"On this topic (age of the earth) the saddest thing is to see Christians fighting one another. That brings the Gospel into disrepute" John Lennox. Well said!!

When the Bible says, "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day", I always felt, it was simply saying God's time, is not the same as our time. To be clear it doesn't say, one day is equal to 1000 years, but one day is "like" 1000 years. One day to God, who is eternal, is a long time to us.

So well explained. God bless him. I pray others who need this find it.

First time someone explains this the way I always understood it. Thank you professor! For almost 50 years I was doubting myself at times and listened to different interpretations but in the end always came back to Genesis 1:1

How I Love John Lennox. Such a voice of reason and peace. As believers, we must remember that Jesus Christ Is Lord, the rest are details. May God continue to bless John and Veritas Forum.

When we ask ourselves how much we really know with that little information we've been given, we'll quickly realize if honest, that some things are not worth fighting about.

When I find a difference between scripture and science, I immediately know that I have a lack of understanding, and for me to have a greater understanding would require God’s intent for me to have that greater understanding, and at this point in eternity, I content myself with where God wants me to be and the understanding He wants me to have.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:11

John Lennox IS A MAGNIFICENT professor! When life on life's terms delivers a PUNCH and I'm attempting to regain my ballance, then listen to John's CALMING lectures.. Thank you kind Sir 🙏

The problem is , the Bible acknowledges a time line from Adam to Jesus. Lennox ignored basic facts.. Lennox says the Bible doesn't say how old the earth is, but the book does say how many generations from Adam to Jesus . It is not millions of years.

No one ever says or believes the new earth and new heavens will take billions of years. Why do many think that of first creation? It was literally days. God spoke it and it was. The Hebrew word "yom" ALWAYS means a literal day when used in conjunction with a number or description like day or evening.

"And God spoke all these words, saying, “I AM the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt... You shall have no other gods before me... in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." - Exodus 20 "Jesus said to them, “... from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” - Mark 10

The thing old earthers don’t seem to understand is the debate isn’t really about the age of the earth. I agree that is pretty much irrelevant. The debate is about where you turn to for authority on the issue. I know old earthers who are faithful to the rest of scripture, but there are implications old earthers don’t realize. For instance if “day” in this context doesn’t literally mean “24 hour period” then it is easy to see how people can read other passages about homosexuality or the deity of Christ and say it doesn’t mean what it clearly says. Not saying all old earthers do that, but it’s easier to justify it. Secondly, the major problem old earthers have is accounting for death prior to sin. This is really where the issue lies that I don’t think too many old earthers think about. In order to accept the millions of years viewpoint, you would have to account for these millions of years to be occurring prior to the fall of man and introduction of original sin. It would also mean things died and decayed. If this is true, it means that death was originally part of God’s plan for creation, that it was “very good” despite including death, that Bible wrong to say “the wages of sin is death” and it ultimately undermines the Gospel and attacks the character of God. Why? Because if death was around before sin, what did Jesus have to die for? What was the point of him rising again? If death was around before sin, then death is good according to God and death is from God rather than sin and makes God wicked because you’re claiming He said something was “very good” which isn’t.

Christians often get into arguments over those things that don't really matter. Ask yourself, is it a salvation issue? If not, let it go. That is why we have so many denominations. They split over the minutia.

You’re an extremely simplistic man John. Cheers Mike

John Lennox: Professor Emeritus of Arithmetic.

In the beginning might not be day one but life only started with the announcement of the days. If the earch existed for billions of years before the announcement of days, it existed without death. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, we have the days counted...

This wonderful brother John Lennox has devoted much of his life to persuade unbelievers of the resurrection of Christ and the power of his word. I'm sure many atheists have gotten serious headaches from John's powerful logic and faith. Please pray for him and those that listen to his lectures that God will open the ears of the unbelievers and they would be saved. I think this is God's will that he continue, not many are able to do what he does and are as respected as he is. Thank God for this man and all others who have given their lives in the belief that Christ died to save sinners

THis man is a JEWEL. What a great way to frame this...and I think everyone in the church on all sides should listen and take heart to his words, he's RIGHT!

I’ve never heard the argument that the very first verse of the Bible occurs before day 1. That actually resolves a lot of tension.

Very good reconciliation. The problem with such questions is we often forget God, and therefore his word The Bible, are never wrong. At the same time He never contradicts facts. So, if The Bible says something is thus and so, and the facts seem to contradict that, the issue IS NOT The Bible nor the facts. The issue is OUR choice of interpretation.

So his answer is....buy my book??

So refreshing.

Excellent. Our history has been lies manifested by people for uncountable years and timelines. Thank you.

For the record, genesis is literal, what he mentions about the earth is found in the poetic writings

Grew up going through Christian schools, had speakers every Friday. I've never heard this before, or explained so simply.

John Lennox is a great man.

He's the clean Benny Hill

I wonder if he talked about the OT genealogies from Adam forward that give us a general time frame

We don’t know how long a minute was, an hour was, a day was when God created the world……man created time as we know it today

One of my favorite writers and teachers of the faith is C.S. Lewis because he taught that reason should be built into one's faith. I like Mr. Lennox (apologies if he holds a doctorate), but in this particular subject he seems to be misquoting Genesis in order to soften what is written there. While I'm using an ESV translation, the passages appear in the other translations I've cross-checked. Gen. 1:5 "... And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." Gen. 1:8 "... And there was evening and there was morning, the second day." These phrases appear after each accomplishment on the respective day. I once tried to hold the belief that what was said in Genesis 1 merely referenced an unknown amount of time in seven sequences. That is until I reread the scripture and saw these passages. For me, these passages are too purposefully placed within the text to allow for interpretation as Mr. Lennox is professing. And as for those stating science has proven the age of the Earth. I merely have to look back 50 or 100 years to the writings of the scientists at that time who were just as certain of the Earth's age that modern science has since debunked. It is only through humanity's hubris that we say anything is certain as to how old our universe is or how it even works. Science is our method of learning about our universe, but to say anything we learn is the absolute end of the mystery is folly. Scientific theories must be tested constantly so that we can know they hold up to new evidence.

So, whenever science is in conflict with scripture, we are simply looking at some misinterpretation of scripture? The consequence of this is the complete loss of falsifiability, isn't it?

The difference was Galileo wasn’t trying to push God out of the picture, but the idea of an old earth and the Darwinian evolution that that idea supported were largely pushed by those who wanted to get God out of the picture. So it is difficult for Christians to have a conversation about the topic, because it’s already very muddled.

For 1700 years the Bible said the Earth was fixed. All of a sudden it doesn’t say that anymore. Same with the Earths age. There was never any interpretation of the Bible indicating a 4 billion year old Earth. But when science shows the Bible to be problematic, suddenly the Bible didn’t actually say that. Very convenient.

I wished he stated what verse he was talking about because there are plenty of verses talking about the earth moving. You don't concede a point based on something that isn't true. He's right about making a dogmatic stand based on a few verses that could be legitimately interpreted differently.

Very interesting analysis! Above all Let us not “disrepute the gospel”! I would however like to add one note (no controversy here, just food for thought), when thinking about creation. There is a vs. from Exd 20:9-11 “six days you shall labor and do all your work… for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” NIV

Love listening to John Lennox- he removes the religion from faith.

Claiming the Bible says something that it doesn’t actually say? How about Exodus 20:8-11? “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Sounds pretty clear to me!

If the Bible says in Psalms 104:5 that the earth does not move, then the Bible also says that: - God is a shepherd (Psa 23:1) - God is a rock (Psa 29:1 and Psa 118:2) - God is a hen (Mat 23:37) - God is an eagle (Deu 32:11) - God is a lion (Isa 31:4) - Trees have conversations (Judges 9) In the same Psalm 104, it also says: covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. We do not take that literally, right? Why then does Lennox want to read verse 5 literally? Psalm 104 is poetry; however, Genesis 1 is not. Also, the earth's movement is part of operational science, while the age of the earth is part of historical science. If people in the past used verse 5 to argue that the earth is fixed, the correct rebuttal is not that science has proved the Bible wrong, it is the people who read their Bible wrong. Read history as history, poetry as poetry, etc

I sometimes think the question really being asked is. How long has man been on the earth? That would be a different answer.

Lennox is brilliant and his non answer was also.

Yes many things said and misinterpreted but one thing that cannot be discerned from is God’s Word

My response to another Lennox video... Firstly, from what Lennox said is interesting to learn that Usher wasn't specificaly working out how old the earth was, he was working out when Adam was born. From 6:34 Lennox talked about the earth moving idea. The important point in this section is that Lennox around 7.50 stated that the word 'fixed' in the Bible is NOT talking about being geometrically or spatially fixed. This is an important point. When we are reading the Bible we must be careful not to impose some popular/traditional contemporary definition of a word upon how the Bible uses that word. We need to examine what Moses etc had in mind when using that word. When I was a kid if someone said 'Web' I would think of what is made outside by a 'spider', but now I would most likely think of the internet. Unfortunately, Lennox doesn't apply the principle he used for 'fix' to 'beginning', 'heaven' and 'earth'. What is the word beginning in verse 1 of Genesis Chapter 1 referring to? You can't use the word beginning without having the object or action to which this belongs to. In the same verse we have 'made'. God was making things. This would take a period of time to accomplish. Moses was telling us that God made 'Heaven' and the 'Earth' at the START of this manufacturing process. Why is it important for this to happen? It would help if we knew what Moses had in mind with the words heaven and earth. If we look at the context, like the rest of the chapter, we see that Heaven was made on the 2nd day and Earth was made on the 3rd day. This is the BEGINNING of the WEEK / manufacturing timetable. There must be a reason why Moses tells us that "heaven" and "earth" had to be made at the beginning. The answer is in verse 2. God had picked one of His water-covered planets to put Adam and Eve on. The land God wanted to put Adam and Eve on was way down in the deep, dark water (without form) and therefore couldn't be inhabited (void). God had to do something about this water. In Isa 45:18 we are told that God FORMED the Earth so that it could be INHABITED (not VOID). Notice in day 1 that we have an evening and a morning, a term used to refer to a 24 hour day. Evenings and mornings are based on the apparent movement of the sun through our sky. The sun was already there. If you think that 'heaven' is the universe then that is a problem. However, we will now look at what Heaven is. In regards to day 1 notice that the Apostle Paul said in 2Cor4:6 that the light that God made on that day came from the DARKNESS which was at the bottom of the water in Gen 1 verse 2. I suggest that it was the activation of the VISIBLE LIGHT SPECTRUM. On day 2 we are told that God turned the middle portion of the water of verse 2 into a firmament to which God gave the name 'Heaven'. What is this firmament made of? Obviously components of the water. If we go to day 5 we find that WINGED fowl FLY in the FIRMAMENT of Heaven. So Heaven is the Atmosphere, containing the air that Adam and Eve need breathe. This is WHY Heaven was made at the BEGINNING or the start of the week. Making the air AFTER making Adam and Eve would have been a disaster. The 2nd day ends with a layer of water above the atmosphere (that would have fallen in the Flood), then the Atmosphere, then another layer of water which was sitting on the land referred to as the Face of the Deep. So we still have water on the land. On the 3rd day God made Seas. Seas have basins so obviously God had formed basins in the Face of the Deep and all the lower layer water flowed into these basins. This left the surrounding land to be at last ABOVE the water level. The Atmosphere dried out this land between the seas and God called it Earth. So in the Bible the word Earth does NOT refer to the whole planet, but only to the dry CONDITION of the land. It is this CONDITION that is 6000 years old, not the planet. Notice that we are not told about the land and the water being made during this week. Since the universe and our planet existed before the Genesis creation event, why did God carry out the Genesis creation event? The CONTEXT of this event is the conflict between God and Satan. Many angels had left God to join Satan (Jude 1:6, Rev 12). Jesus said that the believers shall be equal to and like the angels (Matt 22:30, Luke 20:34-36). Even if Adam and Eve had NOT fallen, they and their descendants would still been made as angels to replace the fallen angels. Don't forget that there was a 7th day in this creation week in, which God (plural: includes Jesus) blessed and hallowed. Jesus told the Jews that He was LORD of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8. The 7th day of the week to the Jews). Why do so many professed Christians ignore the day that Jesus Himself said that He was Lord of?

It doesn't say "in the beginning". It says "[the] beginning", and it's an introductory statement that is elucidated in the next verses. So Genesis does describe a young earth.

What about Ex 20:8-11? Does honest exegesis allow a different interpretation of the word 'day' within a couple of lines? Let John Lennox answer this.

The translation for day, literally means a period of time. The Bible does however call the earth a globe in Job. Way before anyone else. Bible is always right.

Today the argument on Gen. 1:1-2 is between OEC & YEC. I know of Hebrew scholars who interpret the first two verses with a long GAP, and that verse 2 starts with an adversative clause.

If you have unanswered questions that trouble you about the time line and age of the earth and genesis ! Do not worry ! It is possible to find the answers to the questions ! You just have to ask, wait and be patient, and persevere !

Thank you! The bible is the Authority, not our understanding of it!!

Creation ministries (CMI) is an excellent resource, with multiple videos that tackle this question based on numerous scientific data.

It's a short walk between Mr. Lennox's views and a sanatorium.

How long until you get the answer?

Isn't it amazing how christians re-interpret the. bible to suit their own particular circumstances?

I was an atheist and got powerfully and wonderfully saved 45 yrs ago. I knew ZERO… but I knew my salvation wasn’t based on my IQ… in fact very little of my salvation is based on me… except my trust in Him. He did it I only need to accept His work on the cross. I love theology, I love to talk and hear about my Lord. I just want to be with others who love Him, not those who agree with me. Those who agree with Him. God bless

God says He created everything in 6 days. Time commenced when God said it did.

01:38 What verse is he quoting? I can't find that anywhere! I found something similar but it doesn't say what he is professing. "Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." Psalms 104:5 As far as the age of the earth he is spot on. "Of OLD thou hast laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands." Psalms 102:25

I would love to meet John Lennox just to expand my knowledge with his guidance!

Interesting that he didn't ask the professors what yom(day) means.

Annoying that the interviewer is not listening to Dr Lennox! Very distracting. But Dr Lennox is always good!!

Paul's admonition to Titus and Timothy to not get caught up in foolish unprofitable controversies is appropriate here.

Think of "In the beginning..." as a chapter or book heading. A summary statement.

So it sounds like God made the Heavens and the Earth, then did nothing for millions or billions of year before the first day. Is this how we tie it together? Remember that Adam was made a man, not a baby. He was fully grown so it stands to reason that other parts of creation were is different stages of age as well.

GOD is way to Complex for us to comprehend,says the Bible

The guy next to Dr. Lennox is obiously not interested in the answer . How RUDE !!!!!!!!!

So, the esteemed John Lennox says, 'You could interpret it . . . this way, or you could interpret it another way'. In other words, the Bible doesn't actually give the Truth. You make the ambiguous words fit want you want to believe - then it tells the Truth!

Nailed! Exactly what I've always seen. 'In the beginning' and 'God said' are two different sequences/events. Another example is 'In the beginning was the word' and 'the Word became flesh'. Two different sequences/events.

All religions are based on a misunderstanding of facts. Now we understand lightning, nobody believes in Zeus.

Exodus 20:11 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth" interprets Gen 1

I don't think the age of the earth matters greatly, but the meaning we are to glean from the genesis account matters greatly. It gives us an order of events I believe to be significant. It gives us a framework in which to continue living (the week). I think it's important that we are not the products of evolution, that we are made distinct and separate from the rest of God's creatures, in His image. I think it's important that, even if God used evolution to bring about his many creatures, that death came into the world, not just for mankind, but for all creation at Adam and Eve's sin. If we can agree on those things, then I dont care what the age of the earth is particularly, only that our ultimate basis for truth remain the scriptures, and thta we test science by scripture rather than deny scripture for the sake of science.

Can't have it both ways. Either you believe the Bible in its entirety or you don't. Thr Bible explicitly says that God created the heaven and earth in six days which would make the earth only thousands of years old. People like this just need to admit they don't believe it and quit trying to smooth it over. And if the Bible is wrong about that what else is it wrong about?

I don't care how old the earth is or isn't.. I keep my eyes firmly on the author and finisher of my salvation.. Jesus Christ the Holy Child of God.. who is seated in glory at the Father's right hand..

To have a starting point 1] Seek out the written history of the many races on earth and when it was written. 2] Consider the time it might have taken for each race to be located on their parcel of land. on the understanding that all came from somewhere in mid Africa or another place you might choose. 3] How long did it take for over 12 + physically different races to evolve. [I am not talking evolution from Sigle cell life forms or monkeys] 4] When did mankind in some locations begin agriculture? So, to put it simple. [From a timeless state of dimensional nonexistence, two spiritual beings existed, one the Creator and the other who would one day far into the future, take on human form and would be known as Christ]. So, all was created, and it does not matter how and when it was ready for humanity, they were also created.

We are lied to all the time. Giants are covered up...

Gotta give Lennox credit for being so calm while trying to explain away his cognitive dissonance.

A belief I've held for a long time is that there's a big gap (millions of years) between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. What happens from v2 is creation ON Earth instead of creation OF Earth and it takes 6 days. Before v2, there's creation IN Heaven, angels learn their responsibilities, their ranks, and worship up until somebody decides to stage a coup...

I see many who profess to be believers that hang their beliefs on the logic and view points that Mr. Lennox warns about here. Well said Mr. Lennox. I see it with beliefs on Gods sovereignty. I see it on their beliefs on Heaven and on Eternity. I see it on their beliefs on who God is and how He moves in all things. Too many people want a comfortable and convenient belief system. For that I can say confidently, You can not follow God His way and be comfortably numb? "The FEAR of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge". Just studying what this means will give you wisdom and peace. God bless those who seek Him.

A day with the Lord is as a thousand years!

John Lennox does math but not logic, reality or the scientific method for arriving at truth.

John makes an interesting point differentiating time between 'in the beginning and the completion of day 1", however he explains nothing about the approx. 4000 year biblical chronology clearly listed from day1 to the time of Christ written so that we as mere mortals can understand it". Consequently the bible still states that plant, sea, animal and human life made by God's word on days 3, 5 and 6 till now only accounts for approx. 6000 years in complete contrast to the fiction of evolution.

So good!

If the Bible was clear about anything it would be the only miracle in it. Look how he has to waffle all around the original question and actually say nothing..

The scriptures were not written to be science or archaeology books. They reveal profound truths beautifully and poetically. If you study ancient literature even a little, you realize that many of the numbers, images and narratives are not meant to be read literally (that's the shallow approach), but are meant to be prayerfully pondered again and again as multiple levels of truth are uncovered. This is particularly true in the Creation Story, Job and a few others probably. That doesn't mean that there are not historical components to the Biblical text; there are for sure, but too many take a literal approach when none was intended.

Who ever questions the words of God are LOST

So why does John imagine that God had his word written in the Bible in a way that could be interpreted in different ways. Was this beyond his ability ?

Not all the fixed earthers have disappeared. There are a number of experiments, particularly the continued use of the sagnac effect for almost all inertial movement detectors in airplane and other navigation systems.

Well, as a Christian, I believe the earth is around 6,000 years old. I mean, who could possibly imagine such an enormous number as that?

I doubt if this will settle the dispute, as people have made up their minds. It will however give some credence to those of us who believe in an old universe.

THATS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING, well except the grammar part that was new, thanks

Dr Lennox appears to be advocating the Gap Theory, as though God made the earth before the first day of Genesis 1, but ignores Exodus 20:11. Also his language is surprisingly loose when he refers to "astronomy and astrophysics" as pointing to a very old earth, when he urgently need to get up to speed that nothing in the solar system actually looks that old, and that multiple objects in it look much younger - orders of magnitude younger. So his claim of a "conflict with science" is a mirage. Speaking as one mathematician to another (and sure he's a good deal more advanced than me on that), I'd suggest that in big-picture terms the old earth's Achilles' heel and thus the young earth's secret weapon, time and time again, is the exponential function. Now there's something to chew on.

This guy disproves God very well.

When one gives all credit and glory to the almighty and doesnt protect their limits, many nationalist and racist come come after them to claim superiority. No judgment on our side, strict judgement on theirs.

Not to mention the bible also says "one day to the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." It was seven phases, not seven literal days. Who was counting in those "days", except God?

I love God because He is mysterious in all His ways. If we knew everything about God and about the earth, we would not need what God wanted us to have. Faith. I believe it makes God thrilled when a man can humbly say....l cant understand it, but nonetheless, l believe what you have said is the truth. God didn't want us to understand everything. If we did, he would just be one like us! I am a teacher. If my pupils knew everything l knew, they would not need me!!! You want to understand everything about God? Do you even understand everything about your closest friend??

What a fantastic point Lennox makes. People read the bible and think it is true and join what they believe to be a group of Christians. They then study sciences based on facts, evidence and reality and this tests their faith in the bible. What a wonderful thing science is that it makes people question blind faith.

The date of creation in the Bible actually means a countdown of 7,000 years, starting in 4,000 BC. The final 1,000 years will be the Millenial Kingdom.

I see. So when the Bible says that Adam lived to the age of 930 years, Noah 950, and Methuselah 969, well . . . you don't HAVE to interpret those ages in the "ordinary" sense. I mean, who knows what a year meant back then, right? Or hey, maybe they actually DID live to those ages! Things were different back then! (Even though no scientist in the world believes humans EVER lived anywhere near that long.) Why not, right? The Bible is inerrant! . . . SMH really, really hard.

I honestly think this is one of the more boring arguments of faith. It's like arguing whether or not each day of creation was 24 hours or not. It misses the point. A God...THE God who created all things (53 billion light years of universe) took 6 days because he chose to. He could have created it instantaneously or over a gazillion years. He did not REQUIRE the time, he chose to use that time to express his creativity and love. .....and remember....this the same type of dude who in the 80's said the earth was MILLIONS of years old. Then somewhere in the last 40 years they added an additional 3 zeros to the timeline when they realized they couldn't fit evolution into millions of years. As a Computer Scientist, I can assure you that adding those zeros was more than a big deal. It was an admission they didn't know what they were talking about. I mean how could today's scientists, who can't figure out if you are a dude or a chick, be wrong about the age of the earth?

It's the perfect retrospective explanation of the bible. And EVERYTHING you currently hear people (including Lennox) explain about the bible is subject to future correction.

I'm currently reading said book. I sometimes hear his voice and accent as I read 😂

We should at least notice that nectar production was on day 3, nectar consumption was on day 5. It is quite believable these were 48 hours apart.