How Old is our Universe?
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Almost every science and history book, even some Christian ones, promote the
theory that the universe is billions of years old. I ask, what is our
foundation? Whatever it may be, all of our ideals and perspectives are based on
that foundation. Therefore, every person has a foundation on which they base
their thinking. When two people disagree, it is because of their difference in
foundations. As a committed Christian our foundation should be the Scriptures “There
is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor council against the Lord” (Proverbs
21:30). Every area of our lives must start with the Word of God.
For over a thousand years, science and the Bible have always gone hand in hand. Theology was once referred to as the Queen of Science. However, about two hundred years ago people like James Hutton, Charles Lyell and others, because of their atheistic views, challenged the foundations about our earth’s past. When it comes to the past, all we have is evidence that exists in the present.
The Bible states that the earth and the universe are young, around 6,000 –7,000 years old. In studying on this subject for over 20 years, I do not know of anything that cannot be explained within the spectrum of Scripture. I have met Christians that share evidence that would seem to indicate a full proof argument that the universe is billions of years old. When you listen to their evidence, it is based on assumptions of the past that have not been proven. The main objective is that all the evidence be consistent with the biblical outlook. Evolutionists cannot do that with their theory. So do we put our trust in the all knowing, all-powerful God who was in the beginning, or do we put our trust in the limitations of men, who do not have all the evidence concerning life, who were not there? The choice is yours. Where does your foundation rest?
Evidence for a Young Earth and Universe
1. Magnetic Decay- In the last one hundred forty years, direct
measurements have been taken concerning the Earth’s Magnetic field which show a steady decline in it’s strength. Dr. Thomas Barnes and other scientists who have studied this issue suggest that the half-life of the Magnetic field is around 1,400 years. This means that 1,400 years ago it’s strength would have been twice what it is today. This would show that if the earth was 10-15,000 years old, the field would be so strong it would not be able to support life on earth as we know it.
2. Sun’s Shrinking Mass- Since 1836 over 100 observers from the U.S.
Naval and Royal Greenwich Observatories have made direct measurements of the sun’s diameter which show a steady decline. This decline indicates about 5 feet per hour or 8.29 miles a year. If the Sun were 5 million years old, Mercury would have been destroyed by the sun’s radiating heat long ago. There is much that we are learning everyday about the world around us that is consistent with God’s Word.
3. Short Period Comets- As comets pass by the sun, like Haley’s
comet, they are torn apart by the Sun’s powerful gravity and solar winds. As the comets make each pass in their cycle, they will eventually be destroyed. According to the late Dr. Harold Slusher of the University of El Paso and other astronomers, the life expectancy of a short period comet is at the most 10,000 years. Since both evolutionists as well as creationists believe the short period comets existed at the beginning of time, they would be a good indicator of the age of the universe.
4. Atmospheric Helium- The amount of Helium in our atmosphere is
caused by several things:
· Uranium and thorium deposits produce Helium.
· The sun produces Helium that comes into our atmosphere.
· Helium is produced by other
Material that comes from the earth’s core. Since very little of helium atmosphere is millions of years old, there should be large amounts of helium now. Dr. Melvin Cook, former Nobel-prize nominee says that the amount of helium in our atmosphere at present shows a age of 10-15,000 years old.
As tidal friction gradually slows Earth’s spin, the laws of physics require the Moon to recede from Earth. This recession was first observed in 1695 by Edmond Halley. Even if the Moon began orbiting near Earth’s surface, the Moon should have moved to its present distance from Earth in several billion years less time than the 4.6 billion-year age evolutionists assume for the Earth and Moon. So the Earth-Moon system must be much younger than evolutionists
6. The Speed of Light - Light traveling at 186,000 miles per second,
will travel about six trillion miles in one year. This distance is called one light-year. There are galaxies that are alleged to be billions of light-years distant from us in space. This means that the light, which left the galaxies five billion years ago, should just now be reaching us. This would seem to indicate that the Universe and the creation must be at least five billion years old or else we wouldn't be seeing this light. In other words, if the stars were only 6 - 10,000 years old, the light from these distant galaxies would not have even reached us yet.
There are several possible explanations to this one of these explanations is that distances in space cannot be accurately measured. Obviously we cannot stretch a string into outer space or measure these distances with a yardstick, and so distances are calculated rather than measured. This is accomplished by a technique known as triangulation. Surveyors use this method using the laws of trigonometry which state that if the baseline and two angles of a triangle are known then the height of that triangle can be calculated. Short distances of a few hundred thousand miles can be measured by triangulating the simultaneous observations of observatories on opposite sides of the earth. As the ratio of the unknown to the known distance increases, the baseline angles become greater and greater, so that beyond an altitude-to-baseline ratio of 28.5 to 1. The angle becomes then greater than 89º and must be further divided into minutes and seconds of arc.
The limitations of this method are evident even within our own solar system, as the apex angle to our sun would be only 10 seconds of arc (1/360 of a degree). The distances to even the nearest stars are so great that a greater triangulational baseline is needed, and so the earth's orbit around our sun is used, allowing a baseline of about 186 million miles. Sightings are taken 6 months apart, the angels are compared, and the distance is computed with trigonometry. Since the distances to the stars are so great, the sides of the triangle are virtually perpendicular and so only the nearest stars (up to about 200 light-years) can be measured by this technique. For example, our sun is 8 light minutes from us, so the baseline of the triangle would be 16 light minutes. Our nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is 4 1/2 light-years or 2,365,000 light minutes from earth, for a ratio of approximately 148,000 to 1. At that ratio, an 8 1/2" line drawn across this page would have the apex of its triangle 20 miles away!
7. Saturn’s Rings - The fact that Saturn still has rings supports the theory of a young universe. These rings, which consist of rock fragments, are continually bombarded by meteors causing the rings to disperse. If the solar system was older than 25,000 years, Saturn's rings would have been pulverized and scattered long ago
There are other explanations that can fit with the biblical time frame in regards to the speed of light. When all the evidence is looked at, it fits the age of the universe as described in the Holy Scriptures. These are just a few of the things that unholy men have twisted to lead many to doubt the trustworthiness of God’s Word.
Are you willing to put your trust in men, who do not know everything, or are you willing to trust in an all knowing, loving God who was there?
The choice is yours.