William Dembski, the well known ID advocate, has written a book promoting the view that the death, destruction and disease seen in the fossil record are the retroactive punishment of the Fall. The book is called
The End of Christianity and
Terry Mortenson (of Answers in Genesis) has provided an excellent response to Dembski’s thesis. Dembski accepts the standard geochronology where man appeared on the planet many millions of years after the lower animals. Such scripture twisting is not kosher.
The beginning of creation and the advent of man are not separated by millions or billions of years, “But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female’” (Mk. 10:6). God asked Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? … while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4,7). That is the angels were around when the earth was created, but why are the angels around anyway? “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). That is man and angels are contemporaries and not separated by millions of years. So man has been around since the creation of the earth (Day Six of Creation Week).
Satan was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). Cain slew Abel and did not resist demonic influences (Ge. 4:6,7). Murder implies man was around – angels don’t die.
Scripture’s first verse tells us that the earth existed at the beginning and not billions of years after the alleged Big Bang. “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (Ps. 102:25).
Prophets have existed since the world began: “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Lk. 1:70, KJV). Was not Adam speaking prophetically in Genesis 2:23 when he called Eve “bone of my bones.” Did not Adam make a prediction when he indicated that Eve would be the mother of all living (Ge. 3:20)? Enoch was definitely a prophet (Jude 14). So, human prophets and the beginning of the earth are not separated by billions of years, “… which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21, KJV). Isaiah concurs:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in (Is. 40:21,22).
Consider the witness of general revelation: “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20). Bert Thompson rightly comments,
Who observed and perceived these things that were made from the beginning of the world? If no man was there for billions of years, because man “is a relatively new comer to the Earth,” who was observing - with rational, human intelligence - these phenomena? An amoeba? A dinosaur? Without question Paul is contending that man has existed since the creation of the world… [1]
“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (Jn. 3:12).
All quotes are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.
Note:
1) Creation Compromises by Bert Thompson, (Apologetics Press, 1995, Montgomery, AL), p. 180, emphasis in original.
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Just say “YES” (Young Earth Science)!
QED
MOL = Math Out Loud
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