LONG AGES LONG AGO

Evolution v. Creation part ____ of 12

LONG AGES, LONG AGO

“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” ~Psalm 90:10

According to Scripture, Methuselah lived to be a staggering 969 years old. Many others in his time had children when they were several hundred years old. This ancient longevity is one of the allegedly “far-fetched” claims of Biblical creationists.

But, is it really that unlikely? Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Indians, Sumerians, Chinese and other cultures talk of much longer ancient life spans in ancient times, as well. Many tales explain that a great flood shortened these spans. If this happened just as the Bible explains, then these stories would be preserved in common memory and tradition all over the world. This is precisely what we find. What does Scripture actually teach about ancient longevity.

God created Adam and Eve in a perfect state; uncorrupted by sin, sickness and physical death. It has been suggested that they had the ability to live forever here on Earth. They were certainly provided food, water and all they would have needed in the Garden of Eden.

He also provided them only one rule. (While religions of today maybe criticized by some as having too many rules, originally there was just one.) God warned them not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The consequences were also given: they and their descendants would die (Genesis 2:16–17).

With Satan’s diabolical help, our great-great-great (and so on) grandparents rebelled and they changed as a result (Genesis 3). Spiritual death happened immediately, with illness and eventual physical death to follow. Their own firstborn child, Cain, became the world’s first murderer. One of their other children became the first victim. The wages of their sin was, indeed death--both physical and spiritual. This is the bad news, and John 3:16 contains the good news (“gospel” in Greek).

However, sin’s effects on Adam limited his life span to 930 years. The ten patriarchs (excluding Enoch) who preceded the Great Flood lived an average of 912 years! Exceedingly long, when compared to our current spans--but dreadfully short, compared to forever.

Amazingly, for some 1,500 years after creation, most men either could have actually talked to the first man, Adam, or personally knew someone who did! Adam’s own grandsons could have babysat young Noah!

Ages of the Patriarchs from Adam to Noah (Pre – Flood)

Patriarch Age Bible Reference

1 Adam 930 Genesis 5:4

2 Seth 912 Genesis 5:8

3 Enosh 905 Genesis 5:11

4 Cainan 910 Genesis 5:14

5 Mahalalel 895 Genesis 5:17

6 Jared 962 Genesis 5:20

7 Enoch 365 (did not die of old age) see Genesis 5:23

8 Methuselah 969 Genesis 5:27

9 Lamech 777 Genesis 5:31

10 Noah 950 Genesis 9:29

During the 1,000 years following the Flood, however, the Bible records a progressive decline in life span, from Noah who lived to be 950 years old until Abraham at 175. Since then, a few make it to around 120, but most die closer to half of that.

Ages of the Patriarchs after Noah to Abraham (Post – Flood)

Patriarch Age Bible Reference

11 Shem 600 Genesis 11:10–11

12 Arphaxad 438 Genesis 11:12–13

13 Shelah 433 Genesis 11:14–15

14 Eber 464 Genesis 11:16–17

15 Peleg 239 Genesis 11:18–19

16 Reu 239 Genesis 11:20–21

17 Serug 230 Genesis 11:22–23

18 Nahor 148 Genesis 11:24–25

19 Terah 205 Genesis 11:32

20 Abraham 175 Genesis 25:7

As a lawyer, I sometimes use our Tennessee State Law to set out the average life span. Not surprisingly, our current average life expectancy remains between 70 and 80 years. The veracity of the Bible is further confirmed by this fact, even though Psalm 90 was written over 3,000 years ago.

So, what changed so permanently at the Flood? Tropical foliage and a humid environment gave way to an ice age, which led eventually to what we see today. The land mass separated and concentrated our flawed DNA in groups which have recognizable characteristics.

What has not changed is more remarkable. We do not have to teach our children to lie, cheat and steal. Their sin nature takes care of that. We have to teach them to obey and choose the right path. We must encourage them to seek and to find God through the Way, His Son, Jesus.

Jesus, in the Book of John, told us He came into the world to testify to the Truth. The universality of death and suffering should push us towards Him, not away. We know at every funeral that death is an intruder into this world, whether at 9, 90, or 900 years of age. Jesus conquered death by rising from the dead. (see Isaiah 25:8; Psalm 49:14–15; 1 John 5:13). Turn to Him, so that one day you can ask Methuselah what it felt like to live for 969 years.

All prior articles in this series can be found by searching my blog at DavidBPeel.Blogspot.com.

TENNESSEE FLOODING

Tennessee lost at least 30 people to the flooding. Countless homes and businesses were washed away or out of commission due to the rising waters.

Financially, Tennessee sustained more than $1 billion in flood damage just in the private sector, according to our governor. Recall that $1 billion is another way of saying “one thousand millions.” By any measure, these floods were unprecedented. In some areas there were three months of normal rainfall in about thirty hours.

Tragically, many homeowners were not insured against flooding. Regular homeowners’ insurance does not cover flooding from rising waters. Because this week's flooding hit in areas not considered flood-prone, it is possible that the majority of property owners may not have had flood insurance.

In Nashville, water covered the field where the Titans play. Part of their downtown was submerged for days. Gaylord Opryland Resort and other facilities had to evacuate 1,500 people to a high school, due to about eight feet of water in it. It maybe closed for six months or longer, deeply affecting tourism. Tuesday's Grand Ole Opry country music performance had to be moved to a different auditorium, but played on.

Locally, Millington was particularly hard hit, but local churches and the Red Cross have stepped up to help. Each morning, crews leave First Baptist while loads of food are distributed from Crosspointe. These efforts, along with countless other churches, organizations, and individuals form a network of neighbors helping neighbors characteristic of our great area. Unsung heroes brought their boats and four-wheel drives to rescue people from flooded apartments and homes.

Dyer County to our north struggles as well. It was actually one of the first few counties declared as disaster areas by FEMA. Out of 95 total counties in Tennessee, over 50 have been sought by the governor to be declared disaster areas.

I cannot help but think of another flood. The largest flood ever. The one that many secular scientists say never happened. Looking just at the record 3-Day Rain Total of 17.51 inches received at Birdsong near Nashville, imagine if that rate continued for 40 days and 40 nights! There would be over twenty feet of rain, not counting drainage. The Biblical deluge was much worse than that, because much of the water was not rain, but the “fountains of the great deep” bursting open. We see the immense pressure of the gulf oil spill spewing black fossil fuels into the sea. Water in the ground was once under similar pressure and burst forth violently, covering the lands. Mountains, later pushed up by plate tectonics, still have seashells on their very top as a result.

However, those who listened to Noah were sealed up safely. Similarly, those who put their faith and trust in Our Lord Jesus may well perish, but will never be lost.

Allow this time of suffering to be the catalyst that points you to the Lover of your soul.

Mr. Peel’s other articles are posted on his blog at DavidBPeel.blogspot.com. He often speaks to clubs and churches and may be contacted at PeelLawFirm.com.

The Water of the Flood

Courtesy of the institute of creation research, this article succinctly makes it point so well I wanted to share it:

From Where Did the Water Come?

December 30, 2009

"And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered." (Genesis 7:19)

Lack of an answer to this question led many theologians in the early 1800s to abandon the biblical doctrine of the global Flood in favor of uniformitarianism. At the time, scientists were saying that the concept of a young earth had been disproved and that since the mountains had been around since before the time of Noah, obviously they couldn't have been covered by the Flood waters. There is simply not enough water to cover the present mountain ranges, they said. Theologians responded by proposing a local flood incapable of laying down the fossilbearing rock of the world. Even today, most evangelical theologians, denominations, and seminaries teach this compromise.

The world before the Flood was quite different from the world today. A global water vapor canopy encircled the earth and contained vast amounts of water vapor (Genesis 1:6-8). Furthermore, the topography was much less pronounced, since all present mountain ranges are made up of sedimentary rocks or volcanoes attributable to the Flood. Since it didn't rain before the Flood (Genesis 2:5), yet rivers flowed (v. 10), there must have been great subterranean reservoirs of water.

At the proper time, these "fountains of the great deep" (Genesis 7:11) spewed out their contents and the "windows of heaven were opened" as the canopy was precipitated. The breaking up of those "fountains" which were on the sea bottom implies great tsunamis elevating water to an abnormal level on land. Coupling these mechanisms with the fact that most of the earth (70 percent) is still covered with water in sufficient quantity to cover the entire earth (if it were smoothed out) to a depth of about 7,500 feet, we can conclude that the biblical story is, indeed, quite reasonable. JDM

Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229

Do you want to Argue or to Seek Truth?

FLOOD OF IDEAS v. 

IDEAS OF FLOOD

Before engaging in too much argument, I am now trying to ask folks if they are actually seeking Truth, or if they are just wanting to argue. 

The reason is that those seeking Truth may actually stay logical for a few moments longer than those just wanting to argue. 

For instance, a friend told me of a person who gave her the old "there are flood myths all over the world" argument. 

Correctly understood, this SUPPORTS the proposition that a Flood actually occurred. It does not tell you which one happened, or which one

is the most accurate, but it supports that the flood is in the consciousness of most of mankind in some form.

That takes you to the task of comparing the myths.

However, I have to remain patient as people who have barely glanced at these issues add and subtract all kinds of things from the Biblical Account that they rail against.

Recent examples:

-A fellow said that freshwater fish and eels could not exist for a year on the Ark

Of course, that is not even implied in the Biblical Text. (There are explanations for the fish survival, but the point is the adding to part).

-A "Documentary" on Tv calculated that it would take so long to load "every variety of animal that has ever existed into the Ark, even at 2 per second"

Again, that is just not what the text says. It says every type, or in modern day, every species. There are thousands of dog breeds, but there once two canines.

Modern science supports that easily.

But honestly, the "straw men" that are erected by folks arguing the "scientific" view when they have barely read what they argue so hatefully against drives me up the proverbial wall.

By the way, if they answer that they do not believe in Truth, they have disqualified themselves from ever arguing anything, for all time with anyone.  

Think about it.