Originally posted by RJHinds
I am a Young Earth Creationist because I believe what the Holy Bible says.
That means when it says, "the evening and morning was the first day" that
is a day equal to the other days described in the same way. And these days
were determined by using the sun and moon just as we do today. So that
means they are 24 hour days and not prophetic days of years ...[text shortened]... ble short gaps in the
record, but I see no way one can turn thousands of years into billions.
I am a Young Earth Creationist because I believe what the Holy Bible says.
That means when it says, "the evening and morning was the first day" that
is a day equal to the other days described in the same way. And these days
were determined by using the sun and moon just as we do today.
I take that to mean that you do not subscribe to a "Day Age" interpretation of the six days. I also do not, at this time, understand the days as ages.
Now "Day Age" theory is a major part of Ross's exegisis. However, I do not have to accept "Day Age Theory" in order to believe that the age of the creation is unknown or that the universe is older than 6,000 some years.
While I don't go along with a Day Age interpretation of Gensis 1 I do agree with Ross in a older earth than they typical YEC proposes.
So that means they are 24 hour days and not prophetic days of years.
Okay. But that does not insist in a 6,000 year old universe.
And what I do appreciate about Ross is that he aptly points out that
all the biblical passages on God's creation throughout the rest of the Bible have also to be considered.
For example,
Isaiah 45:18 tells us
"For thus says Jehovah, Who created the heavens - He is the God Who formed the earth and made it; He established it;
He did not create it waste, But He formed it to be inhabited ..."
Now given all the data in the Bible I think there are two possible ways of understanding
Isaiah 45:18.
1.) God created the world
"waste" but after a time He formed it to be non
"waste" to be a contructive habitate for life. This understanding would be in strict conformity to
Genesis 1:1 in line with YEC. That is immediately after the heavens and the earth were created was
"waste" (Gen. 1:2).
2.) God did not create the heavens and the earth
waste but it became
waste sometime afterwards. And then God recovered, reformed, rescued, and reconstructed something which had been damaged from the divine point of view.
In light of the facts of the rest of the Bible, particularly the ancient history of God's enemy, Satan, I follow the second understanding.
That does not call for a "Day Age" interpretation. But it does imply an unknown amount of ancient history. In
Genesis 1:2 we are brought to the seen sometime after the earth became waste.
YECs would call this "Gap Theory". I think I can defend some form of a "gap" or "interval" of unknown time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. But I would reference other relevant biblical passages to make that case.
This means that mankind and other living creatures have been living on the earth only a few thousand years, not millions or billions of years. The Holy Bible makes no reference at all that would indicate the earth could be millions or billions of years old.
Unspecified time for the earth allows for any number. If the first scene of the earth is that it is
waste but God tells me that He did not create it
waaste, then how long time elapsed between:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (v.1) AND
"But the earth became waste and emptiness, and darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was brooding upon the surface of the waters." (v.2)
Do the geologists need 1,000 years ? There's room in that gap for a possible 1,000 years. Do they need 1,000,000 years or more ? There is room in that unknown gap for that too. It is unspecified.
While I may not go along with Ross on Day Age Theory I think he may be on to something when he says there could be gaps in the geneology. While some speculation about the number of years man has been on the earth might be appropriate, give or take a few thousand years, the age of the heavens and earth cannot be determined.
The ancient history of God's Advasary makes more sense to me in a pre-adamic age. What makes less sense to me is the mighty cosmic war between God and Satan began within hours or days of that being's creation.
An age of the universe
before the creation of Adam the man, is what the Bible reveals. How long that economy existed is unkown. But it must have been long enough for God to allow all the foul corruption of this rebel to ferment and develop before he was expelled from the government of God.
I do not believe that period of fermentation and exposure of Satan's rebellious nature occured over a period of six days. I think it had a
long period of inception, development, exposure, with probably some time for him to repent, before he became that enemy lying to mankind in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3.
YEC calls for Satan's history of creation and fall to exist concurrently with the economy of man's authority over the earth. YEC calls for an understanding that TWO economies were going along simultaneously during the six days of Genesis. I don't believe that there were two deputy authorities over God's creation. I believe that Satan's long history as some kind of deputy authority had long been spent before Adam was created.
The intense hatred and envy of Satan towards this new creation, MAN, was due to an old fued between Satan and God reaching back to pre-adamic times. It was not something hatched up in a week.
There is even scientific evidence that testify of a young earth, however Dr.
Ross ingnores this evidence in favor of evidence that seems to indicate the
earth is billions of years old. Why?
Ross does not "ignore" that much, especially criticisms put forth by rival theoriests. Now you may disagree with his rebuttal. But I don't think the debate I have seen directly between Hovind and Ross show Ross "ignoring" too much.
I will take your statement to mean that Ross's disagreement and reply to Hovind is "ignoring" Hovind.
I do agree that we can not calculate back exactly to the creation day due to
the way the days were recorded that indicated possible short gaps in the
record, but I see no way one can turn thousands of years into billions.
I simply say an unspecified interval between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
Must go now. Talk latter. Jesus is God. Amen.