Christ and the Geological Periods
There are uncertainties associated in any discussion of geological periods. The most obvious uncertainty is that there were no observers during these geological periods to report their findings. Thus, the existence of geological periods cannot be validated by direct observation.
One way to determine if geological periods existed at all is by scientific reckoning that is based on information gathered after the fact. Science is based on an understanding of such observations. Unfortunately, we do not have all of the facts regarding creation and have to depend on a most likely theory of recorded observations to explain the sequence of events that took place in the creative process.
Another way to critically evaluate creation is by a study of the ancient Hebrew writings of Moses in Genesis Chapter 1 (בראשית פרק א -be.re.sheet per.ek alef) to see if there is compatibility between scientific reckoning and divine revelation. There is an advantage in having a proper understanding of these prophetic documents because the revelator, the creator, was there at the beginning providing details of the events that took place.
In his PhD dissertation on primordial element abundance, Ralph A. Alper, a physicist, laid the foundation for modern big bang nucleosynthysis calculations.
Light, as energy, is both a particle and a wave according to Einstein and Heisenberg.
Ref: Zeitschrift für Physik. 43 1927, S. 172–198.
Revelation teaches that God said “Let there be light (Gen 1:3).
Jesus said “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). He is also the word of God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
The divine command: “Let there be light” put energy into the “void” (Gen 1:2) as a particle or quantum of energy. In effect, Christ was the initial quantum of particulate energy, the primordial element, upon which the foundation all space-time creation was made. It was the first pre-incarnate evidence of Christ in creation.
From a secular scientific perspective the primordial element was reckoned to be quark-gluon plasma during the first seconds of the big bang.
Quarks make up ‘hadrons’, particles which interact via the strong nuclear force. The most familiar representatives of the class are protons and neutrons of atomic nuclei. They are held together in threes by ‘force-carriers’ known as gluons. During the birth of the Universe in the big bang paradigm, quarks and gluons mingled freely and widely in the extremely dense plasma. Gribbin, John New Scientist 05 October 1991
There is, however, scientific observation that long periods of time and great distances existed during the development of the universe.
Some interpret Genesis Chapter 1, to mean that rapid development continued throughout the creative process saying that creation took place in a matter of days. A more careful study of the word “day” may reconcile some of these differences.
A Study of the Word: DAY
It is important to distinguish between bey.om , meaning an indefinite period of time and ha.yom, a definite 24 hour period. Be.yom, as an indefinite article, leaves open the possibility for creation to have developed over an extended period of time, such as, during the geological periods. The following verse is an example:
Gen 2: 4 KJV
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Read from right to left.)
אֵלֶּה תֹולְדֹות הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּהִבָּֽרְאָם בְּיֹום
be.hi.bar.am va.ha a.rets hash.sha.ma.yim to.le.dot Ele
when they were and the earth of the heavens generations These are
created
עֲשֹׂות יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים אֶרֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃
Ve.hash.sha.ma.yim e.rets elo.him Ya.weh a.sot be.yom
and the heavens the earth the Lord God made in a day
Word study
בְּ- Pronounced: bet as in better is a preposition: in, against, by, with.
בְּיֹום – be.yom:: a day-an indefinite period of time. It is not restricted to 24 hours.
הַיֹּום ha.yom: the day-a 24 hour time interval
הַ ha is the definite article “the” in Hebrew grammar. When placed in front of a word as a prefix it means the day. It refers to a 24 hour period of time.
Ref: Practico G.D. and Van Pelt M.V.,Basics of Biblical Hebrew-Grammar ,2nd ed Zondervan, Grand Rapids 2007, pg. 40, Section 5.2
Other important words are:
בְּהִבָּֽרְאָם be.hi.bram
Be.hi.bram means: when they were created
The heavens and the earth were created. They did not just happen. There was a divine command for each part of creation to come into existence. “…and God said”.
תֹולְדֹות To.le.dot, the course of history of creation or the events that followed the establishment of the heavens and the earth
Once the earth was created, further developments took place by divine command.
Other translations of this verse are:
Gen 2:4 NKJV
This is the history* of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens
Footnote:
* Hebrew toledot, literally generations TWOT 867g
Ref: Harris R.A.,Archer G.L. and Walke B.K. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament Moody Publishers, Chicago 1980
The following is my exegesis or critical interpretation of Gen 2:4:
“These are the events that followed the establishment of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the periods of time when the Lord God made earth and heaven.”
Geological Periods
From a scientific perspective the universe developed over time and was divided into geological periods.
They are:
- Hadaean
- Archaean
- Proterozoic
- Paleozoic
- Mesozoic
- Cenozoic
Comparison of Geological Periods and Mosaic Revelations
Hadean Period
Geological
From 4.6 billion years ago at the formation earth, and ended roughly 3.8 billion years ago. It is the oldest of the periods.
No rocks were on the Earth except for meteorites that brought water to the earth in the form of ice.
The Solar System was forming.
Heavier elements were generated within stars by nuclear fusion of hydrogen.
Mosiac Revelation
Gen 1:3
And God said,
“Let there be light: and there was light.”
This was the big bang, primordial light at the beginning of creation.
Gen 1:14
And God said,
“Let there be lights in the firmament” the Galaxies
“Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” This refers to the formation of the Solar System of our galaxy
Archaean Period
Geologic Reckoning
From 3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago
There were no large continents until late in the Archean period.
The atmosphere was likely a reducing atmosphere of methane, ammonia, and other gases.
The Earth’s crust cooled enough that rocks and continental plates began to form. All life first appeared on Earth as bacteria, not necessarily requiring oxygen
Mosaic Revelation
Gen 1:6
Then God said,
"Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."(NASB)
Gen 1:9
Then God said,
"Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
The statement “and it was so” indicated that the process was completed after the command was given.
Proterozoic Period
Geological Reckoning
Began 2.5 billion years ago and ended 543 million years ago
Bacteria, archaeans and eukaryotic cells appeared as fossils before the first abundant complex life such as multicellular algae and the first animals
Stable continents first appeared and began to attach to each other.
Oxygen began to be built up in the atmosphere
Mosaic Revelation
Gen 1:6
And God said,
“Let there be a firmament (atmosphere) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Paleozoic Period
Geologic Reckoning
From 542 to 251 million years ago
Soft-shelled fossils, sophisticated reptiles, modern plants and insects appeared
Mosaic Revelation
Gen 1:11
And God said,
“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth
Gen 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.”
Animal life flourished in the seas, on land and in the atmosphere.
Mesozoic Period
Geological Reckoning
From 251 million years ago
Fauna changed drastically from that which had been seen in the Paleozoic. Dinosaurs are dated to this period.
Mosaic revelation
Gen 1:21
“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moved, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
Cenozoic Period
Geological Reckoning
From 65.5 million years ago to the present.
Age of mammals, flowering plants, modern insects, birds and teliost fish with bony skeleton, scales and fins
Mosaic Reckoning
Gen 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.”
Gen 1: 26
And God said,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
The reason for writing about Christ and the Geological periods
The secular world is generally dismissive of Christ as a minor historical figure or as a moralist who has had a persistent following over the centuries, much like Buddha, or Mohammad, but one who has had little impact in the concrete affairs of man. In scientific circles He is usually considered to be an irrelevant quantity in their calculations.
When I wrote my book, An Electrodermal Analysis of Biological Conductance, I included a chapter entitled The Complex Human Biological System. In it I had a chart in which I tried to show a macro picture of existence. It looked like this:
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Sovereign God |
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↑↓ |
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Christ |
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↑↓ |
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Created Realm |
I intended to show that all of existence has to be in balance in order to be complete, but it could only be done through Christ. To many, the placement of Christ between God and the Created Realm must have seemed unusual if not downright inappropriate. Of course there are reasons for this bias but biases do not negate the reality that the person of Christ, as the foundation of all things created, must be included in the process of restoration of all things.
In this presentation I tried to show that Christ had, by best scientific reckoning, a pre-incarnate existence at the beginning of creation 4.6 billion years ago. As creator He spoke into existence all of the events that occurred in the subsequent geological periods. He is not a minor character of history. He is the foundation of history.
Isaiah saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and his train filled the temple”. (Isa 6:1). Christ was sitting on the throne of the Divine Court, cloaked with the robe of full authority as Chief High Priest of the Order of Melchisedech.
We must all be covered with His cloak of authority and this authority must fill our temple (our bodies) in order for our ministries to bring about complete restoration, including healing.
Vincent J. Speckhart MD, MD (H)