Old or Young Earth?

[LenMcM]

So much talk about “Young Earth” and “Old Earth”. If only people would just take the Scriptures as they read and not get bogged down with theories & non Scriptural traditions.
Verses 1&2 of Genesis 1 simply tells us the basics (All we need to know) That God is the creator of Heaven & Earth. Verse 3 then starts with the words “Then God said” or equivalent in different versions. All 6 acts of God to prepare the Earth for human habitation commence with these same words. Therefore it must be obvious that God was making it clear that the 6 creative acts commence at verse 3. --- Some call this the “Gap Theory” but there is nothing theory about it, it is simply reading as is. Verse 3 simply flows on from the previous statement.
For instance, If I say I purchased a house, then go on to say on the 1st day on the property I planted trees. On the 2nd I planted lawns and on the third I planted flowers. -- All this does not mean I commenced the gardening as soon as I purchased the house. No, for I moved into the property 6 months later. ---Likewise God does not tell us when He made the Heavens & Earth for we don’t need to know that. In those 1st 2 verses God just wants us to accept in faith that He is the Creator.
If only people would stop reading into Scripture that which is not there
After God’s 6 acts He instituted the Sabbath. Then over & over again throughout Scripture He empathized that the Sabbath was a sign between God & Israel forever. The Gentiles never get included in this sign. It is a sign that Israel are forever God’s chosen people (no matter what).

 

[JaumeJ]

I hope people read and understand. God bless you, and thank yu for these sound reflections on His Word.

 

[Roughsoul1991]

So much talk about “Young Earth” and “Old Earth”. If only people would just take the Scriptures as they read and not get bogged down with theories & non Scriptural traditions.
Verses 1&2 of Genesis 1 simply tells us the basics (All we need to know) That God is the creator of Heaven & Earth. Verse 3 then starts with the words “Then God said” or equivalent in different versions. All 6 acts of God to prepare the Earth for human habitation commence with these same words. Therefore it must be obvious that God was making it clear that the 6 creative acts commence at verse 3. --- Some call this the “Gap Theory” but there is nothing theory about it, it is simply reading as is. Verse 3 simply flows on from the previous statement.
For instance, If I say I purchased a house, then go on to say on the 1st day on the property I planted trees. On the 2nd I planted lawns and on the third I planted flowers. -- All this does not mean I commenced the gardening as soon as I purchased the house. No, for I moved into the property 6 months later. ---Likewise God does not tell us when He made the Heavens & Earth for we don’t need to know that. In those 1st 2 verses God just wants us to accept in faith that He is the Creator.
If only people would stop reading into Scripture that which is not there
After God’s 6 acts He instituted the Sabbath. Then over & over again throughout Scripture He empathized that the Sabbath was a sign between God & Israel forever. The Gentiles never get included in this sign. It is a sign that Israel are forever God’s chosen people (no matter what).

I am very content in saying it could be either or. God could of created quickly or with patient sovereignty.

I do not believe the intention of Moses was to write a science book. If so then he left out a lot of information in details. Creation will testify to the Creator so we can say that the Bible has scientific facts but not the intention of the book.

In Genesis 1 and 2 we all can agree that God is the Creator. God is sovereign. He is the God of order, design, and structure. God created mankind in His image and God made them male or female. Mankind is held to be the reason of God's creation.

 

[SpeakTruth101]

Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. And the earth came to be (H1961) formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was moving on the face of the waters.”

H1961 הָיָה hayah (haw-yaw) v. 1. to exist., 2. to be or become., 3. to come into being, i.e. to happen, to occur (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary). [a primitive root] KJV: beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use., Compare: H1933


If we consider the original language of Genesis 1:2, word #H1961 הָיָה , And the earth came to be (H1961) formless and empty,

“Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

And the earth came to be formless and empty”

It seems the earth was created some time before Adamh and Hawwah, and became formless and empty, however the amount of time is not stated. Bot for it to become empty something had to be here before, or would not have to hayah (become) empty.

 

[Roughsoul1991]

Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. And the earth came to be (H1961) formless and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was moving on the face of the waters.”

H1961 הָיָה hayah (haw-yaw) v. 1. to exist., 2. to be or become., 3. to come into being, i.e. to happen, to occur (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary). [a primitive root] KJV: beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use., Compare: H1933


If we consider the original language of Genesis 1:2, word #H1961 הָיָה , And the earth came to be (H1961) formless and empty,

“Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

And the earth came to be formless and empty”

It seems the earth was created some time before Adamh and Hawwah, and became formless and empty, however the amount of time is not stated. Bot for it to become empty something had to be here before, or would not have to hayah (become) empty.

Could be translated as the Earth came into being formless and empty.

 

[SpeakTruth101]

Could be translated as the Earth came into being formless and empty.

No, I do not believe that to be possible the way it is wrtten originally in Hebrew;

1:1 says
בְּרֵאשִׁית H7225 בָּרָא H1254 אֱלֹהִים H430 אֵת H853 הַשָּׁמַיִם H8064 וְאֵת H853 הָאָרֶץ H776

beginning Mighty One created heavens earth

2:2 says
וְהָאָרֶץ H776 הָיְתָה תֹהוְּ H8414 וָבֹהוְּ H922 וְחֹשֶׁךְ H2822 עַל־ H5921 פְּנֵי H6440 תְהֹום H8415 וְרוְּחַ H7307 אֱלֹהִים H430 מְרַחֶפֶת עַל־פְּנֵי H6440 הַמָּיִם H4325

earth became empty void darkness ove face deep spirit Mighty One over face water

so it says He created and it became empty, in the most literal sense

 

[SpeakTruth101]

I want to clarify "earth" is written twice, once in each verse

776 erets
erets: earth, land
Original Word: אֶרֶץ
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: erets
Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-rets)
Definition: earth, land

It actually says
beginning Mighty One created heavens earth earth became empty void darkness ove face deep spirit Mighty One over face water

if it only said erets/earth once I could see it being created empty

 

[JTB]

Prior to the fall, man was eternal. It wasn't until the fall that sickness, death, and I believe time began. Thus I would theorize that the earth has aged 6,000 years since the fall.

Too, when God created "on the 1st/2nd/etc day", is that one of our days or one of His 1,000 years kind of days?

 

[SpeakTruth101]

Prior to the fall, man was eternal. It wasn't until the fall that sickness, death, and I believe time began. Thus I would theorize that the earth has aged 6,000 years since the fall.

I agree here

SUMMARY OF THE TIME FROM ADAM TO YAHSHUA
Adam to Abraham 1,948 years
Abraham to Egypt 290 years
From Egypt to Moses: (Qehath to Amram to Moses) X = 63 years
Moses to the Exodus 80 years
Exodus to death Joshua 70 years
Judges to Samuel 450 years (Acts 13:20)
Kings of Judah 513 years
This equals 3,414 years from Admah to the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BCE
3,414 + 586 = 4,000

So from Adam to the birth of Yahshua is 4000 years

add the time since we are around 6,000 years give or take 200 or so years

Too, when God created "on the 1st/2nd/etc day", is that one of our days or one of His 1,000 years kind of days?

I thought this possible in the past, but after study I dont think 1,000 days, 2 reasons, "is as 1,000"

2 Peter 3:8-9 , “But, beloved ones, let not this one matter be hidden from you: that with יהוה one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. יהוה is not slow in regard to the promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

and Adamah's age would be over 7,000 years if they were 1,000 year days, it says he he lived 930 years.

 

[Dino246]

So much talk about “Young Earth” and “Old Earth”. If only people would just take the Scriptures as they read and not get bogged down with theories & non Scriptural traditions.

And then you present your theory.

Biting my tongue…

 

[Gideon300]

So much talk about “Young Earth” and “Old Earth”. If only people would just take the Scriptures as they read and not get bogged down with theories & non Scriptural traditions.
Verses 1&2 of Genesis 1 simply tells us the basics (All we need to know) That God is the creator of Heaven & Earth. Verse 3 then starts with the words “Then God said” or equivalent in different versions. All 6 acts of God to prepare the Earth for human habitation commence with these same words. Therefore it must be obvious that God was making it clear that the 6 creative acts commence at verse 3. --- Some call this the “Gap Theory” but there is nothing theory about it, it is simply reading as is. Verse 3 simply flows on from the previous statement.
For instance, If I say I purchased a house, then go on to say on the 1st day on the property I planted trees. On the 2nd I planted lawns and on the third I planted flowers. -- All this does not mean I commenced the gardening as soon as I purchased the house. No, for I moved into the property 6 months later. ---Likewise God does not tell us when He made the Heavens & Earth for we don’t need to know that. In those 1st 2 verses God just wants us to accept in faith that He is the Creator.
If only people would stop reading into Scripture that which is not there
After God’s 6 acts He instituted the Sabbath. Then over & over again throughout Scripture He empathized that the Sabbath was a sign between God & Israel forever. The Gentiles never get included in this sign. It is a sign that Israel are forever God’s chosen people (no matter what).

It matters because the Genesis account is the reason that many people turn away from Christianity, especially when they are taught evolution as if it were a fact. It is possible to reconcile the apparant age of the earth with the time line that Genesis covers. It's much more than the age of the earth, it is also about the fossil records that are older than the Genesis account states.

Christians should indeed read God's word and take it at face value. However, "face value" allows for a creation prior to Adam and an earth much older than the young earth people believe it to be. No, we are not a product of evolution. We are created in the image of God. I'll get that out of the way. Evolution made no sense to me even before I became a Christian. The pre-Adamic creation theory at least gives an explanation as to why the earth appears to be much older than the 6,000 years estimated by Bishop Usher.

 

[SpeakTruth101]

It matters because the Genesis account is the reason that many people turn away from Christianity, especially when they are taught evolution as if it were a fact. It is possible to reconcile the apparant age of the earth with the time line that Genesis covers. It's much more than the age of the earth, it is also about the fossil records that are older than the Genesis account states.

Christians should indeed read God's word and take it at face value. However, "face value" allows for a creation prior to Adam and an earth much older than the young earth people believe it to be. No, we are not a product of evolution. We are created in the image of God. I'll get that out of the way. Evolution made no sense to me even before I became a Christian. The pre-Adamic creation theory at least gives an explanation as to why the earth appears to be much older than the 6,000 years estimated by Bishop Usher.

Indeed, I have had people laugh at me because others people mis understanding of the Bereshith/Genesis timeline, saying there is no way it could be correct. But when you point out what it really says they are not so fast to discount

Also I justr got James Ussher's "The Annals of the World." yesterday, a joyful addition to the collection