I thought some of you might find this interesting...my only disclaimer is that this comes from a Christian apologetics website that I check in on from time to time. Anyway.... The Reliability of the Bible For Muslims the Bible is virtually worthless as far as being an authentic revelation from God. They believe it has been totally corrupted and is therefore not trustworthy. However, if we examine the biblical documents, using the same thorough standards any historiographer would use, we discover that its reliability is unimpeachable. The New Testament documents, for example, have more manuscript authority than any 10 works of antiquity put together. As mentioned earlier, we have over 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament dating from before A.D. 350. In comparison, the number two book in all of ancient history for manuscript authority is the Iliad with 643 manuscripts. Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, dean of the Simon Greenleaf School of Law and a noted theologian, comments on this: "To be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament."31 When we turn to the text of the New Testament itself we see that the writers of the New Testament books claimed that they were eyewitnesses, or close associates of eyewitnesses, of the events they narrated.32 We also have excellent external evidence confirming this. Papias, a disciple of the apostle John, confirms the fact that Mark did indeed write the Gospel which is ascribed to him, obtaining his information from the apostle Peter.33 Polycarp, another disciple of the apostle John, taught his own disciple Irenaeus that the men to whom the four Gospels are ascribed were in truth their real authors.34 In addition to these evidences we can also add the findings of modern archaeology. Time after time archaeology has vindicated biblical accounts which had previously been ridiculed as being grossly inaccurate.35 Concerning this, Nelson Glueck, a world-famous Jewish archaeologist, went so far as to say that "it may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference."36 In any responsible examination of the biblical documents the evidence for their reliability comes out positive. Even well-known secular historians accept the biblical accounts as being historically reliable. A.N. Sherwin-White, a non-Christian, accepts without question the essential reliability of the Gospels and the Book of Acts: For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming...any attempt to reject its historicity in matters of detail must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long taken it for granted.37 It is very interesting to note that Yusuf Ali, in his widely used English translation of the Qur’an, twice cites Sir Frederick Kenyon as a renowned authority.38 Kenyon, formerly the principal curator of the British Museum, was one the world’s greatest authorities on textual criticism of ancient works. Concerning the textual reliability of the Bible, he concluded that "the Christian can take the whole Bible in his hand and say without fear or hesitation that he holds in it the true Word of God."39
MadMax, Interesting post. I think I've checked out the site you are talking about. Some think the textual references in the Bible are symbolic rather than literal. Others choose to view the Bible simply as a great piece of literature. There has been, and always will be, great debate on Biblical interpretation....and whether it is the true Word of God. At the end of the day, there is no extrinsic evidence to prove the existence of God, or the truth of the Bible. I guess it all comes down to a matter of faith.
There's a logical misstep in that article. It's obvious that the Bible can be used in the study of history - mainly because it's one of the very few extensive texts still available from that period. Historians use it as a matter of course. However, to jump from 'it has historical value' to 'it is the true word of god' is an unfounded leap!
ultimately, i would agree...but Muslims and Christians would both assert that faith isn't just a feeling...you don't have to stop using your mind...how about something like "good faith and belief" to describe it?? i don't have any evidence there are purple dinosaurs on mars...i have zero faith there are....this is different than that for a lot of reasons.
I'm listening to a news story right now about a hominid fossil that's just been discovered in Africa. It is between 6 and 7 million years old. According to the Bible, the entire universe was only created thousands of years ago. Wouldn't these early fossils controvert Biblical references?
For the record - many Christians who work in biology these days believe in "intelligent design" - evolution can be a part of this. The days of creation, as I'm sure you have heard, do not have to be literal days, nor did the early hominids necessarily have the intelligence or spiritual capacity of humans. (not sure about this particular one, but many hominid skeletons they find have brain cavities that are more in line with the size of an ape's) <b>Hey MadMax</b> - where is this apologetics website you speak of? Also, do you happen to know any good Christian websites or discussion boards?
So if the story of creation is not literal, then can it be assumed that other information in the Bible is not literal as well?
it is not this simple...there is no clear answer from the Bible as to the age of the universe, in my mind. i've heard all sorts of different interpretations on this. I read the works of a Jewish scientist who said that day is actually better translated as a period of time which he could more definitely define...he calculated all that and gave a pretty interesting read that showed how it matched with science's view on the age of the universe. if i find that page again, i'll share it with you....actually, i may have read it off a link here. isabel -- equip.org is the website...i don't know of any message boards
Here's some info about the Qu'ran and reasons why we don't accept the bible. Of all the acclaimed masterpieces that the world has seen, nothing can be compared to the book known as the Qur'an. Millions have become Muslims upon simply hearing a verse from this amazing book, yet still the majority knows nothing of it. The Qur'an is the Final Revelation from the Creator to humanity. It was revealed in the year 610 CE to the Prophet Muhammed (saws), and completed over a period of 23 years. These 23 years of revelation resulted in a book which comprised of 114 chapters and over 6000 verses. All of this was to become the primary source of law for the whole of mankind to live and die by. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The impact of this book is such that Allah says :</font></small></p> <font face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2"> "Had We<a href="#Footnotes">[1]</a> revealed this Qur'an upon a mountain, surely you would have seen it humble itself and crumble out of the fear of Allah. Such are the parables We put forward to mankind so that they may reflect"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Al-Hashr 59:21)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">However, it seems as if the hearts of the people have become harder then the mountains which tower above us. When the Qur'an is recited or even mentioned, people turn away with disgust. In the West, this is primarily due to the negative exposure from the media. It has resulted in many non-Muslims not even wanting to hear the name of this amazing book. Muslims too, have become hardhearted because of the cultural influences of the West. Many young Muslims perceive the Qur'an to be nothing more then an old wrapped up book, which comes off the highest shelf once a year during Ramadan! </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">If people were to truly reflect upon this book, they would realise that nothing in this world is quite the same. So why should this claim be accepted over others? Why should the Qur'an be given precedence over the likes of the Bible, the Gita<a href="#Footnotes">[2]</a> or the Granth Sahib<a href="#Footnotes">[3]</a> ? The following reasons will <i>inshallah </i>give an indication as to why this book deserves the attention of all humanity.</font></small></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana" size="2"><a name="2"></a> Preservation</font></strong></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana"><i>"There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries with so pure a text". </i>Writing 200 years ago, these are the words of the famous English critic of Islam, Sir William Muir. But as Muslims we do not need Williarn Muir to tell us this. 1400 years ago, the Muslims accepted this reality when Allah revealed to them:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#ff0000">"Indeed it is We who have sent down the reminder (the Qur'an), and indeed it is Us who shall preserve it" </font><font face="Verdana" size="1"><br> (Surah Al-Hijr 15:9) </font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">These words have proved true to this very day. From the moment the first words were revealed to Muhammed (saws), to this very day, every single letter and word of the Qur'an has remained unchanged. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Before Islam, all the revelations sent were not given this divine assurance. This is why we find that books like the Bible are riddled with corruption and inaccuracies. It is well known that man has tampered with the Bible to the extent that annually different versions are produced to suit trends and desires<a href="#Footnotes">[4]</a> . In fact this has been going on for so long that it is almost impossible to see what of the words of the Creator are left, if any! </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">With the Qur'an it is the exact opposite. The contents of this amazing book are stored in the hearts of millions of Muslims worldwide. Children as young as 12 have memorised the entire book in its original language, Arabic. There is no other religious scripture on earth which is orally preserved in its original language by so many and over such a period of time, without having been tampered somewhere along the line. The Bible is a prime example of this. Many Christians believe that English is the divine language of the Bible. However Jesus (as) spoke Aramaic. From Aramaic, his life-story was translated into Hebrew. From Hebrew it was translated into Greek. From Greek to Latin, and then finally from Latin to English! There has not been a single vicar, priest or layman in recorded history who has even memorised the Bible in English, let alone the Aramaic! As Muslims we believe the Qur'an can only be in the language it was revealed in, i.e. Arabic. Anything else is a translation and not the divine words of the Creator. A true test of this divine preservation would be to burn all the books and manuscripts in existence, to see which can return as it was. The Qur'an would be the only book which would return in its original form, letter for letter, word for word. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Many Christians say that the Qur'anic claim of preservation needs to be backed-up by manuscript evidence. For us this is not a necessary criteria, but in order to quell the doubts, the Muslims have ample proof. Two copies of the Qur'an are in existence which date back to the Third Caliph Uthmaan (ra), 20 years after the death of the Prophet (saws). These two copies are to be found in the Topkapi museum, Istanbul, Turkey and in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Tashkent copy is thought to have been the personal copy of the Caliph as it still contains stains of his blood, which was shed when he was murdered whilst reading it. Any copy of the Qur'an which is compared to these copies, will show that there is not a single difference between what we have today and what was in existence 1400 years ago. Thus Allah's promise holds true.</font></small></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana" size="2"><a name="3"></a> No Mistakes</font></strong></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Man as a creature is fallible. For this reason anything which is produced by him will naturally have faults. With the Qur'an, such a notion cannot even be considered as it is from the one who is Infallible. In fact Allah clarifies this matter beautifully when he says:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana" size="2" color="#ff0000">"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it been from other then Allah surely they would have found much discrepancies within it" </font><font face="Verdana" size="1"><br> (Surah An-Nisa 4:82)</font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Throughout history many have tried to scrutinise and search the Qur'an for mistakes and errors. To this day no one has been able to bring a shred of proof showing that this book is not from Allah. Some Christians have even called it the work of the Devil because the book affected them so much when they read it! With other scriptures, contradictions, mistakes and absurdities are constantly present. When people contrast these ambiguities with the Qur'an, it often results in the acceptance of this faultless book.</font></small></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana" size="2"><a name="4"></a> The Arabic Language</font></strong></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Upon hearing Qur'anic recitation, you may be rather startled. Besides hearing the reciter of the prayer, you often hear people in the background sobbing and wailing heavily. So what is it that makes these people cry so much? It is nothing more then the beauty and eloquence of this book which moves millions to tears. This beauty is expressed in the language of Arabic. Allah says :</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2"> "Indeed We have revealed this as an Arabic Qur'an so that you may understand"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Yusuf 12:2)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">At the time of the Prophet (saws) three modes of expression were used. There was normal speech, the speech of the soothsayer and poetry. The Arabs were the masters of their language, and poetry was their cultural highlight. Arabic poetry is split into 16 categories, each separate from the other. When the Qur'an was proclaimed to the Arabs it amazed them beyond all limits. It was like nothing they had ever heard before. It did not fit into the 16 categories of poetry, nor was it the speech of a soothsayer, and it certainly was not normal speech. If it was not all these, then it could only be the word of Allah. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The eloquence and majesty of the early chapters of the Qur'an moved many to tears, and the beautiful Qur'anic Arabic converted millions of Arabs in the Middle-East. Not only did the Qur'an effect the lives of these Arabs, but it also transformed their culture. Even today, no serious study of the Arabic language is possible without reference to this book. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The reaction of some pagans was that they accused Muhammed (saws) of being a soothsayer and a madman. In order to silence them, Allah issued a challenge. At first he asked them to produce a book like the Qur'an. When it could not be done, Allah asked them to produce ten chapters like it. When this too could not be done Allah finally stated:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2"> "And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to Our slave, then produce a chapter like it"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:23)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The smallest chapter in the Qur'an is only 3 verses long (Chapter 108). The pagans at the time of the Prophet (saws) could not even produce something as small as this, and since then no one else has completed this impossible task. All of this is in light of the fact that the Prophet Muhammed (saws) could not read or write, thus refuting those who say that the Qur'an was his own handiwork. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The Qur'an is the Final book of revelation. After it there will be no more. However, many have tried to deny this by producing their own new versions of the Qur'an. Among them have been the two false prophets, Musailama<a href="#Footnotes">[5]</a> and Ghulam Ahmed<a href="#Footnotes">[6]</a> . Many Chapters in the Qur'an are named after animals, such as the Ant, Spider etc. Musailama tried to copy this, and went about creating a chapter in his book called the Weasel! In Arabic it is called Al-Wabl and it hardly causes people to be struck in awe! On the other hand Ghulam Ahmed, the 'British stooge', claimed to receive revelation in cockney English!! Such foolishness could never compare to the beauty of the Qur'an with its clear and beautiful Arabic language.</font></small></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana" size="2"><a name="5"></a> Science</font></strong></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">Over the past few decades much interest has been shown in the scientific content of the Qur'an. Scientific data which has been discovered in recent times, has been existent in this book for 1400 years. In fact the very common origin of this universe is stated clearly by Allah, the Most High:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"> "Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We parted them. And We made from water every living thing. Will they then not believe?" </font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">This parting of the heavens and the earth is more commonly known to scientists as the 'big bang'. It is also a fact that life originated from water and that every living cell is composed of 85% water. Without water life is impossible. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The mountains of the earth, like icebergs, have roots going deep into the ground. This ensures that they will not topple with their extreme heights - this is known as 'isostasy'. In this way the mountains are like the stakes which are used to anchor a tent. But this fact is already known to us when Allah says:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2"> "Have We not made the earth an expanse and the mountains stakes?"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah An-Naba 78:6-7)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">and</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"> "Allah has cast into the ground mountains standing firm so that it does not shake with you" </font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Luqman 31:10)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The embryological data which is found in the Qur'an is astounding. Allah describes the formation of a baby inside the womb from the very moment the sperm reaches the ovum, to its formation into a human. This data, which was only discovered about 30 years ago, has amazed many westem scientists. Amongst them is Dr Keith Moore from the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Moore<a href="#Footnotes">[7]</a> is a recognised authority in embryological circles, with his university text book being set as a standard text in many universities throughout the world. When Dr Moore was asked as to how this information in the Qur'an could be explained, he replied: <i>"It could only have been divinely revealed".</i> </font></small></p> <p><strong><font face="Verdana" size="2"><a name="6"></a> History</font></strong></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The Qur'an is a book of historical accuracy. One accuracy which has corrected the mistakes of many Christians and historians, is the fate of the pharaoh who drowned in the Red Sea whilst pursuing Moses. The Biblical story would have us believe that the matter ended when the pharaoh drowned. But the Qur'an explains further. When he was drowning the pharaoh confessed his faith in Allah. But it was too late, and Allah promised him:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000"><font size="2"> "This day We shall preserve you in your body, so that you may be a sign for those who come after you. But indeed many of mankind are heedless of Our signs"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Yunus 10:92)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">In 1898 the tombs of various pharaohs were discovered in the Valley of the Kings, in Egypt. In 1975 Dr Maurice Bucaille, an eminent French surgeon was allowed to examine the mummified bodies of Rameses II and the pharaoh who had pursued Moses - Merneptah. Dr Bucaille discovered that Merneptah had received very violent blows to several parts of his body and had suffered a massive heart attack. Amazingly, these are the results which occur when someone dies from drowning! Thus Allah had saved the body of the transgressing pharaoh as a sign for all humanity. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">For those who say that Muhammed (saws) knew his history and wrote it in the Qur'an, the following shall prove otherwise. In the year 615 CE the Roman army was defeated by the Persians. About this event Allah revealed:</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"> "The Romans have been defeated in the lowest land, but in a few years they shall be victorious again, within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after, is only with Allah"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah Ar-Rum 30:2-4)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">The words of Allah proved true as the Persians were defeated at the battle of Issus, 7 years later in 622 CE. There is <u>no</u> possible way that Muhammed (saws) could have known (if he wrote the Qur'an) that the Romans would be victorious. In fact he also did not know that the 'lowest land' at which the battle was fought was literally that. The battle in 615 CE was fought on the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest point below sea level on earth, at 1300 ft. </font></small></p> <p><small><font face="Verdana">A book with these credentials could only be from the Creator of the heavens and the earth. A book which we need to acquaint ourselves with. A book . . .</font></small></p> <p align="Center"><font face="Verdana"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"> ". . . which has been revealed to you (O' Muhammed) so that you may lead mankind out of the darkness and into the light"</font></font><font size="1"><br> (Surah lbrahim 14:1)</font><small> </small></font></p> <p align="Left"> </p> <p align="Left"><a name="Footnotes"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><b> Footnotes</b></font></a> </p> <p align="Left"><font face="Verdana"><small>1 The word 'WE' does not mean that there is more then one God. Rather it is a plural of respect which gives Allah grandeur over his creation.<br> 2 The Baghyad Gita is one of the Hindu scriptures.<br> 3 The Guru Granth Sahib is the Sikh scripture <br> 4 The most recent version of the Bible is the 'Politically Correct Version'!!<br> 5 Musailama claimed prophethood just before the death of the Prophet Muhammed (saws). He was from the region of Yamaamah in Arabia and from the tribe of Haneefah. <br> 6 Ghulam Ahmed was born in 1840 in Qadian, India. He claimed prophethood at the request of his imperialist masters, the British Government. <br> 7 Besides Dr Moore, there have been many other famous Western scientists who have accepted Islam. One of the most prominent was the famous French oceanographer, Jacques Yves Cousteau who has recently passed away. Cousteau was amazed at the accuracy of the Qur'anic statements regarding underwater activity and thus embraced Islam. As a result of his death, Cousteau's life achievements have been highlighted in the Western media. However his acceptance of Islam was conveniently absent from the news-reports. </small></font></p>
Let me also remind you something like 400 or 500 years ago the world was flat...of course we laugh at that now. Will our future grand children laugh at us for thinking a fossil was 6 or 7 million years old?
They'd more likely laugh at us for thinking the Bible was gospel truth. Long as we're getting into ancient history, some folks used to worry bout Zeus too.
Ockham's Razor my friend. Are thousands upon thousands of well-educated scientists, mathematicians and scholars from numerous countries and religions correct -- the universe is, in fact, billions of years old. Or does one text, written more than a thousand years ago representing a minority of humans have a monopoly on the truth? Which seems more plausible?
The people who wrote the Bible therefore didn't know the world was round but they of course know about the origin of the Universe.
You realize that the scientists of the time like Galileo actually tried to convince everyone that the world was round AND revolved around the sun. However, the church forced him to recant or have his head cut off. The church was angry because it believed the earth was the center of the universe and called anyone who said otherwise a blasphemer. So, your analogy actually might be reversed.
I interpreted his post differently. Although our scientist of present are the most knowledgeable of any time in history,what will future generations think 100 years, 200 years, or 1000 years from now? Arguably findings of prsent will appear comical and silly, just as we view those that thought the world was considered flat of the past.
Space Ghost, I hate bringing this up, because I shouldn't insinuate that science must be secular (at least if I want people to accept reality). However, the fact of the matter is that science pushes itself, and religious people modify their beliefs as the empirical world forces it upon them. The same people that question K/Ar dating (actually do people that question the dates of these fossils know what K/Ar dating is?) are the same people who insisted that the world was flat centuries ago. I'm not trying to start an argument, because frankly, politics is boring. It isn't testable when both sides of the argument foam at the mouth and lie their heads off. What I do think is cool, is the science. There's much ado about science that needs revisioning. And Nature, and Science... peer reviewed journals (but sensationalistic.. b/c they're weekly journals), publish things that they later have to retract. My point is though, that that game is much more cool than throwing your feces at Jazz fans, running away from fire and public masturbation. If your covenant is by God, or if your covenant is elsewhere, embrace the science and respect the science. Hell, if you just learn the science to show that that skull is only 5.2 myo, you're much further along than just an arm chair zealot.
Good topic. If we look at some of the text, we can find some "answers" to the time frame. --Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. ---It doesn't say how much time passed from the begining to the creation of light. It could be billions of years as some suggest. In fact, before there was light and darkness, God could have just been chillin, talking with the angels and such for a few billion years. The first day appears to have been the creation of day and night on earth. The question then could be, how much time passed from the big bang until the sun and our solar system formed? Could this be the time of void? Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Genesis 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day --Could this be the creation of the solar system as we know it. The coming together of the planets to create this atmosphere and living conditions we have on earth? Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Genesis 1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. Genesis 1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. --So, according to the bible, the first creatures were from the sea. Who else suggested life first began in the sea? Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. --Next came creatures walking on the earth, Hmmm. Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. --So first from the sea, then on land, then man. Sounds like another theory we hear about today. For whatever reason, Adam lived to be 930 years old. What is not clear is if days back then were same same as today. God is all powerful, so we have no way of knowing if days we 24 hours, or 100000000 years. For whatever reason, when Adam left the Garden, he was now subject to rules as we know them. THese are just a few things to think about. I struggle with my beliefs as to which is right, science or God. There is no way for us to know how much time passed from "in the begining" to the creation of the sun and moon. Maybe someone else could offer this knowledge, when were the wars in heaven? When did God banish Lucifer and the other angels? Where does this fit in. Oh, well, faith is fun.
