“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” —Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Someone handed me a book recently, trying to convince me of a Young Earth
theory. I explained to them my Old Earth position, but told them that I would
read the book with an open mind and be honest. The book is titled, “THE
CREATION ANSWERS BOOK,” co-authored by Don Batten, David Catchpoole,
Jonathan Sarfati, Carl Wieland and various other contributing writers. I
learned a long time ago that someone's most ridiculous argument is the most
damning information against them, which can be used to discredit the rest of
their work or beliefs:
For example: Jehovah's Witnesses successfully confuse many unsaved people on the matter of Jesus' deity, teaching people that Jesus is “a god” but not “THE GOD.” However, what Jehovah's Witnesses DON'T teach people upfront is that they believe Michael the archangel became Jesus. When you present this ridiculous information to an honest person, they can much more easily recognize the Jehovah's Witnesses as a satanic religious cult. Of course, the Word of God totally disagrees. The Bible teaches that the Godhead became incarnate (flesh) in the earthly person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3,14; Colossians 2:9 — King James Bible). The Bible teaches that Jesus is almighty God, the revelation of the unseen Father (1st Timothy 3:16; John 10:33; Revelation 1:8 — King James Bible).
Likewise, the most ridiculous information (argument) put forth in the book “THE CREATION ANSWERS BOOK” is concerning dinosaurs and man co-existing. The four authors teach that Noah took baby dinosaurs onto the ark, which is the same garbage that Ken Ham teaches. On pages 247-248 we read:
“Given the different dinosaur species that have been identified, and the huge size of some of them [e.g., Seismosaurus, on the basis of fossil reconstructions attained lengths of 45 metres (150 feet)], some people might wonder how Noah could have taken all the dinosaur kinds onto the Ark. However, when one considers the following, there is no problem.
1. Only around 55 dinosaur 'kinds'
In Chapter 13, we discussed how Noah did not need to take all species (a notoriously flexible concept) on board the Ark, but only pairs of each created kind. The same principle applies to dinosaurs. So Noah's Ark did not have to carry the 668 or so named species of dinosaurs, rather, just the representative 'kinds' (Genesis 6:20)—of which it has been estimated there were only 55.”
SOURCE: “THE CREATION ANSWERS BOOK,” copyright 2006 by Creative Ministries International; pages 247-248.
At the bottom of page 248, the book has a footnote that claims there are many duplicate names for dinosaurs, and that the actual number of species is “greatly inflated.” This claim may actually have some merit, as National Geographic reports. However, as the National Geographic article says, there is not enough fossil evidence to prove the claim one way or the other. Wikipedia says there is a list of 1,466 dinosaur species, of which 1,080 are considered valid. This is certainly much higher than the alleged 55 species that “THE CREATION ANSWERS BOOK” claims. The question is, “Could all those dinosaurs fit on the Ark?” I think not! The very idea is absurd!
Check out this page from National Geographic's on Big Bad Bizarre Dinosaurs! (check out those TEETH). Did Noah bring these onto the Ark? I think not! ...
“After two centuries of paleontological harvest, the evidence seems stranger than any fable, and continues to get stranger. Dozens of new species emerge each year; China and Argentina are hot spots lately for startling new finds. Contemplating the bizarre specimens recently come to light, one cannot but wonder what on earth Nature was thinking of. What advantage was conferred, say, by the ungainly eight-foot-long (2.4 meters) arms and huge triple claws of Deinocheirus? Or, speaking of arms, by Mononykus's smug dependence on a single, stoutly clawed digit at the end of each minimal forearm? Guesses can be hazarded: The latter found a single stubby claw just the thing for probing after insects; the former stripped the leaves and bark from trees in awesome bulk. A carnivorous cousin, Deinonychus, about the size of a man, leaped on its prey, wrapped its long arms and three-fingered hands around it, and kicked it to the death with sickle-shaped toenails.”
Read here about new Horned Dinosaurs that have been found by archaeologists. Noah's Ark would have to keep increasing in size, because more and more species of dinosaurs are being discovered every year! The ark was big, but not THAT BIG! Look at some of these Prehistoric Creatures. They're called “prehistoric” for a good reason, that is, they existed before human history!!!
When I went to Los Angeles for neck surgery in 2009, I visited the famous LA BREA TAR PITS MUSEUM in downtown Los Angeles. They are literal tar pits, stinking with hot bubbling black tar. Some squirrels and birds get entrapped in the tar pits by accident and die unintentionally. I watched them doing some live excavations inside the Museum, still digging up fossils and meticulously sorting through them with special equipment and a magnifying glass to find fossils.
I sincerely, but ignorantly, went inside and asked where the dinosaurs were? The attendant laughed and said there were no dinosaurs there, only prehistoric Mammals. I was fascinated by that. It is a special museum just for prehistoric mammals, and not for dinosaurs like The Field Museum in Chicago. Inside the entrance was a giant Mammoth with giant tusks, and a Sabertooth tiger, and other hairy creatures as tall as the ceiling. How did Noah fit all the thousands of prehistoric mammals and creatures besides dinosaurs onto the ark? Clearly, Noah did not! Furthermore, even if dinosaurs did survive the flood, there is no record of them going extinct. Science shows that it was the Ice Age that wiped out the dinosaurs from the earth 65,000,000 years ago.
Visit The “La Brea Tar Pits” Online
I love Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980), but disagree with his Young Earth view. Dr. Rice believed that dinosaurs existed in Genesis, but that Noah left the dinosaurs behind. Brother Rice taught that dinosaurs lived in remote areas away from major living centers, just as wild animals like lions and hippopotamuses live today in remote areas and the jungles of Africa, India and South America. However, there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that Noah was told by God to leave certain animals behind. Even the birds couldn't have survived without being sheltered onboard the Ark.
I don't see
Noah bringing prehistoric Pterodactyls on board (really big birds). If you consider all the
thousands of species that exist in the world today, and all the thousands of
extinct prehistoric creatures, there's no way possible that Noah could have
brought them all on the Ark for their shear size. Noah had plenty of room for
all the animals, insects, reptiles, birds and living creatures which God led
to the ark in pairs. The dinosaurs didn't have a ticket to ride.
Nearly All Old Earth Advocates Are Not Evolutionists
If you research the writings of Young Earth advocates, you'll notice that they continually grasp for straws, desperately trying to make a case where there is no case. Most Young Earthers attempt to turn Old Earthers into evolutionists, and that is 80% to 90% of their argument. Take for example the book titled, “5 REASONS TO BELIEVE IN RECENT CREATION,” by Henry Morris III. Here are his five reasons to believe in a Young Earth:
The Bible does not allow an evolutionary interpretation. Science does not observe evolution happening today. There is no evidence evolution took place in the past. God's character absolutely forbids evolutionary methods. God's purpose for creation excludes evolution. SOURCE: “5 REASONS TO BELIEVE IN RECENT CREATION,” by Henry Morris III; Table Of Contents; copyright 2008, Institute For Creation Research.
Notice carefully that in all 5 reasons submitted by Dr. Morris, he attempts to disprove an Old Earth by turning proponents of an Old Earth into evolutionists. Most proponents of an Old Earth DON'T believe in the evolutionary process (that is, the teaching that the universe formed from a Big Bang 13 billion years ago, and then evolved, and continues to evolve). I am a firm believer in an Old Earth, yet I do NOT believe in evolution in any way, fashion or form. Neither do I believe in Theistic Evolution (that is, the teaching that God created the universe, and then it evolved). I believe the inspired holy Bible, which teaches that God created everything from nothing by the Word of His mouth. 2nd Peter 3:5, “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.”
When you take away the teachings of evolution, Young Earth proponents lose nearly all of their ammunition. Dr. Morris' entire book is based upon the presumption that Young Earthers are evolutionists. It is unscholarly and dishonest to label one's opponents as being something that they are not. I am NOT an evolutionist!
The truth is that God created the earth long, long, ago. It was a pre-Adamic world. Humanity had not yet been created. When Lucifer and one-third of the angels were cast down, God in his anger laid the earth waste. I believe the following passage of Scripture from the Old Testament is compelling evidence which cannot be ignored...
Jeremiah 4:23-26, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.”
The following passage of Scripture concerning Lucifer evidences an Old Earth...
Isaiah 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Here are some interesting questions concerning Lucifer:
- Where was Lucifer when he said, “I will ASCEND into heaven?” Clearly he was not in heaven at the time.
- Where was Lucifer when he said, “I will ascend ABOVE THE HEIGHTS OF THE CLOUDS”? How do you ascend above the clouds unless you are below the clouds?
The only logical answer is that Lucifer was on earth, under the clouds, which is where his throne was located before man was created. There are many problems with a Young Earth view. I respect the right of others to have their own opinions. It is ok to agree to disagree. Most believers in churches today are proponents of a Young Earth view.
I realize that it is much easier to just decide to believe in Creationism and totally reject any ruin-reconstruction or gap principle teachings; however, there are just too many Biblical and scientific inconsistencies with a Young Earth to disregard it. And by the way, I do believe in Creationism (that is, I do believe that God literally created the world as we know it today in 6-days). These weren't thousand-day periods, they were 24 hour days! But I also believe that there was a Pre-Adamic world, between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2c, which is commonly called “THE GAP THEORY.” I like “GAP PRINCIPLE” better, because this is what the Bible teaches.
I'll tell you, this is a raging debate. Young Earthers commonly attack the salvation of proponents of an Old Earth, accusing them of corrupting the Gospel. May I say, 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 defines the Gospel as the DEATH, BURIAL and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead after three days. This is the Gospel and it does not include creation as Henry Morris III claims on pages 44-45 of his book titled, “5 REASONS TO BELIEVE IN RECENT CREATION.”
Did you know that the Young Earth heresy started with the Seventh-Day Adventists and Ellen G. White? The Young Earth view didn't exist until Seventh-Day Adventism. The false religion of Seventh-Day Adventism literally worship the Sabbath Day (which is why they meet on Saturdays instead of Sundays), which consequently compels SDA's to worship creation too, since God rested on the 7th day from His work. The Bible totally disagrees with a Young Earth view. For an excellent exegesis on this subject, please watch Pastor Max Younce in a series of Bible studies titled, The Fallacies Of A Young Earth ...
The Fallacies Of A Young Earth Series (by Dr. Max D. Younce)
The Spirit Of God Didn't Move Until Genesis 1:2c
God rested on the 7th day, to look over His work and “IT WAS VERY GOOD.” This is in drastic contrast to the void earth, darkened and without form between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
Notice in the following Scriptures that God saw everything that He MADE was GOOD...
- Genesis 1:4, “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”
- Genesis 1:10, And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
- Genesis 1:12, “And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
- Genesis 1:18, “And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
- Genesis 1:21, “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
- Genesis 1:25, “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
- Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
How then could the earth be without form and void in Genesis 1:1-1:2? And notice very carefully WHEN the Spirit of God began to move to create...
Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
I don't know why I hadn't seen that phrase years earlier, but it just jumped out at me today while I was studying this passage. The Bible plainly says that “THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS.” The Spirit of God isn't mentioned in Genesis 1:1 to 2:1b. We just read that God created (absolute) the universe. Clearly, something bad happened between Genesis 1:1a and 1:2c. And then In Genesis 1:2c we read that the omnipotent Spirit of God went to work, moving upon the face of the waters.
God did NOT create (Hebrew: bara) the world in a CHAOTIC condition. God did NOT create the world in the WASTE condition that Young Earth people claim. It became that way the Bible says. The earth became uninhabitable, so God had to remodel the earth to make it inhabitable for mankind.
Hell was created for the
Devil and his angels, not Adam and Eve. So the Devil and his angels existed
before man.
Satan Was Already In The Garden Of Eden
Consider that the serpent (Satan according to Revelation 20:2) was already present in the Garden of Eden, which plainly evidences that the angels had already fallen before man was created. So sin did exist before man, when Lucifer and one-third of the angels rebelled against God. It was the sin of the angels that stirred God's wrath to destroy the earth prior to mankind. If, as Youth Earthers claim, the universe did not exist prior to the Genesis account of creation (beginning in Genesis 1:2), then there would have been no time for the angels to fall, or for Lucifer to rebel against God.
Adam Named
Every Living Creature, But Not The Extinct Dinosaurs
Another piece of evidence in support of an Old Earth is the fact that Adam DIDN'T name even one of the dinosaurs...
Genesis 2:19, “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.”
As you just read, the
Bible says that Adam named “EVERY LIVING CREATURE.” Yet, all of the
names given
to dinosaurs have been provided by modern-day scientists. Adam couldn't
name the dinosaurs because they were already extinct. The Bible plainly
teaches that Adam named EVERY LIVING CREATURE. If, as Young Earthers claim,
dinosaurs co-existed with man, then Adam would have given names to all of the
dinosaurs, but he did not. In sharp contrast to the unscholarly grasping for
straws by Young Earthers, the evidence for an Old Earth is plain to see. The
truth is like the moon and the sun, that is, it can only be hid for so long.
The truth always becomes self-evident over time; whereas falsehoods and
heresies must continually be bolstered up and propagated.
Whacky Young Earthers Claim Dinosaurs On Ark Grew Slower
The book's authors desperately grasp for straws to boost up their straw-man heresy...
“God could well have chosen specimens He knew would undergo their growth spurt as soon as they left the Ark. This would solve the common skeptical objections of fitting and feeding huge dinosaurs on the Ark. That is, the dinosaurs weren't actually that huge while they were on board. The growth spurt just after leaving the Ark would also mean that they could quickly outgrow potential predators.”
SOURCE: “THE CREATION ANSWERS BOOK,” copyright 2006 by Creative Ministries International; pages 247-248.
What you've just read is typical of the unscholarly rubbish, bizarre assumptions and junk science of Young Earth advocates! Since there is no logical way that hundreds of dinosaur species could fit onto the Ark, Young Earth advocates are forced to shrink the size of the dinosaurs, minimize the number of dinosaurs, and even slow down their growth rate! How ludicrous! This is the “science falsely so-called” that the Bible warns us about in 1st Timothy 6:20. Clearly, dinosaurs DIDN'T co-exist with mankind.
1st Timothy 6:20, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.”
The Bible warns us about “OPPOSITIONS TO SCIENCE”! The Greek word for “oppositions” in 1st Timothy 6:20 is antithesis and means “conflict” (i.e., a conflicting theory). The word “science” is the Greek word gnosis and means “knowing” (i.e., knowledge). Thus, the Bible is warning us to avoid conflicting theories with factual science. For something to be true science (meaning: the study of), it must first be observable, testable and documentable. Evolution is none of these! Certainly, the bogus theory of evolution conflicts with all established laws and principles of legitimate science. Evolution is FALSE science!
Furthermore, the claim that dinosaurs lived amongst man and boarded the ark of Noah's time is also a gross opposition of legitimate science! Beware of anyone who teaches that dinosaurs boarded Noah's ark! Nor did dinosaurs live at the same time as men. Science proves that the earth is very old, just as the Bible teaches in Psalms 102:25, “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.”
The Bible plainly teaches an Old Earth view...
ScienceDaily
(Jan. 27, 2011) — University of Alberta researchers determined that a
fossilized dinosaur bone found in New Mexico confounds the long established
paradigm that the age of dinosaurs ended between 65.5 and 66 million years
ago.
