Why do some believe that the earth is 20K + years old?

[Jerry]

Supposedly? The Bible teaches it as a fact - “supposedly” makes it look like you are questioning the Bible.

Also, heresy refers to false doctrine, but it also indicates a wilfull choice to believe it. Making the days in Genesis anything more than 6 literal 24 hours days is heresy. Also, the six days of creation was the beginning - of the universe and of the planet. There was nothing else physically or even spiritually before those six days except the Trinity (or to use a Bible word, the Godhead). Anything else is false teaching a contradicts the Bible. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your theology - in that case, it’s time to change your theology to make it Biblical in those areas where you are not.

If God can create a mature universe, a mature man and woman in the day they were created, then it is no problem for Him to create light without a light source then later create the light sources. It shows He is the source of all light - not the sun, moon, and stars which evolution wants to believe.

[R Sauter]

1 hour ago, Jerry said:

Supposedly? The Bible teaches it as a fact - “supposedly” makes it look like you are questioning the Bible.

Also, heresy refers to false doctrine, but it also indicates a wilfull choice to believe it. Making the days in Genesis anything more than 6 literal 24 hours days is heresy. Also, the six days of creation was the beginning - of the universe and of the planet. There was nothing else physically or even spiritually before those six days except the Trinity (or to use a Bible word, the Godhead). Anything else is false teaching a contradicts the Bible. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your theology - in that case, it’s time to change your theology to make it Biblical in those areas where you are not.

If God can create a mature universe, a mature man and woman in the day they were created, then it is no problem for Him to create light without a light source then later create the light sources. It shows He is the source of all light - not the sun, moon, and stars which evolution wants to believe.

First of all, God did not "Create" light on the first day, he said "Let there be light." John's epistle tells us that "God is light and in him is no darkness at all... (1 Jn 1:5). If light is one of God's immutable attributes and God is eternal, then light must be eternal as well.

I guess one could make the argument that God's declaration of "Let there be light" was God's revelation of himself to the newly created realm of time and space (Jn 1:4-9) but it is also clearly stated in vs. 4-5 that both light and darkness is being used here as a definitive measurement of time with each day having an "Evening and Morning." If this light is not from the sun with "Night and Day" being brought about by the rotation of the earth, then one also has a reasonable case for the days of creation being something other than the six 24-hour periods that both you and I hold to so dogmatically.

One may argue from what vantage point is the writer of Genesis observing God's creation of the heaven and the earth? Does he have a "God View" from heaven or is he watching the events unfold while standing upon the earth? We must understand the passage of Genesis 1 from the perspective of the writer. Why did God give us such details as the earth being "without form and void?" God did not put things in his word just so we would believe it without questioning or wondering why! He has put things in his word for us to study and search out, to gain wisdom and understanding, and to glorify him in everything we discover about him and his creation!

Now, if Moses wrote the book of Genesis through the observation of one standing on the earth, then there is no problem with believing that on the first day, the sky cleared up to allow the light of the sun to appear and on the fourth day, the sky cleared completely revealing the actual sun, moon, and stars. This is how the gap theorists explain it and I am no gap theorist but to me, this makes plausible sense. If you want to insist such to be heretical then so be it. It is not a matter of doctrine nor is it a matter of whether I believe the bible. And for the record, I still believe everything was created in the six-day period - aside from the heavenly host which is indeterminable and I reject your claim that they were created on the third day. There is no way one can make a definite statement either and your argument is incredibly thin to be so dogmatic! You are free to be wrong without my calling you a heretic though!

If the angels sole job is to minister to saved mankind then why was Satan and his angels created (or "The Cherub formerly known as "Lucifer" - at least to King James and Douay-Rheims readers anyway)? Why exactly did God create all things (Rev 4:11)? Could it be that you hold to a Supralapsarian view believing that God decreed the fall in light of his elect and created Satan to this end? Not that I am, just asking if you are?

I do not claim to have perfect theology but that which I do have is based upon my understanding of the scriptures of which I stand solely and firmly upon its authority and sufficiency. If I am wrong on some point, I am happy to learn and have better understanding and hope to continue to grow in grace and understanding.