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THE GOSPEL OBSERVER
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20).
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June 27, 1999
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Age of the Earth: Are There Biblical Parameters?
by Mark Mayberry
Introduction
Those who would attempt to harmonize the Bible and
the theory of modern evolution must fit 15 billion years into
the book of Genesis. They also must stretch the Genesis
genealogies to accommodate an old earth demanded by
evolutionists. Proponents of this viewpoint would argue that
the Mid-eastern concept of time is vastly different from our
western mindset. In fact, when attending a "Lord I Believe
Seminar" back in 1996, I remember Rod Summers forcefully
arguing this very point.
Yet, it is false to say the Jews had no rational
concept of time. People in Biblical times were at least as
intelligent as modern man, and therefore, had the ability to
comprehend time in a meaningful way. From the beginning,
man has been governed by time: God said, ``Let there be
lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day
from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons
and for days and years'' (Gen. 1:14). Therefore, as we reflect
upon the issue of the age of the earth, let us examine
various Scriptures that clearly indicate that the Jews could
tell time.
What About All Those Special Days,
Weeks, Months & Years?
Could the Jews tell time? The Mosaic law contains
numerous and specific time references. The Israelites were
commanded to ``remember the Sabbath day and keep it
holy.'' They observed monthly and yearly feasts at specific
times. The day of Atonement was celebrated on the 10th day
of the seventh month. The Passover was celebrated on the
14th day of the first month. The Feast of Unleavened Bread
began on the 15th day of the same month. The Feast of
Purim was celebrated on the 14th and 15th day of Adar. The
Feast of Tabernacles was observed on the 15th day of the
seventh month. The Feast of Weeks was celebrated early in
the third month on the 50th day after the offering of the
barley sheaf at the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They
celebrated the new moon. They also observed the Sabbatical
year. They celebrated the Jubilee every 50th year after
seven cycles of seven years, when specific instructions
about property and slavery took effect. In view of these
many examples, it is absurd to allege that the Jews had no
logical, rational, or sensible understanding of time!
When Is A Day Not A Day?
Could the Jews tell time? The same Moses who wrote
the first 11 chapters of Genesis also wrote binding
regulations regarding days, months, seasons and years. How
can we say that all the time references in Genesis 1-11 are
somehow different than those found in the rest of the
Pentateuch? Those who argue for an old earth must contend
that the seven days of creation are something other than
seven literal, successive twenty-four hour days. But if their
position is true, at what point did Moses switch gears from
a symbolic to a literal usage of the term?
It is manifestly evident that Moses understood that
God created the world in six literal, successive twenty-four
hour days (Exo. 20:8-11; Exo. 31:14-17). This position is
bolstered by Moses' use of the phrase ``the evening and the
morning were the first...second...third...fourth...fifth...
and sixth day'' (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31).
Exo. 20:8-11: ``Remember the sabbath day, to keep it
holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; {in it} you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter,
your male or your female servant or your cattle or your
sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD
made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in
them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD
blessed the sabbath day and made it holy" (NAU).
Exo. 31:14-17: ``Therefore you are to observe the
sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it
shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on
it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For
six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there
is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever
does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to
death. So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to
celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a
perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons
of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, but on the seventh day He ceased {from labor}, and
was refreshed'' (NAU).
Gen. 1:5, "God called the light day, and the darkness
He called night. And there was evening and there was
morning, one day" (NAU).
Gen. 1:8, "God called the expanse heaven. And there
was evening and there was morning, a second day" (NAU).
Gen. 1:13, "There was evening and there was morning,
a third day" (NAU).
Gen. 1:19, "There was evening and there was morning,
a fourth day" (NAU).
Gen. 1:23, "There was evening and there was morning,
a fifth day" (NAU).
Gen. 1:31, "God saw all that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was
morning, the sixth day" (NAU).
What About the Chronologies
Of The Hebrew Kings?
Could the Jews tell time? Some might try to defend a
loose understanding of time by saying, ``What about the
chronologies of the Hebrew Kings?'' Admittedly, the Jews
had a somewhat different way of reckoning chronologies
than we do. However, there was method to their madness.
Furthermore, the Oriental and Occidental approaches toward
time are not so alien to one another that cross-cultural
understanding is impossible.
While they appear confusing at first, it is possible,
with careful study, for us to harmonize the books of Kings
and Chronicles. One key to arranging a consistent
chronology of the Hebrew kings is to realize that a part of
a year was often counted as a whole year. We also must
factor in the practice of co-regencies. A king would often
begin his reign while his predecessor was still alive,
governing with him for several years before he died. For
more information on this subject, see E. R. Thiele's "A
Chronology of the Hebrew Kings" (1977) and "The Mysterious
Numbers of the Hebrew Kings" (1983). In summary, please
consider the statement found in Nelson's Illustrated Bible
Dictionary: ``But even after recognizing all these dating
problems, the Bible student can rest assured that the
ancient Near Eastern scribes worked with great care and
precision in passing on the Old Testament. They furnish
the patient modern interpreter with information needed to
gain a reliable picture of Old Testament history.``(1)
What About ``The Sign Of Jonah''?
Could the Jews tell time? Some might argue, ``The sign
of Jonah proves that the Jews had a different way of
looking at time than do we.'' Well, ``Yes'' and ``No.'' Jesus
said, ``for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in
the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth'' (Mat.
12:40). How long was Jesus in the tomb? Was it 72 hours or
some lesser period of time?
Our Lord hung on the cross from the sixth hour to
the ninth hour, i.e., from 12 to 3 p.m. (Mat. 27:45; Mark
15:33; Luke 23:44; John 19:14-18). Shortly thereafter,
Jesus breathed his last, and yielded up his spirit. Then
his lifeless body was removed from the cross and hastily
buried, because the beginning of the Sabbath drew near
(Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31).
According to Jewish reckoning, the old day ended and
a new day began at sunset, or 6 p.m. At the most, Jesus
was in the tomb only 2-3 hours on Friday. His body lay
entombed a full 24 hours on Saturday, and no more than
11-12 hours on Sunday. Therefore, he could have been in
the grave a maximum of 39 total hours. Yet, this is
consistent with the Lord's statement regarding the sign of
Jonah. Part of a day was reckoned as a whole day by the
Hebrews. Jesus was in the tomb on part of Friday, all of
Saturday and part of Sunday. Therefore, according to
Jewish reckoning, he was in the tomb ``three days and three
nights.''
While Jesus was not in the tomb for 72 hours, he was
in the tomb for approximately 3 days. There is some
looseness in the phrase ``three days and three nights,'' but
not unlimited elasticity. We are not at liberty to say he was
in the tomb for three weeks, three months, three years, or
three millennium! While I don't believe that it is truly
significant, a rhetorical point could be made that the phrase
``three days and three nights'' refers to a shorter
time-frame than what is actually specified! Thus the sign of
Jonah gives no comfort to those who would lengthen the
days of Genesis Chapter One into geologic ages!
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1. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ed. Herbert
Lockyer, Sr. (Seattle, WA: BibleSoft & Nashville: TN: Thomas
Nelson Publishers, 1986), s.v. "Chronology, Old Testament."
-- via Watchman (slightly edited)
concluded next week
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A Christian Prays!
Do You?
by Robert F. Turner
A Christian prays--and prays--and prays. But many
church members scarcely know the meaning of the word
once they leave the church building and the stilted
``audience conscious'' phrases that pass for prayer there.
``Pray without ceasing'' (1 Thes. 5:17) makes no apparent
impression.
It is a tragedy that God is considered so inaccessible.
To many, He is far away--locked in an inner office with an
alert guard of clergymen, forms and format to protect Him
from the ``ordinary'' caller. The idea is wholly foreign to the
truth.
``Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly'' (Matt. 6:6).
Thus Jesus describes the close intimate relation that exists
between the petitioner and his Creator. This does not
negate public prayer (the contrast is with hypocritical
showoffs); in fact this touches the vitals of all acceptable
prayer. When intimate communion with God is missing,
public prayer becomes a farce.
Prayer is a Christian's privilege, made real and
earnest--meaningful--because a Christian (and only a
Christian) truly appreciates such characteristics of God as
the following:
God is near! He is ``not far from every one of us; for
in Him we live, and move, and have our being'' (Acts
17:27-28). A Christian lives close to God. His Maker is
ever-present, all-about, ready to be contacted upon a
moment's notice. This nearness comforts the Christian--``in
the valley of the shadow...thou art with me.''
God cares! The Christian casts all his cares upon God,
``for He careth for you'' (1 Pet. 5:7). Our Father is
concerned--His interest is genuine. He who takes note of the
sparrow's fall, watches over all His children.
God hears! His eyes ``are over the righteous, and His
ears are open to their prayers'' (1 Pet. 3:12). ``All things
are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we
have to do'' (Heb. 4:13b). And hearing, he understands our
frailties--``the feeling of our infirmities'' (Heb. 4:15-16) so
we may come boldly to the throne of grace for mercy.
And God gives! ``Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you''
(Matt. 7:7-f). Ask! Seek! Knock! These are imperatives in
the Greek present tense. They say, ``Ask'' and keep on
asking; ``seek'' and continue to seek; ``knock'' again and
again. The thought is akin to Matt. 6:33--``seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you.''
A Christian believes that God is near, that God cares,
that God hears, and that God gives. He is conscious of his
dependence upon God and leans upon Him without hesitation.
So he prays--when he awakes--as he goes to work--when
he partakes of God's rich blessings--when he feels the
weight of sorrow and cares--as he lays him down to sleep.
A Christian prays--and what about you??
-- Via Plain Talk
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Tri-State
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101
Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class
10:50 A.M. Worship
6:30 P.M. Worship
Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742
e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net
Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go
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