WORLD-RENOWNED HEBREW SCHOLAR DESTROYS OLD EARTH THEORY

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In this in-depth interview, Dr. Bill Barrick—Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Hebrew at The Master’s Seminary — unpacks what the Hebrew text of Genesis 1 really says. Does the Bible itself teach a young earth? Is the day-age theory compatible with the Hebrew grammar? What about the Gap Theory, mytho-history, and functional creation views made popular by scholars like William Lane Craig, Michael Heiser, and John Walton? We dig deep into the Hebrew of בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים (“In the beginning God created”), explore whether Genesis 1:1 is a heading or a historical statement, and discuss how the text itself answers questions about the firmament, cosmology, and biblical authority.

00:00 Intro 02:08 Discussion on Young Earth Creationism 09:01 Old Earth Creationism and Personal Journey 12:09 Day-Age Theory and Hebrew Grammar 22:05 Gap Theory Examined 32:21 William Lane Craig and Mytho history? 37:05 Poetry vs. Historical Narrative 41:38 Analysing Genesis 1:1-3 57:11 Primitive Cosmology and Metaphors 01:04:42 The Light Before the Sun

HOW DISTANT STARLIGHT CAN REACH EARTH IN 6000 YEARS

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by Mark Harwood

Recent developments in creationist cosmology offer an elegant explanation of the distant starlight question which is consistent with the Genesis account of creation and is based on recent astronomical observations and Einstein’s General Relativity equations. Whilst a detailed explanation of this new cosmology is beyond the scope of this Feedback article, it is explained more fully in Harnett’s article “Has dark matter really been proven?” http://www.creation.com

This article provides a framework for understanding the answer to the distant starlight question. The key elements are time dilation, the recent observations showing that we live in a galactocentric universe, and the Scriptural references to God ‘stretching out the heavens’ on Day 4 of the Creation Week.

An experimentally verified prediction of Einstein’s General Relativity Theory is a phenomenon called gravitational time dilation. It has long been established that gravity affects the rate at which time flows in any particular location in the universe.

Another mechanism for time dilation is a rapid acceleration of the fabric of space in an expanding universe. This is explained more fully in Hartnett’s article referenced above.

We live in a galactocentric universe: Standard Big Bang theory has it that the universe has neither a centre nor an edge which is an assumption, called the Cosmological Principle, designed to avoid the earth being a special place. If the Earth was special in any way, it would imply design and thus a Designer which flies in the face of atheistic evolutionary belief. When Edwin Hubble discovered the redshift in the spectra of stars and galaxies and interpreted them as distance (known as the Hubble Law), he was horrified at the implication that the Earth could be in a special place. He wrote: ‘Such a condition [red shifts] would imply that we occupy a unique position in the universe … But the unwelcome supposition of a favoured location must be avoided at all costs … [and] is intolerable … moreover, it represents a discrepancy with the theory because the theory postulates homogeneity.’1

Recent surveys3,4 have measured the galactic redshift for around 250,000 galaxies and have revealed an over abundance of galaxies at certain redshifts in which the data departs from the expected theoretical distribution in a series of large spikes. A straightforward interpretation of this data is that the galaxies are distributed with a spherical shell-like symmetry with the Milky Way galaxy at or near the centre! Such a result is entirely consistent with the biblical picture but is at odds with standard big bang beliefs and is not consistent with the Cosmological Principle.

In at least 11 places, the Scriptures speak of God ‘stretching out the heavens’ (e.g. Job 9:8, Isaiah 40:22 and 42:5, Jeremiah 10:12, Zechariah 12:1) and in Genesis 1:15 the words ‘And it was so.’ are recorded in connection with the events of Day 4 of Creation Week, implying the completion of the events described on that Day. It is a reasonable conclusion to draw that God stretched out the heavens to the vast extent of the observable universe in just one 24 hour day and then ceased the action of ‘stretching out’. This is more rational than the inflation fudge of big bangers discussed above. That is, where the universe just happened to expand much faster than light, although there is no known physical cause for starting or stopping this superluminal expansion.

We should also note that God created the Earth first before the sun, moon and stars (and by inference the planets etc) so it would seem reasonable to assume the universe was stretched out with the Earth at or very near its centre. Furthermore, Psalm 147:4 and Isaiah 40:26 imply that there is a finite number of stars in the universe. So, the Bible seems to teach that we live in a finite universe that has, at the very least, our Milky Way galaxy at its centre.

We now have the keys to understanding how starlight can reach us from such vast distances in just a few thousand years of Earth time. The days of the Creation Week were recorded from the point of view of an observer on the earth so the time reference in Genesis is Earth time. On Day 4, as God commenced stretching out the heavens, the mass of the universe (presumably including the ‘waters above’ which were separated out on Day 2) would have been confined to a much smaller volume of space than is the case today. Assuming the Hartnett–Carmeli theory is correct, the Universe rapidly expanded with massive time dilation as a result of very rapid acceleration of the fabric of space on Day 4. By the end of Day 4, when God completed his work of creating the sun, moon and stars, and had stretched out the heavens to their vast extent, billions of years of cosmic time could have elapsed at the outer edges of the cosmos in just one 24 hour earth day. There would have been more than enough time for the light from distant stars to have reached the earth so that when Adam gazed at the night sky on that sixth night he would have seen much the same as what we see today.

6,000 years have passed since the Creation Week. If the models outlined above are correct, the light we see today from any star that is greater than 6,000 light years away from the earth will have originated on Day 4 itself. This would include most of the visible stars, all of which are part of the Milky Way galaxy. We are effectively looking at God’s creative activity on Day 4 as we gaze into the universe!

So what do we make of supernova 1987A? At 170,000 light years away we are looking at an event that occurred on Day 4 but whose light did not reach us until 1987.

Is an exploding star consistent with a perfect creation? God said that the stars were created to be for signs and seasons (Genesis 1:14) and God foreknew all that would happen right from the very beginning. What to us seems to be destruction is actually just a physical process which does not necessarily denote any lack of perfection in the original creation. Importantly, there is no loss of biblical life involved (the creatures affected by death brought about by the Fall were those the Bible calls נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה (nephesh chayyāh)).6

Another excellent resource on the light travel dilemma is previewed in the video below.

TECHNOCHASM & THE END TIMES

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A chasm has opened in America… a great divide. On one side… a new aristocracy, amassing more wealth, more quickly than any other group in American history. Today, the one percent makes more money in one month than most people make in a lifetime. On the other side… The opposite is happening. Wealth is flowing out of the pockets of ordinary Americans at an unprecedented rate. Today, nearly 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

This chasm between the rich and poor is only going to get larger and is one of the reasons Jesus must return to restore righteousness. Prior to God destroying this Earth by fire, it has another 1,000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning with the glorified Saints. The nation God established for His purposes, Israel, will finally fulfill its destiny but only with Jesus ruling from a new Jerusalem.

“From His (Jesus) mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:15-16

Then we will have had 6,000 years of unregenerate man ruling the world under the influence of Satan and his demons followed by 1,000 years with Jesus and the Saints ruling the nations with a rod of iron. At 7,000 years this Earth’s history is complete.

“Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26

Then comes the second resurrection of the dead followed by the White Throne judgement and only then does John see a new Jerusalem descending from a new Heaven onto a new Earth where only the righteous dwell.

CHASM BETWEEN RICH AND THE POOR

Over the last four decades, advancements in computing power, data storage, communications gear, artificial intelligence, and other technologies have followed a trajectory like you see on the left side of the chart below. This is because they started at very low levels. But after many years of advancing at exponential rates, technologies are entering the “liftoff” phase.

This rapid increase in the rate at which the world is changing has stunning business and investment ramifications. The world around us is changing at never-before-seen speeds… the speed and capabilities of our computers are increasing at unfathomable rates… And it’s catching many people off guard.

This is creating a gigantic shift in the way our economy works and how we build wealth. Today, the acceleration of our technological progress allows companies to operate with just a fraction of the number of employees businesses used to require. Forty years ago, it took the work of tens of thousands of people to build a business worth $20 BILLION or more. Now, some businesses can do it with less than 2,000 people. For example, in 2019, the workplace software company Slack achieved a market value of $23 BILLION. It had less than 1,700 employees. Getting to a $23 BILLION valuation with just 1,700 employees never used to happen! Back in 1989, Kodak had about 145,000 employees and was valued at around $16 BILLION… But in 2017, Snapchat achieved a $24 BILLION valuation and had just 1,800 employees. Back in 1964, AT&T had more than 750,000 employees… But in 2017, Google was a bigger and far richer company than AT&T with 92% fewer employees sharing the wealth. Plus, people who invested in Google when it went public made about 17 times more gains than those who invested in AT&T over the same time.

The best new companies of today simply don’t need many people compared to companies from a decade or two ago. The number of great jobs is decreasing while the pay for these employees getting the jobs is radically soaring! This is why the wealth gap gets wider and wider every single year. The incredible rise in computing power, automation, and robotics makes all these things possible. The rules of business and building wealth are being rewritten in front of our very eyes. Over the last few decades, it took on average about 20 years for the typical Fortune 500 company to reach a market capitalization of $1 BILLION.

In 1998, Google reached $1 BILLION in market cap in just eight years, which was considered incredible. By 2004, Facebook had done it in just five years. By 2009, Uber had done it in under three years. In 2012, virtual reality firm Oculus did it in under two years. From 2012 to today, Facebook shareholders enjoyed as much as a 1,507% return on their investment. From 2010 to today, Tesla investors have made as much as 9,100% gains. Snapchat investors have made as much as 1,213% since 2018. By now, you can see how in many cases the time it takes for massive change is getting “compressed.” Industries are being transformed in a short time. As a result, new industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being disrupted at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. It will wreck family businesses, careers, and investment portfolios. New industries are springing up at a rapid and ever-increasing pace… while old industries are being demolished at a rapid and ever-increasing pace. As Uber and Lyft soared to billion-dollar valuations, the old taxi industry was devastated. It lost millions of dollars in revenue.

Since 2004, at least 1,800 American newspapers have ceased publication. The sector has shed 47% of its jobs during this time. Amazon has transformed the way we shop and get our stuff. In the process, it’s driven dozens of old-school “brick and mortar” retailers into bankruptcy. Department stores have lost 18 times more jobs than coal mining since 2001. In less than seven years, Uber demolished the “old” taxi industry. Airbnb now offers more rooms than the top five hotel brands, including Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt, combined… Google has taken over information… by 2012, Encyclopedia Britannica published its final volumes, after 244 years of circulation. Spotify and iTunes have turned the music world upside down. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram have disrupted traditional media outlets… 

The information in this post was taken from an article by Louis Navellier of Investor Place (an investment advisory service)