Many modern Christians entertain the belief that the earth can be millions or billions of years old. Many of our most prominent Christian leaders hold to this belief. Does it matter? Who cares? Why do I even talk about the subject? I talk about it because the gospel must be logical and the Bible must be true.

This old earth belief has its origin in the mental acceptance of the theory that the stratified sedimentary rock layers of the earth that contain fossils by the millions represents millions of years of layers of sediment that formed over vast periods of time. This would have had to occur before there were any people and thus before human sin.

The fossil record is not very pretty. It shows violence and death, animals eating each other, diseases and other horrible things supposedly going on for millions of years. It is a record of death. But the Bible says death came into the world because of Adam's sin. This means the Bible says there was no death before Adam disobeyed God. The fossil record cannot represent millions of years of death if the Bible is true.

Could the fossil record represent the results of Noah's flood 4,400 years ago? Could the Bible be true as written? Think about that Christian, could the Bible be true? Will you let the Bible be true in your own mind or must you take ideas of fallen human minds to the Bible to interpret it? Change God's Genesis story to an old earth God and you create a cruel God of an old earth. Gone is the loving God who created everything very good in six days. Gone is the sin of Adam that brought death into the world and caused the loss of everything being very good. Gone is the gospel of Christ coming as the perfect sacrifice to correct Adam's sin. If death didn't come from Adam's sin then we don't need a Savior.

Are you afraid of the ridicule that comes with accepting the simple story of Genesis? Thousands of scientists including myself are not afraid of being ridiculed for believing the written word of God. I am embarrassed to admit that I used to believe the Bible story could be altered to seem to support a God of an old earth concept. Embarrassed or not it is thrilling to now be able to accept the Bible account of creation exactly as it is written.

Think about these clear scriptures. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1st Corinthians 15: 21,22. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12

Evolution says man came by a death and birth and death and birth process over millions of years. Thus death brought man into existence. Christianity says death came by man shortly after he was created. You can't get more opposite than this. I hope God will open your eyes to this simple message just as he did mine.

Sidney C. Phillips M.D. July 2001.

End of Message 59.