https://creation.com/6000-years
Look, I fully grasp you're a trolling atheist, but how do you account for the use of the Hebrew word "yom" transliterated in English as "day"?
Remember the Hebrew language is a derivative of ancient Chaldean and is quite small. So small in fact that one individual can memorize every word in the language so attempts at producing new translations from the same available manuscripts can produce slightly different translations in terms of OT material. Not all linguists agree on how words translate. Often times the differences are very slight, but occasionally they're significant.
I am much more persuaded by the notion of 6 days of creation occurring over 6 ages and that in fact we are existing in God's 7th day/age of rest after his activity of creation (as all 6 creation days had a “morning and evening” except day 7 which appears to be ongoing to the present). The hebrew word for “day” is "yom" and actually has multiple definitions. "Yom" can refer to the daylight, an actual 24-hour day or a long expanse of time (ex: an age). Moses who was divinely inspired to write Genesis had no other Hebrew word other than “yom” to use to describe these things so we must be willing to step deeper into the text and the source languages to understand it (because Hebrew to English isn’t always 100% cut and dry).
Hebrew words used in the Genesis creation account such as “happa’am” which literally translates into “at long last” (which Adam exclaimed after Eve’s creation) and Adam being asked to tend the entire garden and name all the animals, being put into deep sleep, being operated on for the creation of woman and the determination that man should no longer be alone (implying a period of loneliness on Adam’s part prior to Eve’s creation) would be hard, hard pressed to fit into a single 24 hour day. Also biblical references to the “generations of creation” and the biblical statement that a thousand years is like a day to God is compelling. These are just some things to consider and by no means an exhaustive list and I haven’t even discussed how creation events and cosmological and geological ages of the universe and earth align with creation accounts LOL….and they do!!
Gleason Archer was perhaps the foremost linguistic theologian who ever lived and prior to his death his explanation of biblical Hebrew (which he was an expert) puts the literal explanation of "yom" as a literal 24-hour day in Genesis 1 and 2 in absolute question.....he is by no means alone in this interpretation. There’s an old story that goes that as a student of languages Gleason would actually take notes in one language class using ancient Hittite LOL!!
Admittedly I was raised in a typical young earth (6000 years) literal days creation household, but I've done my own independent study and actually attended a series of lectures on these very topics (believers actually read and study). I see definite evidence for microbial changes (ex: evolution of bacteria and viruses yet both remain bacteria and viruses – the flu virus) and definite speciation in very small animals under 10lbs. We see that some birds (ex: some finches) have evolved slightly due to environmental circumstances (yet remain finches), but no significant evidence for a "macro evolution" position (one species into another) has ever been completely validated. The fossil evidence of the cambrian explosion (so many, many animals suddenly appearing at once) and the totality of fossil record lacking any specific transitioning examples simply doesn't support a species to species (macro) evolutionary change (and yes I'm aware that 'science' only has 'evolution' not 'macro' and 'micro'). We merely have artistic renderings (including some definite artistic license....the classic "deer to whale" evolution example) to help make the case. But a definite record of fossils? None yet. Even though our universe if almost 14 billion years old that is not enough time for a large species to evolve into another; hence some sects of the scientific community push for an even grander age of the cosmos than has been established in order to compensate for this…….modern cosmology refutes this “even older universe” position.
At this point in time I am much more persuaded and adopt an old-earth creationist perspective as I can still make a definite distinction between the concepts of age and evolution while in absolute support of creation, but I plan on continuing to study more debates (old v young creation, old creation v evolution, young creation v evolution, etc…) and continue my independent reading (I read this material everyday and listen to debates on these subjects almost daily). I’ve already taken university level physics, biology, genetics and chemistry courses (yes believers study science in school also) so I grasp the secular, scientific position (not exhaustively LOL, but beyond an average layman).
I’m humble enough to admit that I don’t have all the answers and believe me that coming to terms with this is not something I take lightly (it shakes some believers to their core and others to cry "heresy!!"), but like others I will continue to search out answers honestly and proactively. I’m simply willing to examine both secular science and theology and do so with an attitude of learning and humility.
If a day to God is like a thousand years to us then perhaps the earth is older than 6000 years determined by the Genesis lineage presented in scripture. Sure the generations following Adam and Eve date back 6,000 years but prior to Adam and Eve's fall from grace we have no idea how long they spent together in the garden.
So again, why do you know the earth is absolutely 6,000 years old?
