Reading the Bible About OriginsPart One

Bible Passages Not From Genesis About Origins“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1: 1-3 The John identifies Jesus, the Second person of the Trinity, as the Word. So the whole Trinity was involved in creation, not just the Father.

God the Father(Speaks the creation into existence)

Son (The Word accomplishing the Father’s Will)

The things of Nature created

Jesus Created and Redeemed Nature

““The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together… him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together… For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”shed on the cross.” 1 Colossians 1: 15-201 Colossians 1: 15-20

Jesus Made and Sustains the Universe

“… but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1: 2-3

At the Start Things Were Made From NothingBy faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11: 3

Second Testament (NT) Teachings About Origins

1. Christ plays an important role in creation and providence.

2. God created everything.

3. God created from nothing (Latin: creatia ex nihilo). Energy, matter, space and time were not eternal but had a beginning from nothing.

4. God sustains everything (Latin: creatia continuans). The continuing existence of matter, energy and laws of nature depends on His perpetual governing of things.

First Testament (OT) Passages About Origins

Teachings from Psalm 104:

1. God created all things good with order and purpose.

2. God provides for all his creatures including man.

3. The wisdom of God is reflected in the design and functioning of

His creatures.

4. God’s Spirit gives life to and takes life from His creatures.

5. God is deserving of worship and praise for what He has made

and for all He does daily.

6. We pray for evil and sin to be removed from mankind and

Nature.

Concordist Interpretations of GenesisAny concordist interpretation of Genesis views the sequence of events recorded in Genesis as the actual, true sequence by which God created the universe. Concordists may believe that the sequence occurred very fast (in 24 hr days) or much slower (over billions of years) but the order given in Genesis is the order by which things were created.

Genesis 1 and 2: Two Different Sequences?

Genesis 1: Genesis 2:

Heavens, earth, watersLightSkyDry Land Dry land, riversPlants ManSun, moon, stars PlantsSea creatures and birds Land animals and birdsLand animals WomanHuman beingsIs Genesis 1 global creation vs local creation?Is Genesis 2 an extended description of day 6?Are Genesis 1 and 2 nonsequential accounts?

Young Earth InterpretationThis interpretation suggests that all of creation was accomplished in six, 24 hr days. Bishop James Usher of Ireland in the 1600s calculated the start of our world as October 23, 4004 BC based on

Biblical geneologies (lists of ancestors given in the Bible).

Young Earth InterpretationThe method of fixing the date of creation by using geneologies is unreliable since Biblical geneologies are often missing persons and at times they include nations rather than persons. For example, when the Hebrew author of Genesis wrote “Ham was the father of Canaan”, what he

meant was that Canaan was a descendent of Ham (not necessarily Ham’s son – in this case Canaan was a nation).

What is the Meaning “Day” in Genesis?

Some Christians interpret the word day (Hebrew, yom) to mean long periods of time.“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” 2 Peter 3:8 & Psalm 90:4Adam lived 930 years despite the Genesis 2:17 command, “in the day that you eat of it you shall die”. Justin Martyr (AD 155) and Irenaeus (AD 189) took this to mean that Adam was sentenced to die before 1,000 years and that the Genesis days were therefore 1,000 years long. Young earth creationists take the earth to be from 4,000 – 10,000 years old.

St. Augustine : Instantaneous Creation

St. Augustine (AD 354-430) believed that God created St. Augustine (AD 354-430) believed that God created everything instantaneously. Along with others he noted that everything instantaneously. Along with others he noted that light was made on day 1 while the sources of light were made light was made on day 1 while the sources of light were made on day 4 so that the 24 hr period (governed by the rising and on day 4 so that the 24 hr period (governed by the rising and setting sun) is not established until day 4. He felt this called setting sun) is not established until day 4. He felt this called into question the meaning of morning, evening and day.into question the meaning of morning, evening and day.

Geological Observations in the 1600s

During the 1600s, observers like Niels Stensen (Steno) determined how sedimentary rocks formed as layer after layer of river sediments settled on top of each other.

Geological Observations in the 1600sEventually through pressure and chemical reactions, mud and sand sediments are pressed and cemented into solid rock.

Mud

Softer Shale (erodes faster)

The Law of SuperpositionIn the 1600s the important geological law of Superposition was established. In undisturbed geological layers, the lowest layers are the oldest and were formed before the upper layers.

Earth Crust Movements Displace RocksAs giant rock plates on earth (called tectonic plates) collide with each other, they create pressures on each other that result in cracks (faults) to form, earthquakes and volcanoes.

Crust Movement Cracks and Shifts Rock Strata

Sedimentary Strata in Victoria

Other Geologic Observations in the 1600s: FossilsDuring the 1600s there was much debate whether fossils were the remains of real organisms that lived in the past. Slowly scientists came to recognize the difference between real fossils and crystals that looked like fossils.

Fossils Found on Mountain TopsDuring the 1600s fossils were found on mountain tops. These animal remains on the tops of mountains were explained as organisms from Noah’s flood which were left behind as the waters receded.

Fossils in StrataIn the 1600s-1700s, fossils found in sedimentary strata were interpreted to be organisms trapped by the sediments of Noah’s flood.

Predictions From “Flood Geology”In the late 1600s-1700s, John Woodward made predictions about the strata based on the presumed world-wide flood of Noah. He predicted that the lowest strata would be the densest and would have many more organisms in it. Higher strata would be less dense with less and less fossils.

The Young Earth View Most Common Until 1840sUntil the 1840s, most Christians believed that the earth was young based on literal or partly literal readings of Genesis 1.

Early geologists studying rocks assumed that they had been formed by Noah’s flood. As Christian geologists in the middle 1800s began studying sedimentary rocks in England, they were faced with evidence of an older earth.

Angled strata

indicate miles-deep

sediments.

All from the flood?

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s

1. Dense materials were found in all sedimentary layers.

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s

2. The relative numbers of fossils is the same in lower strata compared to upper strata. Could this be made by a single flood?

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s

3. Some rock types like conglomerates require multiple wet and dry periods. Some water-eroded pebbles in conglomerates are from sedimentary rocks. This requires the formation of a sedimentary rock which then breaks down into pieces which then are eroded into smooth pebbles by water action and then are compressed together into a rock. This kind of rock requires more time than 6,000-10,000 years to form.

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s4. Very thick layers of sedimentary rocks were found that were miles deep (the layers were tipped on an angle). The Appalachian mountains are made up from 40,000 ft (7.6 miles or 12 km) deep sediments. Could a flood from rains of 40 days produce this much sediment?

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s

5. Volcanic plains were found in France with many volcanic layers and water erosion between the layers indicating much more time than 6,000 – 10,000 years to form this region.

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s

6. In a given stratum, geologists found fossils of just land-based life or, just marine-based life. No strata contained a mix of land-based and marine organisms. One would expect to find a mix especially in the lower layers if they were formed by a global flood.

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s7. Thin, even sedimentary layers were found over large regions of countryside. A catastrophic flood would have stirred up deposits. The thin layers were consistent with sedimentation in a wide, calm sea and these conditions would require millions of years to produce the thicknesses observed.

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s8. Sandstone sedimentary layers were found which require long periods of time to form. First, hot magma cools to form

quartz-rich rocks like granite, then the granite erodes over time to make quartz sand (a long slow process since granite is a hard rock that doesn’t erode easily), then the sand is transported by wind or water to a place where it settles, and finally, the sand is compacted and chemically cemented into sandstone.

Southwest USA Sandstone Formations: Wind Erosion

Southwest USA Sandstone Formations: Wind Erosion

Observations from Christian Geologists in the 1800s9. Some river valleys are carved into granite or other types of rock that are hard and difficult to erode. While flooding can explain the erosion of a valley if the rock is soft (like sandstone or limestone), granite and other hard rock types do not erode quickly unless they previously contained many fractures. A single year-long flood would have made only a small dent in unfractured hard rock; it would not have carved an entire river valley.

Geologists Conclude Earth is Millions of Years Old

By the 1840s almost all practicing geologists (including Christian geologists) believed the earth was millions of years old.

Geologists Conclude the Genesis Flood was LocalGeologists also concluded that the Biblical flood of Noah’s time must have been a local flood in the region of Mesopotamia rather than a global flood over the entire earth since there were no uniform flood strata in all places on earth. Considering the bodies of water around the lands of the Bible writers, some ancient tectonic or climatic catastrophe could have released local flooding waters.

Does a Local Flood Seem More Plausible?Present estimates for animal species range from 1-3 million (conservative). While on the ark, they would require food. An elephant eats 160 kg of food per day (96 metric tons over the days the ark was afloat). If the flood was local, species like elephants, polar bears, lions etc. would not have been on the ark.

New Flood Theory From Creation Science GroupThe Creation Science group in 1961 presented a new global flood theory in which they argued that nearly all of earth sedimentary strata are the result of the flood during Noah’s time. In their theory, the Grand Canyon strata are virtually all from Genesis flood sediments.

Grand Canyon StrataThe Creation Science group includes all Grand Canyon Strata as Genesis Flood Strata except the Precambrian Strata.

Canyon Features Inconsistent With a Flood Theory

The Cambrian period should show fossils of terrestrial plants and animals – lots of them if there was a global flood and massive deaths of organisms. The Cambrian shows only marine organisms, most extinct today and in no larger numbers than strata higher up.

Canyon Strata Inconsistent With a Flood TheoryThe rocks between the Tapeats sandstone and Unkar/Chuar groups are weathered into soils. A flood would have washed these away. These are explained by weathering and erosion over long periods of time, not consistent with a year-long flood.

More Canyon Strata Features Inconsistent With Global Flood

The Redwall limestone layer has some deep erosion channels filled with mudstones, sandstones and limestones with embedded redwall pebbles. To have formed this way, the redwall layer must have been lifted above water, been eroded and then some of its eroded gravels deposited in the erosion channels and then resubmerged and pressurized to beome rock.

More Canyon Strata Features Inconsistent With Global Flood

The Coconino sandstone was formed from desert sands (pure quartz not forming during floods). Vertebrate tracks have been found in this sandstone layer.

More Canyon Region Strata FeaturesThe Wingate sandstone layer also was formed from desert sand dunes.

More Canyon Region Strata FeaturesThe Navajo sandstone layer of pure quartz (no debris contaminants as with a flood) is 2,000 ft thick (compressed and cemented desert sands).

More Canyon Strata FeaturesThe Supai, Moenkopi, Chinle and Morrison layers contains fossils of mud cracks. Mud cracks form when mud shores dry up, shrink and curl. This is evidence for many alternate periods of submersion below water and then lifting above water with subsequent drying and then resubmersion.

A Modern Explanation for the Grand Canyon

Strata

The tectonic plates making up the surface of the earth slowly moved, bumping into each other and sliding away from each other.

A Modern Explanation for the Grand Canyon StrataThe tensions of bumping into each other and moving away from each other caused the plates to deform, rising up and emerging in some places from the oceans or submerging under the oceans in other places.

A Modern Explanation of Grand Canyon Strata

The Grand Canyon strata built up over millions of years as this part of the tectonic plate system was underwater. The years when it was above water, no strata formed and erosion of the then upper layers took place.

Many Strata in the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon has been submerged for many millions of years and then has emerged from the waters during recent geologic times and is still rising today.

End of Presentation

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

A