This week we are wrapping up session 6 on the Biblical Flood. We will take a look at some of the problems with the secular dating methods, and their assumptions, along with an apologetic answer to the question: What about the dinosaurs? We will conclude this session with some additional questions that secular evolutionary thought cannot answer.

Watch this week’s class presentation on this topic:

Overview Notes from the presentation

A Case for Genesis

Session 6, Part Four:The Flood, dating methods and dinosaurs

Review

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class this evening.

Review and recite the twelve points to the Bible’s Big Picture (5 in the Old Testament, 7 in the New Testament).
What are some things you remember, and can share with others, from last week’s video presentation: “Is Genesis History?”

Session #6, Part Four: Overview

I. What are the problems with secular dating methods?

II. What is the geological column of time?

III. What about the Dinosaurs?

I. What are the problems with secular dating methods?

What does the Bible tell us?

The genealogies are in the Bible to give the lineage and evidence for Jesus as the Promised Messiah—adding them together results in thousands of years since Creation, not millions.
Yom = the Hebrew word for day and it is used 2301 times in the Bible; when used in conjunction with other numbers it always refers to a literal 24-hour day (the only time it is questioned is in the Genesis 1 account) therefore, the six days of Creation cannot be long periods of time or eras.
The fossil record reveals death, disease, bloodshed, and suffering, if any of this happened before the Fall then God’s Creation was not good as God said during the Creation week.
God’s Covenant Promise (Gen. 3:15) would be nullified if death occurred prior to the Fall, and there would be no meaning to Jesus sacrificial death on the cross, therefore, millions of years of death could not have occurred prior to the Fall.

Bias in the dating methods? YES

There are some questions that need to be answered by secular evolutionists:

Are the current dating methods based on a Darwinian Evolutionary paradigm, using assumptions about things in the past, that cannot be proven by direct observational science (scientific method)? Yes
Do current dating methods work off of evolution’s uniformitarian paradigm (the belief that processes observed today are basically the same as they have been since the beginning of time)? Yes
Is there an assumption that decay rates remain constant, even though they could have been slower or faster in the past? Yes
Do current dating methods for the rock layers, and the fossils found therein, reference the man-made geological column of millions and billions of years without actually testing and comparing all existing sites? Yes

This verifies that there is a philosophical problem, not a scientific problem, with dating the geological layers of the earth.

What are the dating methods and why are they unreliable?

“Radiometric Dating Methods” have about fifty different combinations of elements employed for radioisotope dating that scientist use on igneous rock
The radioactive material being measured is considered to be the parent element and, as it decays, it produces what is referred to as the daughter element
For example, the parent element potassium-40 decays into the daughter material argon-40
We can scientifically measure the amounts of both the parent and daughter elements in a particular rock and infer the amount of decay

But, this is where the science stops and philosophical assumptions begin

Measuring the amount of decay is not a measurement of time because of the following:

The unobserved assumption is made that the melting process which occurred when the rock formed started the radiometric clock
It is assumed that none of the daughter material was in the rock when it formed
If the daughter element was in the rock from the start the dating will automatically give millions, or billions, of years older than what the rock really is
Amounts of both the parent and the daughter materials can be added to, or lost from, a rock due to contamination, and this can easily be caused by: heat, pressure, moisture, earthquakes and other forms of contact
It is assumed that all decay rates observed today for the various parent elements have always been the same (uniformitarianism)
To blindly assume that a rock has existed for millions and billions of years, and yet, has never been contaminated is anything but scientific

One Example of many:
Mt. St. Helen’s 1986 Lava Flow – Rocks dated observationally at 10 years old

Potassium-Argon model ages:

Whole rock 0.35 million years old
Feldspar 0.34 million years old
Amphibole 0.9 million years old
Pyroxene 1.7 million years old
Pyroxene concentrate: 2.8 million years old

Note: These are estimated at +/- 0.2 to 0.6 million years old

Conclusion: Inherited excess Argon

Three Crucial observations must be made for proper dating to occur:

How much is in the rock when it was originally created?
How much contamination is observed (by water, plants, chemical runoff etc.)?
Is the rate of decay consistent over time?

This cannot actually be done, because in most cases, no one was there when it first formed!

(Another) Example:

The Cambrian layer, the lowest strata layer containing appreciable amounts of fossils, that secular geologists claim is about 570 million years old, still contains measurable amounts of C-14 (carbon 14) that should be gone after thousands of years, not millions
This means that the Cambrian layer is only thousands of years old, not millions
Even more astounding is that scientific tests have found that all of the strata layers contain basically the same amounts of C-14 all the way from top to bottom
Since C-14 decays away over time this discovery indicates all these layers formed at relatively the same time, during the same event

II. What is the geological column of time?

Here is how rocks and fossils are actually dated by secular Geologists

Geologists use the “Geologic Time Scale” also known as the “Geologic Column” which is a drawing consisting of twelve primary layers, each being given a name, an ancient age, and assigned index fossils (these are plants and animals assumed to have gone extinct in the Column’s particular assigned time period)
Charles Lyell popularized the Column in his book “The Principles of Geology” published in 1830. This time scale or column is based on the philosophy of uniformitarianism (things are the way they have always been, no Flood or other catastrophic events have occurred) and the theory that the layers were laid down slowly over long periods of time
Published radiometric dates are selected once an age is obtained that matches the “Geologic Column” and rocks are dated over and over again until a date is obtained that best matches the “Column,” non-matching dates are tossed out
Whenever index fossils are found in a particular layer, everything in that layer is given the age that matches the “Column” where they have been assigned; and consequently if a rock or layer contains an index fossil, the rock or layer is assigned the age the fossil is dated based on the “Column”

Circular reasoning at its finest:

The ages of the rock layers are derived from the index fossils found within them while the ages of the index fossils are obtained from which rock layer they are found in.

The Geologic Column’s time scale is where modern-day, old-earth beliefs were derived

Where can we observe the Geologic Column in nature?

We cannot—it only exists in museums and textbooks

III. What about the Dinosaurs?

The fossil record from its earliest specimens do not show change over time, instead we find most of the species we have today, with the exception of those that have gone extinct, including dinosaurs (and there are no transitional “missing links”)
The word dinosaur means “terrible lizard”
It is important to note that the word “dinosaur” did not exist until it was coined in 1840. Prior to that time words like “dragon” were used.

Biblical accounts:

“Behemoth” – Job 40:15-18: “Behold now, Behemoth, which I made as well as you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold now, his strength in his loins and his power in the muscles of his belly. He bends his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze; his limbs are like bars of iron.”

“Leviathan” – Job 41:15-23: “His strong scales are his pride, shut up as with a tight seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. His sneezes flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth. In his neck lodges strength, and dismay leaps before him. The folds of his flesh are joined together, firm on him and immovable.

“Tanninim” is a Hebrew word that is used 27 times in the Old Testament to indicate “Sea Monster.” Comparative linguistics also shows this word translating as dragon, monster and snake that stretches out moving forward like smoke.

Dinosaur evidence from the pre-flood era

God created all land animals on the 6th day (Genesis 1:24-25)
Dinosaur fossils are found with other pre-flood plants and animals
God said he would destroy all living things that walked the earth except for the two of each

“Kind” that were on the Ark (Genesis 6:17-22)

Dinosaur evidence in the post-flood era

Reptiles still exist today at a smaller scale—they will continue to grow as they age, but they do not live as long as they did in the pre-flood world
Multiple cultures report dinosaur accounts in their history, literature, and art (using words like dragon, monster, snake, beast etc.)
Some species have gone extinct due to loss of food supply, post-flood environmental conditions like the ice age, and man’s invasion of their land and habitats
There is physical and eyewitness evidence of dinosaurs co-existing with man in the recent past throughout the world

A few more questions that need to be answered

If the Universe, and the Earth itself, was billions of years old, then…

Why are galaxies’ spirals not tightly coiled, as they should be?
Why are supernovas and comet ages young when they should be old?
Why has the birth of a new star has never been observed?
Why is the moon not farther away if it is moving out at a constant rate?
Why is there is not enough mud on the sea floor?
Why does the amount of salt in the sea not match the secular timescale?
Why is there too much helium in minerals?
Why are there not enough Stone Age skeletons?
Why is agriculture so recent?
Why is human history so short?
Why does the predicted human population growth rate not match the secular timescale but instead matches perfectly with the Biblical timescale?
Why do earthquake records match Biblical records?
Why does the Geologic Column not contain the proper order of the index fossils according to their own scale?
Why is soft tissue found in fossils that are considered to be millions of years old?
Why are we still here if the electromagnetic force has been growing weaker over time?
Why are we still here if the sun has been losing its mass at a constant rate?
Since Humans have been able to alter the speed of light, why can’t the Creator of all things do it?

Going Deeper

Books:

“The Genesis Flood,” by John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris

“The Cost,” by Russ Miller

“Faith, Form, and Time: What the Bible Teaches and Science Confirms About Creation and the Age of the Universe,” by Kurt Wise

“The Deep Time Deception, Examining the Case for Millions of Years,” by Michael J. Oard of Creation Ministries International (creation.com)

“Evolution: The Grand Experiment,” and “Living Fossils – Evolution: The Grand Experiment, Vol. 2” both by Carl Werner (both on DVD as well)

Book and Article:

“101 Questions about Dinosaurs,” by Phillip J. Currie and Eva B. Koppelhus. Dover Publications, 1996, p. 12. Journal of Creation (peer reviewed and science deep)

Class Resources and References for this topic:

Flood Geology, Receding Waters – Documentary (and book) by Michael J. Oard

isgenesishistory.com – Is Genesis History? – Documentary, video clips, lectures and more

searchcreation.org – Search 1000’s of questions for answers on Genesis and creation topics

genesisapologetics.com – Easy-to-understand web, video, and written products for pastors, parents, and students. The materials are “core” to the Creationist position

creation.com – (CMI) Creation Ministries International’s website: Speakers, videos, articles, tours and more (including topics on aliens and dinosaurs!)

creationtoday.org – A Community oriented group hosted by Eric Hovind with weekly interviews, podcasts and an online community

creationministries.org – Recommended Book: “The Cost” by Russ Miller – See his website for more materials and Grand Canyon tours

answersingenesis.org – Books, articles and conferences geared for all ages, with excellent resources for children; designer and host of “the Ark Encounter” in Williamstown, KY

icr.org – Academic experts from all fields of science related to creation and Genesis; designer and host of the “Creation Museum” in Dallas, TX

Bible Study

Each week we will have Bible study following the presentation. There will be questions presented here on the weekend, and basic answers will be posted mid-week for your review. This can also be used to make a leader’s guide for your own small group and future studies!

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

1. Review of Class Topic:

With your table group, discuss today’s presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Read Genesis Chapter 10 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions.

Note: Chapter 10 is often called “The Table of Nations” because it is here that we find the history of the generations that form all people groups today. The Bible, however, will focus in on one main group – the descendants of Shem, who would eventually birth the nation of Israel.

2. In 10:2-5 we find the generations of Japheth. Are there any familiar names in Japheth’s descendants, if so, what do you know about them, and about where this people group ended up settling?

3. In 10:6-20 we find the generations of Ham. Are there any familiar names or places in Ham’s list of descendants, if so, what do you know about them and these locations?

4. In 10:21-31 we find the generations of Shem. Are there any familiar names or places in Shem’s descendants, if so, what do you know about them and these locations?

5. Research: Shem’s line leads to Jesus – make a graph or chart to show that connection (you can cross-reference Luke chapter 3).

Please join us each week as we continue our case for Genesis!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15