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Transcript 418B — Some Questions on Creation
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum
CALLER: Hello. I wonder if the Bible says anything about how long the time was between the creation of Adam and Eve and the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. And also, how do you determine the age of the earth? Also, I would like you to comment on Carbon 14 dating. I don't understand that. And I'm also interested in the New Heaven and the New Earth. The Bible says that this earth is going to melt away, and there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. Is this going to be a literal earth. And if so, what would be the nature of it?
HC: All right. The first question had to do with how long were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they fell into sin? The Bible doesn't tell us how long it was, but we do know that Adam was 130 years old, I believe, when he begat Seth. We read this in Genesis 5:3: "And Adam lived 130 years and begat a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth."
Now before Seth was born, according to the Biblical record, we have these events that did transpire. Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden, they fell into sin, and they were driven out of the Garden. Eve conceived and bore Cain. She conceived again and bore Abel. These two sons grew up to manhood. Cain eventually killed Abel, and then after this Seth was born. That means that all of these events took place with a span of 130 years.
Therefore I would estimate that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden a comparatively short period of time. It may be as short a period of time as a few months, certainly not more than a few years. That's all we can do. We can only speculate. We can't really know for certain.
The second question that was raised is concerning the dating or the chronology of mankind. There was a man named Usher several hundred years ago who worked out a chronology based on what he thought was the Biblical data, and he came up with a date of 4004 BC for the creation of Adam. However, in inspecting his chronological plan, he was not true to the Bible. For example, he figured that the nation of Israel was 215 years in Egypt. Well, the Bible is very straightforward and clear in saying that they were 430 years in Egypt. So his dating program is contrary to the Bible. Secondly, it is contrary to science altogether. Written history goes back in unbroken fashion at least to 3000 BC, or approximately to 3000 BC. According to Usher's chronology, the Flood occurred around 2300 BC. And certainly if the historical record since the invention of writing went back to 3000 BC, it would have recorded this flood. Usher's chronology was neither Biblical, nor did it match the scientific data.
In studying the Bible, however, I have found that the Genesis account of Genesis 5 and Genesis 10 or 11 is really a calendar. When it talks about Noah, for example, it says that in the 600th year, the second month, the 27th day of Noah's life the Flood came (or whatever the date was). At least the calendar was tied to the age of Noah. Now that was a big clue as to how God kept the calendars. We keep our calendar the same way. We say the year 1977 AD, Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord. We tie it to the birth date of Jesus. Presumably He was born 1900 and some years ago. In Exodus 6 we find certain information concerning the death ages of the descendants of Levi. We find that Levi died at the age of 133, or something like that. He had a descendant who died at the age of 137 and who in turn had a descendant who died at the age of 133, who in turn was the father of Aaron. And we know from the Biblical record that Aaron left the land of Egypt at the age of 83, according to the Bible.
When we assume that these four men—Levi, Kohath, Amram and Aaron—in their own time were the calendar reference patriarchs, even as Noah was in his day, then Kohath would have been born the year Levi died, Amram would have been born the year Kohath died, and Aaron would have been born the year Amram died. When we make these assumptions, we find that indeed the timetable works out exactly with the other information the Bible offers, namely, that the nation of Israel was in Egypt for 430 years.
What I'm trying to say is that God has built within the framework of the Biblical record the evidence that God indeed kept the timetable of mankind in a certain bloodline, in the nation of Israel it was in the tribe of Levi, by making each man that came on the scene a calendar reference patriarch during his lifespan. In the year that he died someone else in his bloodline, who was born the year that he died, became the next calendar reference patriarch.
To make a long story short, following this premise, and working back through the information wherever we can dig it out in the Bible, I have come to the conclusion, and I believe that this is accurate, that Adam and Eve were created in the year 11,013 BC. The Flood took place in the year 4990 BC. Abraham was called out of Haran in the year 2092 BC. The division of the continents occurred about 3100 BC, and so on. And in studying the scientific evidence I find no contradiction of any kind.
Now the question is raised, then what about the radioactive dating, where scientists look at rocks and measure the various chemicals within the rocks, the isotopes, and they conclude that this rock is two million years old, or whatever? We must remember that the evidence scientists look at is true and trustworthy, of course. They can physically measure exactly how much of this is in the rock or how much of that. That is accurate.
But when the scientist is going to decide how old that rock is, based on this evidence, he must make certain assumptions. One grand assumption that all scientists make in this kind of dating is that this earth has continued, substantially without change, from its beginning. They disregard altogether, for example, the Flood of Noah's day. They absolutely pay no attention to the fact that at one time this world was altogether deluged by water so that the very face of the earth was changed altogether, and all of mankind was destroyed. This is indicative of the fallacious assumptions that scientists make.
Now obviously, if their assumptions are incorrect, the conclusions that will derive from their assumptions will be as incorrect as their assumptions. Therefore we're not surprised that they come up with conclusions that are altogether contrary to the Bible.
When we actually read the Bible, however, and start out with the Biblical premises, and now look at the evidence that the scientists find, we find their evidence is altogether in agreement with the Bible. As an illustration, the question is sometimes raised concerning radial carbon dating. Now there is an isotope of carbon that is formed that has a half-life of 5730 years, I believe. And it is formed in the first place by the activity of cosmic rays bombarding the atmosphere. And these in turn are formed by the sun and the light-bearers. Now if the earth were, say, 100,000 years old, or a million years old (pick any large number of this nature), then there should exist a state of equilibrium insofar as carbon 14 is concerned. That is, there ought to be as much new carbon 14 being formed each moment of time or each year of time as there is being decayed into carbon 12. There ought to be a state of equilibrium.
The fact is, however, scientists are amazed to find that this state of equilibrium does not exist. It's what they are looking for, but it does not exist. They find that the amount of carbon that decaying is only about 75% of that which is being formed, exactly the condition that would prevail if this earth were only 10 or 15,000 years of age. In other words, beginning with the year 1, when the sun was created, at the time of the creation of Adam and Eve, if at that time the formation of carbon 14 began, and continued for 10 or 15,000 years, by now we would have that condition where we would have about 75% of carbon 14 actually decaying as compared with the amount that is being formed, new carbon that is being formed.
I give this very roughly and very generally only to indicate that the very anomaly or questions that the scientist raises (and he calls them anomalies or questions, because they do not agree with his assumptions and his conclusions) do show us that the Bible is correct. The Bible does supply the answers as to why these unforeseen problems arise in the scientific evidence.
Now the last question that was raised is: What does the Bible say about the New Heaven and the New Earth? We don't have a lot of information. II Peter 3 describes it as a place where righteousness dwells. Revelation 21:1 says that the seas are no more. Isaiah 65 or 66 indicates it is a place of great bliss, even as we find in Revelation 21 and 22. There's no suffering or sorrow.
We know there is no sun. Jesus Christ is the Sun; He is the Light. There is no temple. Jesus Christ is the Temple. There is no sorrow, there is no affliction, there is no sin. It, of course, is a world, a universe, that is altogether different from this universe because it is populated by different kinds of beings. This universe, this earth, is populated by men with flesh and blood and bones. We are very material in existence. Our dimensions are length and width and height. It's a beautiful creation because it was created by God, that is, this creation. But this creation is altogether designed for physical man as we now exist, along with the animals and the birds and the fish, and so on.
The new creation, however, is created for people who have their resurrected spiritual bodies. And the Bible says that flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore there's a whole new set of dimensions. I don't know what these are, because my mind can't go beyond the three dimensions of length, width and height, that is, that which I can taste or feel or touch.
But nevertheless it has to be designed to accommodate people who are in resurrected spiritual bodies. Secondly, it will be the place where God Himself dwells with us in all of His sovereign majesty and infinite glory. This earth could not go on dwelling here in His glory. We would all be consumed, the Bible says. We couldn't stand His presence. In order for us to be in His eternal presence forevermore, in the New Heaven and the New Earth, it has to be a different kind of a creation.
We can depend upon this, that God is not limited in His ability to produce something beautiful. We can see fantastic beauty and wonder in the wings of a butterfly. We can see it in a rainbow. We can see it in a rose. We can see it in the eyes of a newborn baby. We can see it in a mother's smile. We can see it in the song of a meadowlark. We can see it in a leaf. We can see it in a thousand different ways, the matchless, matchless ability of God to create that which is wonderful and beautiful and marvelous.
But this world does not contain the limit. It is not the final framework in which God can demonstrate His ability to create that which is marvelous and beautiful and wonderful, and so on, to behold. You can depend upon it that the New Heaven and the New Earth will be again as beautiful in its own way, and maybe even more beautiful, than this present earth, because it is God who creates it. It is going to be simply wonderful beyond words to describe. There are no human words that can really describe it, because it is outside of time. It's outside of our dimensional system. It's in the presence of God's glory. Therefore there is no possible way that we can really describe the New Heavens and the New Earth, any more than we can really describe what we will be when we have our spiritual bodies. All we know is that, to use a phrase that the Bible uses, we'll know that it is glorious, glorious, glorious.
But let me underscore this. The only people who will be in that New Heaven and New Earth will be those who have become born again, those who have responded to the Gospel, those who have looked upon themselves honestly as sinners under the wrath of God, who have cried out to God for mercy and have thrown themselves on the mercies of God, hanging their whole life on Him as their Lord and Savior. Only saved people will enter the New Heaven and the New Earth. The Bible says outside (and outside is hell) is where mankind will be who are unsaved. They will be enduring the wrath of God in an eternity of hell. And that is where you will go if you are unsaved.
If you are not saved tonight, you are taking the greatest chance known to man. Now you may be unsaved because you really realize that to become saved means you've got to turn from your sins. It means that you've got to surrender your will to God. And for the time being you want to have the pleasures of this world. You feel that this is too great a sacrifice to make at this time. Maybe later on you are willing to give up your sins and cast your lot with Christ. Now this is really playing Russian Roulette with a vengeance, because you have absolutely no assurance that you're going to live until tomorrow morning. You are not guaranteed one more breath. What you're really saying is, as Esau of old, "Give me my mess of pottage right now, my joy right now. And I'll take my chances with eternity."
Now the trade is a fantastically bad bargain. That bowl of soup that you're having now, the pleasures that you're deriving right now, you're going to risk paying for by an eternity in hell, for these few pleasures. Now that is a very big payment to make for a few pleasures. You're taking an awful chance, hoping that you will live to enjoy these pleasures and still be able in time to come to Christ. And you have no assurance that you're going to have that time. The Bible says, "How shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvation?" The Bible says, "Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation." Don't wait. Don't walk that tightrope, taking that chance. Take your eyes off that bowl of pottage, the pleasures of this moment. It really is unimportant. Put your eyes on Heaven, and think how wonderful that is, and begin to desire Heaven with all your heart.
And as you begin to desire Heaven and eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ, an eternity where there will be no suffering or sorrow, then you're going to find that the things of this world look pretty jaded and much like nothing. And you'll begin to cry out, "Oh God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner. I don't want to come under the wrath of God. I don't want to continue this way."