Yesterday we considered the idea of apparent age--the idea that certain things, like Adam, had the appearance of being much older than they actually were simply because God created them in a full-grown, mature state. I believe that such is also the case with planet Earth. Though it may appear to be millions or billions of years old, that does not demand that it actually is that ancient. If the Scriptures are reliable and true (and they are), then we can know that God created everything in six days (Exo. 20:11).

However, there are some who have labored long and hard in an attempt to substantiate a middle-of-the-road position; that is, one in which they can affirm that the Earth is old and yet, at the same time, cling to their belief in what the Bible says about the creation. This position has many followers and a variety of theories. For instance, the "Gap Theory" suggests that the creation days in Genesis 1 were separated by eons of time (large gaps) and that although God did create everything in six literal days, by the time He was finished, the Earth was billions of years old. Another popular theory is the "Day-Age Theory." Its proponents suggest that the creation days were not literal 24 hour time periods, but long ages of millions or billions of years each.

Friends, is there any truth to these theories? No. We could expend much energy and time analyzing the details of some of the more prominent theories in this area and exposing their errors, and perhaps we will do so in the future. But, for now it is sufficient to listen to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He, while speaking on the subject of marriage, indirectly annihilates any possible hope a person might have of consistently believing in an old Earth and the Bible. He said in Mark 10:6 - "But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female."

Did you catch that? That simple sentence proves without a shadow of a doubt that the Earth is young and that the Genesis account of the creation is true. How so, Stephen? Well, try to make sense of Jesus' statement if the Earth, as some allege, is really billions of years old and if man has only been present for just a short while (no more than a few million years, according to evolutionists). Jesus said that humans were made male and female "from the beginning of creation." This makes perfect sense if one understands the Genesis account to be six, literal, consecutive days. Moses wrote that man was fashioned on the sixth day, which is essentially still the very beginning since not even 150 hours had passed. However, the view that the Earth is old accuses Jesus of being a liar! This view says that eons of time passed prior to man coming on the scene. This view says that man has not been around for even 1% of the Earth's history. Jesus said man has been around from the beginning (i.e., day six). This view says that man has not been around from the beginning. Who are we to believe? I intend to believe Jesus, for He created everything (Col. 1:16) and is certainly qualified to speak regarding the timing of man's origin. Friends, God's word is true. Do not resist its teachings or twist them in an effort to compromise with the false claims of science. Such will only lead to destruction, not life (II Pet. 3:16).

If you have an interest in studying these matters further, please contact us and we will gladly send you more information to study on this matter. Also, we encourage you to visit www.apologeticspress.org for an excellent online resource where you can do further research in this area and the broader field of Christian apologetics.