I Have a Question . . .
It’s good to be curious and ask questions. Without questions, we would never have science, because science is all about finding answers to our questions about how things work. And just as soon as we find answers to some of our questions we have even more questions. Today we are going to dig for answers to one of the most asked question in all of science.
How Old is the Earth?
The Bible does not tell us straight out that God created the universe in the year 4004BC. Instead, it gives us genealogies which can be used to figure out the age of the earth. From those genealogies, we can figure out that the earth is about six thousand years old. In the 1800’s the idea that the universe is billions of years old became popular. Today most scientists would tell you they think the earth is about 4.6 billion years old. However, there are some very good scientists who believe what the Bible says about the age of the earth, and these scientists usually call themselves “creation scientists” or “young earth creationists”.
Genealogies (pronounces “Jean-ee-all-o-gee-s) in the Bible tell us about family history. For example, they tell us how old Adam was when he had his son, Seth, how long Adam lived, how old Seth was when he had a son and on and on. Just add up the years, and we can figure out the age of the earth.
Who Do I Trust?
What the age of the earth really comes down to is a matter of who you trust. You could choose to trust what most popular scientists say, but they may figure out later that they were wrong. Scientists are people, and we all make mistakes. There are many things in the past that scientists thought they knew, but later figured out they were wrong. However, God never changes what He says. You can always rely on God’s Word. Besides, He was the One Who created it, and I should think He knows when He created it better than people who were not there.
What About Rock Layers?
Do you like to dig in the dirt? If you dig down deep enough, you will see that the dirt is actually in layers – just like a layer cake or lasagna. Most people think that it takes a long time to lay down the layers of dirt and rock, and it would normally take that long. But, Noah’s flood was not normal. The flood made most of the dirt and rock layers we see today.
Where do Fossils Come From?
Have you ever found a fossil? When you see or hear the word “fossil” dinosaurs are probably the first thing that comes to mind, but most fossils are actually sea creatures. For a fossil to get preserved well, it usually has to be buried quickly in mud. Most fossils that we find, including dinosaurs, were buried in Noah’s flood, about four thousand years ago. Some fossils were also buried or frozen in storms just after the flood as well.
Did Dinosaurs and People Live Together?
Do you think it would have been fun to ride between the plates of a stegosaurus or have a baby triceratops for a pet? Just don’t invite a T-rex over for dinner. Dinosaurs and people did live together. God created dinosaurs on the same day that He created Adam and Eve (dinosaurs are officially only land animals). Although two of each kind of dinosaur was saved from the flood, the world was very different after the flood so the dinosaurs didn’t do as well.
What About Evolution?
Evolution would never be possible in any amount of time for many reasons, but without the idea of earth being billions of years old, no one would believe in evolution. Imagine a card tower. If you take out that bottom row of cards the whole tower will go tumbling down. The same thing works for the ideas of billions of years and evolution. Evolution is built on the idea of billions of years, and if you take away the idea that the earth is billions of years old, the tower of evolution comes tumbling down too.
Why Does it Matter?
The age of the earth, rock layers, fossils, dinosaurs, and evolution are important because of the Bible. We need to know that we can trust the Bible from the very first words in Genesis 1:1 to know that we can trust what the Bible says about Jesus. Before we can talk about Jesus and how He offers to take away our sin, we need to know where that sin came from in the first place.
Thoughts From Readers
CCK is written by Sara J. Bruegel. If you have a question or comment, please write to Sara at: CreationCluesForKids@gmail.com and it may get published in the next issue. Also, you can visit www.CreationClues.com to read a new clue each week or read past issues of CCK. Cartoon drawn by Eliza Haley.“How do you know you can rely on the Bible no matter what?” ~ Comment from a blogger
Thank you for your question – it is one of my all time favorite questions to answer. There are lots of reasons why we know we can trust the Bible, but here are just a few. The Bible supports itself –it says that it is the Word of God. It has never been proven wrong on one of the many historical facts it talks about. The oldest copies we find are almost exactly the same as the ones we have today. It never changes, but it does change people.
Originally published July-September 2013. Digitally reformatted November 2014. Copyright Sara J. Bruegel.
