Some Christians think that the earth is between 6000 to 15,000 years old (coinciding with the Neolithic Age). Scientists think that it is 4.5 billion years old. Here is an attempt to resolve this incongruity.
Jesus turns water into wine in John 2:
How old is this wine?
If you ask the servants, the human observers/witnesses, they would say a few seconds old.
The story continues:
If you ask the expert, the master of the banquet, "How old is this wine?", he would say it was some months or even years old.
So which answer is true?
Both are true depending on the perspective. The supernatural perspective tells us that it was only a second old. The natural perspective tells us that it was at least some months old. Note that I have not defined time; I merely point to two perspectives on time. These are 2 different methodologies for measuring the duration of time.
Similarly, in Genesis 1:
How old is the earth?
If we ask a scientist from the natural perspective, he can only study the present-day physical data based on scientific calculation. It is 4.5 billion years old. That's the scientific space-time perspective, 3-d space + 1-d time. Space-time is calculated by mathematical formulas.
On the other hand, from the supernatural angle, if we read the Bible literally, the present-day earth is only some thousands of years old. That's the biblical witnessed-time perspective. Witnessed-time (or testified-time) is based on human memories from Adam downward.
So which answer is true?
Both are true depending on the time perspective. God created the earth with the embedded evolutionary records of billions of years. The Bible is not a scientific treatise. It focuses on the story of redemption. In terms of witnessed-time history, it is only some thousands of years old. On the other hand, from the scientific-time point of view, the earth is billions of years old.
Why would God deceive people or scientists?
God did not deceive people. The end-products of a miracle, have to obey the laws of physics and space-time.
Did not God create the universe last Thursday?
No, this is not the same as Last Thursdayism because God tells me the contrary. God did not create the universe last Thursday. Genesis contradicts this. As a witness, I can also contradict this. I was alive last Thursday. God was with me. God dwells in me. It happened in witnessed-time. I didn't see God create this universe last Thursday. I believe in the words of God, not Last Thursdayism.
Jesus spoke about it as a historical witnessed-time event in Mark 10:
From the perspective of scientific time, the details of this embedding are amazing:
There are two different frameworks of time. Roughly, witnessed-time started when Adam opened his eyes. Space-time is measured by scientific calculations. Even scientifically, there is something funny about time.
I distinguish between these two perspectives of time. The Bible speaks of events that happened in the historical witnessed-time. Scientific research speaks in terms of space-time. Both are real as far as today's people are concerned. In terms of First-Order Logic, they are both true. Both are real depending on your perspective of time. It only proves God's creative power
Jesus turns water into wine in John 2:
How old is this wine?
If you ask the servants, the human observers/witnesses, they would say a few seconds old.
The story continues:
If you ask the expert, the master of the banquet, "How old is this wine?", he would say it was some months or even years old.
So which answer is true?
Both are true depending on the perspective. The supernatural perspective tells us that it was only a second old. The natural perspective tells us that it was at least some months old. Note that I have not defined time; I merely point to two perspectives on time. These are 2 different methodologies for measuring the duration of time.
Similarly, in Genesis 1:
How old is the earth?
If we ask a scientist from the natural perspective, he can only study the present-day physical data based on scientific calculation. It is 4.5 billion years old. That's the scientific space-time perspective, 3-d space + 1-d time. Space-time is calculated by mathematical formulas.
On the other hand, from the supernatural angle, if we read the Bible literally, the present-day earth is only some thousands of years old. That's the biblical witnessed-time perspective. Witnessed-time (or testified-time) is based on human memories from Adam downward.
So which answer is true?
Both are true depending on the time perspective. God created the earth with the embedded evolutionary records of billions of years. The Bible is not a scientific treatise. It focuses on the story of redemption. In terms of witnessed-time history, it is only some thousands of years old. On the other hand, from the scientific-time point of view, the earth is billions of years old.
Why would God deceive people or scientists?
God did not deceive people. The end-products of a miracle, have to obey the laws of physics and space-time.
Did not God create the universe last Thursday?
No, this is not the same as Last Thursdayism because God tells me the contrary. God did not create the universe last Thursday. Genesis contradicts this. As a witness, I can also contradict this. I was alive last Thursday. God was with me. God dwells in me. It happened in witnessed-time. I didn't see God create this universe last Thursday. I believe in the words of God, not Last Thursdayism.
Jesus spoke about it as a historical witnessed-time event in Mark 10:
From the perspective of scientific time, the details of this embedding are amazing:
- 24,000-year-old animal found alive, well, and ready to reproduce
- Fossils reveal what may be the oldest known case of the dino sniffles.
There are two different frameworks of time. Roughly, witnessed-time started when Adam opened his eyes. Space-time is measured by scientific calculations. Even scientifically, there is something funny about time.
I distinguish between these two perspectives of time. The Bible speaks of events that happened in the historical witnessed-time. Scientific research speaks in terms of space-time. Both are real as far as today's people are concerned. In terms of First-Order Logic, they are both true. Both are real depending on your perspective of time. It only proves God's creative power
