Monday, July 23, 2018

How Old Is The Earth?

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The father of biblical theology, Geerhardus Vos, says that Day #1 in Genesis did not begin until "God said" in verse 3. Before that the heavens and the earth were created, but the earth was "without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Therefore, the stars and sun were created before the first day. Each day started with "God said." Therefore, we must make a distinction between the age of the universe and the age of God's new earth.

The darkness was caused by a thick vapor. But when God spoke, the vapor diminished enough for light to show. On day 2, enough vapor diminished to make "a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

On day 3, God's breath diminished enough moisture to “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.”

On day 4, God said, "Let there be two great lights... and God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also." In the beginning God created (Hebrew baw-raw' ). But on the 4th day He "made" (aw-saw). The lights were already there, but now He made them be seen from earth's point of view. Therefore, God did not created the sun, moon, and stars on the 4th day. He created them in the beginning and made them to be seen on the 4th day.

When was the beginning? The beginning of what? None of your business. The secret things belong to God and only what is revealed belongs to us. The age of the universe cannot be known unless God reveals it. First and foremost, in the beginning, there must be a broken spirit and a contrite heart. And only God can create that.