.

To expand on this in a little more detail, look at the relationship of a day and a thousand years. A day is twenty-four hours. One day is three hundred sixty-fifths of a year - a year being eight thousand seven hundred sixty hours. One day is three hundred sixty-five thousandths of a thousand years – a thousand years is eight million seven hundred sixty thousand hours. Using this analogy, a year is a way of expressing eight thousand seven hundred sixty hours; and a thousand years is a way of expressing eight million seven hundred sixty thousand hours. On the surface, the Scripture seems to indicate that Peter is saying that to God a thousand years and a day are one and the same, which is why many interpret the text in that manner. But, Peter is in fact saying that to man this relationship is not possible, but to God who is outside of our time medium, time is not a constraint.

Therefore, when Peter stated that the relationship of God to a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day, he makes this statement in reference to the old world, the world that was, and the world in which we live. Peter’s statement has nothing to do with the thousand-year concept outlined in the previous paragraphs. His statement was made in regards to the coming of Christ in the last days. Second Peter chapter three, verses three and four, refer to scoffers who would come in the last days saying, “where is the promise of His coming?” They go on to say, “all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” Peter’s response to the scoffers that with the Lord a thousand years is as a day, and a day is as a thousand years, is simply stating that God’s time is not the same as man’s time. He is stating that Christ will return on God’s timetable – He will not return on man’s timetable. God created the day, the season, the year, and the earthly environment in which man lives. Therefore, man can only exist in this time frame, this environment, at this very moment. He can remember the past, is aware of the current moment of time, but has no clue what the future will bring. Sure, he has the ability to plan, but will the plans become reality? He must wait and see. Thus, man is stuck in a sliver of time, and to him the end seems never to come.

Remember when you took trips with your young children who constantly asked, “ are we there yet?” “When will we get there?” They had no concept of distance or time of travel. They wanted to arrive at the destination within their mental picture of the trip. This is the way it was with the scoffers; they wanted to see the return of Christ in their time. But, Peter is saying that they have no concept of what God is doing, nor the timing of His actions.

On the other hand, God is not constrained to our time frame. He is omnipresent. He is timeless. He can be in all places at all times. The Bible says that He was, is, and ever shall be. So, Peter is merely using this analogy of a day equating to a thousand years and a thousand years equating to a day to say that for God time does not exist; He is outside of time, He is Spirit, therefore transcends time as we know it. To God, what happened to the ancient world in Genesis chapter one, verse two is but a moment ago, in fact He can go back to that moment, and as such, to Him it would be current. This is the real meaning of Second Peter chapter three, verse eight.

Heavens of Old

Second Peter chapter three provides some important insight into the fact that there is a difference between Genesis chapter one, verse one, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, and the six-day creation outlined in the rest of Genesis chapter one. The King James Authorized Version states, “For they willingly forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.” (II Peter 3:5-7). For what its worth, the literal translation of the same text states, “Is hidden because (from) them this (by their) willing that heavens were of old and the earth out of water, and through water having been held together by the God Word. By which the then world by water being flooded perished. And but (which are) now heavens and the earth by the same Word having been stored up for fire being kept for a day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men." This literal translation best describes what Peter stated; that what happened before time is hidden from them that are not of the Spirit (the scoffers, verse 3). He is stating that God willingly hid the fact from them that the heavens were of old, and were standing out of water and in the water or came through the water. This water cannot be the flood during Noah’s time as all the Hebrews were well aware of that flood as it was in the Torah, the Jewish Bible.

The Greek word for old is ekpalai, which means a long time. However, the real meaning as to what it is telling us is based on the primary preposition of palai, which is ek. Ek denotes origin or the point from which motion or action proceeds. Jeffrey L. Townsend states, “Ek throughout its linguistic history, and especially its usage in the New Testament, has shown that the preposition may sometimes indicate ‘outside position’ (whereas at other times it means removal ‘out from within’)”. However, Mr. Townsend further states that, “If physical death is in view, it cannot mean ‘out from within’. Instead it must mean a ‘position outside’ its object.” This “position outside” is the key to understanding the implication of old in Second Peter, chapter three, verse five, as it is connected to the word perished in verse seven.

The other part of ekpalai (palai) means the idea of retrocession or ancient. It is from a root word palin meaning the idea of oscillatory repetition, anew or once more. Retrocession means to cede or give back territory, which supports the idea of oscillatory meaning to repeat. Thus, the word old as used in verse five, by definition, means that the earth of Genesis chapter one, verse one was outside or separate from the current world. Peter states in verse six, “…the world that then existed perished.” The world he speaks of in this verse is not the same as the heavens and the earth he speaks of in verse seven, “…the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire.” Therefore, the usage of ekpalai in verse five indicates that the old-world was destroyed, and God provided a new or reordered one. We find this in the creation story in Genesis chapter one, verses two through thirty-one. Also note that the Greek word for world is kosmos, meaning orderly arrangement including all its inhabitants. The Greek word for earth is ghay, meaning the soil part of the world, country or land. So, Peter was indeed differentiating between the world and the earth when he said that “the earth was standing out of water and standing in water, and that world that then existed perished.” He is very definitely stating that the world perished not the earth.

One Flood or Two

Does this caption suggest there were two floods? In order to find out we must compare the text of Second Peter chapters two and three with the flood in Genesis chapter six. Verses five through seven read, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in His heart. So, the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” However, we find in the rest of this story that God caused Noah to build an ark, in which he, his family, and pairs of all living creatures (air breathing animals and birds) were saved. So, God did not destroy the world, He created a flood that killed all air breathing land creatures and man, but saved a remnant to replenish the earth after the flood. Remember that fish, sea creatures, trees, grass, and herbs were not destroyed. Also note that in verse seven God said He would destroy man, etc. from the face of the earth. He never said He would destroy the earth or the world. Thus, in respect to the flood of Noah’s time, the earth and the world remained intact, but changed in regards to population and topographic features.

“For this they willingly forget; that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in water by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.” (II Peter 3:5-6). In the literal translation the text reads, “and through the water.” In either case, Peter states that the world perished. He says that the earth is standing out of the water and then in the water. He then states that the world that then existed perished. To paraphrase; the earth existed in its fullness as it was when God created it in its original form (as we shall see later) – it was standing out of the water. Then something happened, causing the earth to be flooded with water – the earth standing in the water.

The next part of the text says that “the earth that then was perished.” Perished comes from the Greek word apollumi meaning to destroy fully. It is from apo, a primary article meaning off or away from, and usually denotes separation or reversal. So, this indicates that the world of Genesis chapter one, verse one was fully destroyed. Everything was gone. This was not the case with the flood of Noah’s day as noted in the above paragraph.

Now compare Second Peter chapter two, verses four through six with that of chapter three, verses five through seven. The first reference states, “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgement; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.” All these events took place after the creation beginning in Genesis chapter one verse three. In stating this fact, I would like to clarify something at this point. Grant Jeffrey says that the angels identified here are the ones that went into the daughters of men in Genesis chapter six verse four. These were some of the fallen angels who followed Satan after he sinned, but because of what they did on the earth during the time between the creation and the flood, God put them in chains until the judgement day. So, here in chapter two, Peter is speaking of a time that is different from that in chapter three.

In summary, God destroyed the entire world of old, but only destroyed the air breathing creatures and man during the time of Noah, saving a remnant to replenish the earth after the flood. So, we have two floods cited in the Scriptures. The first one created the circumstances in Genesis chapter one verse two. The second one is the story about Noah and the ark.

The Garden of Eden

I’m sure you are asking at this point, what has the Garden of Eden got to do with this subject, and especially Genesis chapter one verse one? The Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8), as most know it, was planted by God for Adam and Eve, “And Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” Then we read in Genesis chapter three, verse twenty-three that they were driven out of the Garden. “Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.” But, this is not the first garden. It is the second garden. The first garden called Eden the Garden of God is found in Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight, verses twelve through thirteen, “…you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God.” Then in verses fourteen through seventeen, “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground.”

Although this lamentation in Ezekiel is about the fall of the King of Tyre after his self-exaltation, God is making ultimate reference to the fall of Lucifer (Satan). This interpretation is not only the position of the early church, but is the view held by many Christian scholars today. Peter Micas states in his commentary concerning Jerusalem and the Garden of Eden, “The answer to this question is found in a truly remarkable reference from Ezekiel 28:13-14. It concerns Lucifer’s presence in Eden the Garden of God, on ‘the holy mountain of God.’”

Peter Micas states in God’s Master Plan that, “The holy mountain of God is a direct reference to Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. Today, Mount Moriah forms the platform for the Temple Mount. Scripture has been shown to support Jerusalem as the site of the original Garden of Eden. Furthermore, Jerusalem as the site of the Garden of Eden also fits the prophetic picture to come. The authors believe that the original Land of Eden, with Jerusalem as its center, consisted of what is today Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, western Iran, and Saudi Arabia. This region approximates 1500 miles square – the same dimensions of the New Jerusalem which will come down out of heaven.” This New Jerusalem is described in Revelation chapter twenty-one. Also, the region cited by Peter Micas is the precise territory outlined in the Old Testament promised to Israel (Genesis 15:18-21).

Terms such as “holy mountain of God, My holy hill, mountain of God”, etc. are found in relation to each, and to Jerusalem, some forty times in the Scriptures. There is no question as to the location the Scriptures are speaking, and they definitely tie the two gardens to the same spot on earth. This then begs for an explanation of just what was the Garden of Eden or Eden the Garden of God? Eden was not a garden in the traditional sense – flowers, vegetables, shrubs, etc. It was an enclosure. In Hebrew, garden is spelled gan, which means enclosure, coming from a root word meaning to defend, protect, or to put a shield about. Its verb ganan occurs only eight times in the Old Testament. The basic meaning of the verb is to cover over and thus shield from danger. It is only used in reference to the protective guardianship of God, and only in relation to Jerusalem. Therefore, this puts Lucifer in the same physical location as Adam and Eve, but at a point much earlier in time. Since Lucifer was the cherub that covers, this made him the keeper of Eden the Garden of God. He was the one who protected it, covered it. We don’t know what he was protecting or covering, as Scripture does not indicate; we just know that he was there. Thus, Lucifer was the first one in the Garden. And, since God gave the Garden to Lucifer He could not take it from him after he sinned. God cannot go back on His promise. Therefore, this places Lucifer, who after sinning is called Satan, on earth and in the Garden when Adam and Eve are created.

Lucifer’s Fall

We all know the cause of Lucifer’s fall was his desire to become God. But there are some parts of Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight, verses twelve through seventeen that must be thoroughly analyzed to derive the facts supporting both Lucifer’s presence in the Garden, and his connection with the cause of the problem in Genesis chapter one verse two. “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden the Garden of God; every precious stone was your covering… You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground.”

In the above verses, the word cover in Hebrew is sakak meaning to entwine as a screen, to fence in, to cover over, defend, to protect. As stated earlier, Lucifer was assigned to Eden the Garden of God to take care of it, but we don’t know what he was covering or was custodial of. But, it is very important to realize that the earth was his, God gave it to him.

The phrase, “I have established you” is sometimes translated “I have set thee so.” The word set is nathan meaning to give or to put. Thus, God put Lucifer in the Garden. He gave him the Garden and as such the earth.

Then there is that phrase, “midst of fiery stones.” In the first usage of this phrase we find Lucifer walking back and forth in the midst of the stones. In the second usage God is destroying Lucifer from the midst of the fiery stones. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary on Ezekiel states that the term “stones of fire or fiery stones” is often used in the Bible to indicate “the phenomena attending the divine presence of God.” So, in the first case we find Lucifer walking back and forth in the divine presence of God, whereas in the second case, we find that God is removing His presence from him. Remember this analysis as it will be referred to later.

Then in verse sixteen we find that God cast Lucifer out of the mountain of God or out of Eden the Garden of God. He cast him out as a profane thing. Profane in Hebrew is chalal and means to wound, to dissolve, or to break. It can also mean to remove or throw, thus chalal is used for both cast and profane in the translation.

Then God destroyed Lucifer from the midst of the fiery stones. Destroyed in Hebrew is abad and means to lose oneself or to wander. So, if God cast Lucifer out of the Garden, and God removed His presence from him, then Lucifer had nothing to do but wander. He was no longer within the confines of the Garden. This has a parallel in Genesis where God hid His face from Cain, and Cain was sent to the Land of Nod, which means to wander.

Then finally in verse seventeen there is the word ground. In Hebrew it is erets meaning earth, partitively a land. Partitively means to restrict to or involving only a part of the whole. Thus, Lucifer was restricted to earth, but was not allowed on the holy mountain of God.

This analysis gives us two basic premises with which to work. First, it places Lucifer, now Satan, on the earth when man was created, and second, it indicates that God has removed His presence from the earth.

Cause and Effect

Thus far we have been able to define that Satan was indeed on earth before the problems outlined in Genesis chapter one verse two, that there were two gardens, that Lucifer was there when the creation began in verse three, and that there were two floods. But what caused the devastation in verse two? First it is necessary to look at what is meant by the text of verse two. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.” Strong’s Concordance defines form as tohuw meaning to lie waste, to be desolate, an empty place. Void is defined as bohuw meaning to be empty superficially. Darkness is defined as choshek meaning misery, destruction, wickedness or sorrow. The root word for choshek is chashok, meaning to be dark, to withhold light, be black, dim, make dark. To isolate the meaning of darkness in verse two, clarification of the variances of the root word chashak is necessary. We find that cheshkak is also from the root word chashak, but means just dark, where as chashkak, also from the same root word, means misery. Therefore, the Hebrew word choshak (darkness in verse two) is inclusive of all the derivatives of the root word chashak. Thus, in the context of verse two, it applies not to the absence of sunlight, but to wickedness, sorrow, and misery. And finally, the word deep is defined as tehowm meaning an abyss as in a surging mass of water.

As I mentioned in an earlier paragraph, the Hebrew Sages state that it is the Word of God that keeps the world in an orderly form, and if that Word is ever removed then all is lost. Therefore, I think we can safely state that when God removed His presence from the earth, after Lucifer sinned, that the world in the form it was in the beginning was destroyed. What remained is defined in verse two.

Before we leave this subject it is necessary to compare the word darkness in verse 2 with the word light in verses three and four. In verse three, “God said let there be light; and there was light.” Then in verse four, “God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” Although I analyzed this earlier, I think in view of the subject it is well worth the effort to repeat the comparison. In Hebrew, the word ore is translated as light meaning illumination or lightning. It can also mean happiness, bright, and clear. Its root word is also spelled ore, but means to set on fire, shine, to make luminous. Again, as in the analysis of the words for darkness, derivations of ore isolate the definition of light in verses three and four. Oor is from the root word ore, but means flame, whereas oraw, also from the same word means prosperity. Then ooreem, the plural of ore, means lights. Thus, we see that Satan is the darkness in verse two, and that Christ is the Light in verses three and four. So, after the fall of Lucifer, the earth was caused to fall into confusion due to the absence of the presence of God. Then God got things in order once more through the Word, which is Christ.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

This paragraph heading may seem to be a bit out of step with the text of this presentation, but I’ve purposely labeled it this way in order to point to a particular subject. Also, I assume that you have already asked the question, “If the sun was not created until the fourth day, what illuminated the earth when Lucifer walked back and forth on it in the midst of the fiery stones?” The clue is the light at the end of the tunnel. That light was from God. It was a constant light. Some even say it was seven times brighter than the noonday sun. And, since it was constant, there was neither night nor day. As I stated in an earlier paragraph, when God removed that light, the earth became dark, was without form, and void. One other thing to remember, at that time there were only two heavens, as the other heaven, the first heaven, was not created until the second day. These two facts are both significant in their relationship to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Many times I’ve heard people say that the Book of Revelation is the mirror of Genesis. To prove this, I’ve created an event correlation that focused on just that (reference chapter four, “The Perfect Order of Things”). This identifies all the significant events of Genesis and correlates similar or opposing acts in Revelation. For instance, in Genesis, God walked with Adam in the Garden. He communed with man. A very similar situation will occur in the future when God comes down to earth again to be with man. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3).

Back to the light. Revelation chapter twenty-one, verses twelve through twenty-one, is John’s description of the great and holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven. The source of the light begins at verse twenty-two, “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor to it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” This is the direct result of what took place in verses one and two. “Now I saw a new heaven and an new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

So, here we have the first heaven and the first earth passing away. The first heaven is the one created on the second day of creation in Genesis chapter one. The first earth here is speaking of the one on which we presently dwell. It is reserved for fire, “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.” (II Peter 3:7). It is after this cleansing by fire that the New Jerusalem comes down to earth. God will again light the earth as he did in Genesis chapter one verse one.

What an amazing revelation!

Carbon Dating

Carbon dating, technically called radiometric dating, is neither Biblical nor is it a scientific fact, quite the contrary. It is a means by which the scientific and anthropologic communities try and convince the general public that evolution is fact. They use the carbon dating processes in an effort to establish ages of fossils as millions and billions of years old. Its primary purpose, as stated by the evolutionists, is to determine relative ages of fossils, and the earth, thus establishing a continuity of evolution from the origin of life to present man. However, their main underlying purpose is to disprove the creation story presented in Genesis. In other words, if the evolutionists can convince Christians that man is millions of years old, and that life came about through an evolutionary process, then they in effect disprove the creation story. This would indeed place a shadow of doubt on the rest of the Scriptures. And, it appears the evolutionists have succeeded to a great degree, as many Christians believe in God and evolution. With this said, I want to provide a summary of the processes of carbon dating, and let you decide for yourself if it is fact or sham.

First, I want to inform all who read this paper that I am no authority on carbon dating, or any other form of dating process used to determine fossil and earth ages. What I present herein is a summation of the dating processes from a paper written by Dr. Mace Baker, a Research Associate for the Creation Evidence Museum in Glenrose, Texas. My quotes are from the paper titled, “The Age of the Earth, A critique of Radiometric Dating.”

What is the importance of long ages to the theory of evolution? Dr. Lawrence Badash, Professor of History of Science, at the University of California, Santa Barbara provides the answer. He states, “As the sun’s first ray’s of thermonuclear light blazed across the galaxy 4.5 billion years ago, the primal earth emerged from a spinning, turbulent cloud of gas, dust and planetoids that surrounded the new star. On these figures for the age of the earth rest all of geology and evolution.” Therein is no proof nor is there any basis for fact; however, this statement was made by a well-known scientist, and thus became fact for the scientific and anthropologic communities at large.

“The primary means of establishing these very old dates was by an estimation value comparing sediments and fossils.” This means that the dating of fossils, i.e., human bones and animal bones, is not performed by actually dating the remains themselves, but dating the rocks and sediment that are found in the surrounding area. In this regard Dr. Bakes says, “There are a number of misconceptions about how rocks are dated.”

1. “Rocks are not dated by means of their structural features.”

2. “The adjacent relationship of rocks does not necessarily determine the ages of rocks.”

3. “Ordinarily the deposition of sedimentary layers of rocks would insure that the lowest strata should be the oldest and the upper layers the youngest. However, since the fossil groups often do not always fit this neat arrangement within successive layers, this reasonable guide has not proven to be reliable.”

4. “The geologic column and the theorized ages were well established long before radioactive dating methods were discovered. Then again, radiometric dating is inflicted with so many possibilities of error and conflicting dates that the system is totally dependent on previously agreed upon dates for any geochronometrical usefulness.”

5. “There are no physical characteristics which are authoritative in the dating of rocks.”

“Actually the earth is dated primarily by use of the fossil record which is forged into a chronological sequence on paper that reflects the assumptions of the evolutionary theory. In recent times, however, radiometric dating has been introduced as a means of guaranteeing an absolute value to the business of dating the earth. The modern use of this method, however, has found it to be seriously wanting as a reliable geochronometer.”

Dr. Baker basically says that the dating processes are all relative to the rate of decay of the rocks and are all defined as being in a closed system. He says there is no real closed system in nature. And if there was a closed system, the assumption that it remained closed for millions of years is an absurd assumption. The process of radiometric dating is to determine the amount of Lead, Strontium and Argon at the beginning, i.e. when the rock was formed. It is determined by measuring the amount of Lead, etc. presently in the rock, then establishing a ratio of past and present percentages of these elements. The evolutionists state that by determining the rate of decay, the rate that the elements leave the rock, they can determine the age of the rock. But, as Dr. Mace states, “Who witnessed the amount of these elements in the original rock?” None of this can be proven, just as none of the radiometric dating can be proven – it must be accepted as fact, which is based on nothing.

There are three methods used in the dating processes, (1) Uranium–Lead, (2) Rubidium–Strontium, (3) Potassium–Argon. Dr. Baker states the following in regards to the processes. “The problem with the Uranium–Lead dating process is that the Uranium minerals exist in an open loop system. This means that the Uranium can be leached out by ground water with the intermediate element, radon gas, moving in and out of the system with ease. Thus, Uranium and Lead both migrate in geologic time and therefore cannot be relied upon to define useful ages.” He goes on to say that even the moon rocks obtained from the Apollo lunar missions exhibit the same migration qualities as the rocks here on earth. Obviously the Uranium–Lead process is found to be unreliable, but here is the real kicker, the remaining two processes are calibrated using the Uranium–Lead as the standard. This creates an invalid standard upon which all other standards are measured.

A summation of this argument goes something like this: since it is impossible to determine whether or not all of the Lead in a sample is there entirely by radioactive decay, it should then be obvious that the Uranium–Lead radioactive decay system cannot be a reliable geochronometer. However, a by-product of this system is Helium since all the Helium in rocks must be there by means of radioactive decay. It has been found that there is eight times as much Helium in rocks as Lead. After thorough investigation of the processes, it has been found that there is only enough Helium in rocks to render an age for the earth of less that 10,000 years. There is much more to this argument than I’ve presented, but the bottom line is basically that the earth is not four and a half billion years old.

An example of the extremes in the application of the dating process is found in the story of Dr. Richard Leakey who found some bones and stone tools near Lake Turkana. Leakey thought that the volcanic ash, found in the area of the stone tools (his initial find), would make an excellent material for the application of the Potassium-Argon dating method. The dating process yielded a date of two million four hundred thousand years. Later Leakey found a partial cranium below the level of the stone tools. He determined that since the bones were found below the tools that the bones must be at least two million six hundred thousand years old. However, testing at a conference three years later, the ages ranged from two hundred twenty-three million to nine hundred thousand million years. For your information, it came out in later years in the news that the entire find by Dr. Leakey was a hoax.

Dr. Mace makes a profound summary statement regarding the half-life process by which the evolutionists arrive at these dates. “Why were these particular decay systems of Uranium-Lead, Rubidium-Strontium, and Potassium-Argon chosen? The Strontium decay scheme is only one of several nuclear decay-reactions occurring in nature, which is suitable for radioactive age determinations. For a natural decaying material to be suitable for such age determinations it is necessary, firstly, that its half-life be comparable with the age of the earth. This means that the age of the earth is not determined by radiometric dating. Radiometric dating is offered as a means of confirming the already assumed age of the earth. By what means then, was the age of the earth determined? The only answer is – by means of estimation.” Basically, the evolutionists have guessed at the age of the earth, and all dates are calibrated against the original date made by Professor Lawrence Badash at the University of California, which is said to be four and a half billion years old.

Dr. Mace sums up the entire dating process. “In the final analysis, it is clear then, that radiometric dating methods are not reliable, and that the entire geologic column as viewed in the textbooks was developed by the use of estimation on the one hand, and by faith in the concept of organic evolution on the other. The theory of evolution demands vast ages which radiometric dating and the unproven assumptions of evolution and uniformitarianism cannot provide.”

I think this well proves that man is constantly developing some sort of process by which they can fool the public, and especially the Christians. Personally, I will stick with the Word of God; it has consistently proven itself true, and will forever. But anyway, you are the one to decide which you will believe – the Truth or the lie!

Conclusion

We have basically established that there have been two earth ages; the one initially created by God in the beginning, and the one in which God created man. These are distinct ages separated by some catastrophic event of which we know very little. They are both environmentally different - the first one unsuitable for man in his fleshly state, the second one designed to sustain human life.

Although this writing exhibits, to a great degree, this age relative to the previous age, it does not explain why there are two earth ages. God can only answer that. If He wanted us to know the answer then the Bible would contain the detail facts somewhere therein. We cannot comprehend God’s reasoning nor can we understand His thoughts and ways. He is God. We are merely mortals. So, we need to maintain faith in whatever He says and does.

However, the text on this subject does leave one question unanswered, and that is how old is the earth? The evolutionists would have us believe that it is four and a half billion years old, but in reality no one really knows but God. However, we do know that man was created approximately six thousand years ago on the sixth day of creation. But, what no one knows is how long before that creation was “In the beginning.” Then again, why do we need to know how old the earth is or when the original beginning was? That knowledge has absolutely no bearing on the future of man. But, Scripture does tell us about the creation of man, and the impact of sin on that tranquil state. That sin was perpetuated on man in the Garden of Eden, and as such, we are inflicted with the lie to this day.

So, I ask, who’s report will you believe?

“I have heard of You by the hearing

of the ear, but now my eye sees You.”

Job 42:5

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