In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. Exodus 20:11
How old is the earth? This is the fundamental geological related question of the modern era. Many individuals, however, consider the age of the earth irrelevant while accepting uncritically the overwhelmingly dominant view that the earth is billions of years old. Many do not understand the connection between an extremely old earth and the ongoing effort to remove God from modern culture.
Go To: Old Earth Origins
Historically, until approximately 1800, the western world viewed the beginning of creation from the perspective of Scripture. This resulted in an earth age of approximately 6,000 years. The obvious catastrophic nature of the earth’s crust was attributed to the flood in Noah’s day. Other basic observations from nature and history also contribute to a young earth age such as: Written history is approximately 5,000 years old; unfractured bent layers of sedimentary rock exist throughout the world; mountain ranges with sharp and distinct ridges such as the Wyoming Teton Range; and so forth.
One of the first in the modern era to challenge the accuracy of Scripture was James Hutton (1726–1797), a Scottish farmer, naturalist and geologist, who is known as the founder of modern geology. He originated the idea of uniformitarianism which theorizes that the present earth crust was created by natural processes over great periods of geologic time. Hutton’s ideas were popularized and advanced in the book Principles of Geology, authored by Charles Lyell (1797-1875), a British lawyer and the foremost geologist of his day.
The ideas of Hutton and Lyell greatly influenced Charles Darwin who published On the Origin of Species in 1859. This book introduced to the world the theory of evolution to explain biological change. Few books have influenced the thinking of humanity more than this one book, which is eagerly accepted as truth by those looking for a reason to minimize or eliminate a Biblical Creator.
Facts to Remember:
- The evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin cannot exist within the framework of a creation approximately 6,000 years ago.
- The earth’s crust testifies of a catastrophic past. A record of death is embedded in its rocks and sedimentary layers engulf the earth.
- The tendency of humanity is to avoid or deny the reality that rebellion against God’s truth must be judged. The earth’s crust is heavy laden with the results of God’s judgment in Noah’s day. The world-wide fossil record, fossil fuels, bent sedimentary layers, petrified wood, etc., testify to this reality.
- The natural processes in effect today do not explain what is observed in and on the earth’s crust. What process creates a petrified log or places marine fossils on the top of mountains? Why is the earth covered with sedimentary layers?
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)