How can some people still claim the earth and heavens are 6000 years old when....?

Question

....our closest galaxy, Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away and therefore it's light takes 2.5 million years to reach earth .This means of course that this galaxy has been in existance for a period that cannot be less than 2.5 million years ? We are simply seeing the galaxy as it was 2.5 million years ago. So how can some people still claim that the earth and heavens are only 6000 years old. I am not referring to the intelligent design folk or the people who believe a creation day could be millions of years, I am referring ONLY to the people who take the bible literally.

And if you reference science to back up young earth theory, please reference names, studies, books etc.

Answer 1

If a day equals 1000 years and 1000 years equals a day, then since Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, does this have significance for His Second Coming?

Let's see some things that really do seem to have significance, first of all from Ha'aretz "Small Quake Hits Dead Sea; Experts: Big One On The Way." And from Templemount.org "Israeli President asks Vatican to Reveal List of Temple Treasures, Vessels and Judacia they Hold."

I guess they had some things right there in the Vatican that they would like to know about and they would like to have. First of all,

the Rabbis said that there would only be seven days in world history because a day was like 1,000 years, Psalm 90:4, and it was patterned after creation. He created the world in six days, Genesis 1:31 and rested on the 7th day, Genesis 2:2. And since each day represents 1,000 years, and we Christians also set that according to II Peter 3:8, we then have four days of Old Testament time and three days of New Testament time for the total of 7000 years, So let's just deal with the three days of New Testament time.

Here is proof that this is correct, Hosea 6, verse 2. The Jews didn't have their own land for a couple thousand years and they say after two days, 2,000 years, He'll revive us - that happened in 1948, almost after 2,000 years, then on the third day which just started in the last number of months, He will raise us up that we may live in his sight, the Jews are raised in Daniel 12, when the Messiah comes and sets his foot upon the earth. Now here are two exciting signs that , They're expecting the greatest earthquake ever and it's right there at the Dead Sea fault and when Jesus Christ returns His Feet hit the Mount of Olives and it splits down the center and they say, we are waiting for that big one and that could be the return of Christ. But the most exciting thing, beyond that, is that the Jews are asking for all of the things the Vatican has from the old temples. Why? Because they have built the replica of the exact temple 269,000 square feet by the dead sea! And they are putting everything in it and getting all the Cohen's. For they are the Levites, they're prepared to do sacrifice so that when the real one is built, the one in which antichrist sits, 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and says he's god, Daniel 11:36, it will be ready. It's that close. Then Christ comes and sits in it permanently. Ezekiel 40 to 44.

Answer 2

That's an excellent question. The best answer I've heard so far has to do with the fact that when God created Adam and all the plants and animals and trees and such, that they were already full grown. So if a botanist were transported back in time to the 6th day of creation and he examined a tree after cutting it down he would conclude that the tree was a number of years old because of the growth rings built into it. An anthropologist would conclude the same thing about Adam even though they were both only one or two days old.

In the same way, when God created the stars for signs and for seasons He must have supernaturally caused the light that travels from those distant galaxies to already be visible on earth.

Answer 3

Because these people (I believe it's young earth creationists you're referring to) take the bible literally and are very stubborn on the 'day' mentioned in Genesis being our present 24 hours. Other christians, who are the Old earth creationists, have suggested that there probably are errors in translation and the 'day' might have meant a lot more than just 24 hours. They use the verse below as a possible supporting proof saying that a 'day' to God is different than that of a 'day' to us, that God might have waited millions of years before creating humans. 2 Peter 3:8 8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. Personally I think it's rather flimsy evidence for a young earth. But ultimately does it even matter how many years you think the earth is? I mean it's not THAT serious of an issue that people would take up arms and fight against each other because they disagree on the issue of the earth's age, or so I think.

Answer 4

I though the belief was that the earth was only 5,000 years old. Well it's a moot point since I agree with you. The reason people believe this is because they take everything the bible says literally with no looking into possible symbolism or taking into account possible discrepencies. You can give them all the scientific evidence you want and they'll never believe it. They're beliefs are just too ingrained. My fiancee told me that even if there was indisputable , concrete proof that Jesus really was married then she would still not believe it. She will not open her mind to any new possibilites. You know these people who believe that the earth is only 5,000 years old also believe that the dinosaurs were either all a lie or that they were in the garden of eden and all of them were vegetarians. It all depends on which fundamentalist sect you ask.

Answer 5

It is called faith and you can look at things from different perspective. there are couple of things you should ask yourself. Can you depend 100% on the science you are talking about? Do you have 100% proof? Have the earth existed longer than the stars? Did everything start from the big bang? What was before the big bang? Can something be made out of nothing? If a Light travels 100 million years by what years are we counting? Does the Bible say it is our years? Were there days the same duration before our planet ? We know that our planet is slowing down, does that have any meaning? The Bible is not a scientific book it is not obligated to talk in scientifical terms as our constitution or law books are not, or are we going to judge it by different standards? Should a book that talks about law and conduct be judged as a science text?
I could go on for hours?
I think your question rises more questions than answers them?
Good luck and God bless you.

Answer 6

They simply question the validity of scientific methods employed to arrive at such findings.

It is a very consistent theory that Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, but it still is a theory - no proof until somebody went there and came back to tell about it.

The same holds for things like carbon dating - a very consistent method, but it has shown errors in the past, rendering its results theories and not facts.

Personally, I still take those 'theories' over the ones given in a 1700 year old, mistranslated book any day, but to keep an open mind - they are only theories as well......

Answer 7

In my view, to boil the question down, this is asking why the world looks so old when I say it is so young.
When things are created by miracle, they quite often look older than they actually are. For example, when Jesus took the loaves and fishes and broke them to feed thousands, the bread he created looked like regular bread which takes quite some time to prepare, but it was new.
One day after Adam was made, he looked much older, but he was really only one day old.
To calculate the age of something by the way it looks now, you must first establish what it looked like when new. This applies to the "light year" statement above or anything else. To assume the light started out at point zero may not be accurate considering these items (including the light they emit) were created by miracle.
For evidence for a young earth, I suggest the web-sites listed below.

Answer 8

Martin S gives the best answer.

I firmly believe in the Young Earth of about 6000 years coming from an Astronomy and Earth Science major.

The earth and the Heavens Prove God created everything.

Answer 9

I dont think the Bible details how long day 1 was, and a lot went on in it if you read Gen 1. Also, God didnt create things bran new... He created things with age in them... Adam and Eve werent a sperm and an egg, mountains were already mountains, thus "billions" of years of age. He made the stars visible in the night sky and doesnt have to wait around for "light years" since He created light. Its really a shame that you think if there is a God, He has to be bound by time.

Answer 10

Ultimately, the 6,000 year estimate is based on life spans in the bible added together to reach this "6,000 years".

And, since it comes from the Bible, it is ultimately a book of faith. It doesn't have to be accurate, measurable, or meet any other scientific standard of inquiry.

To take your point of 2.5 millions light years, it would be where God put it 6,000 years ago. Time, space, matter, etc. are irrelevant.