Walter Bradley on Scripture/Science, Creation, YEC/OEC

[Kurieuo]

In my research for the response I'm developing elsewhere, I came across an online chapter in a resource Jac quoted --

Chapter 5 (pp. 283-348) from Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible, Radmacher and Preus, eds. (Zondervan, 1984).
The Trustworthiness of Scripture in Areas Relating to Natural Science
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/bradley/ ... iness.html

It's obviously old, but it is still a great piece. So wanted to share it with others here.
I thought it a great read for anyone who values Scripture who is interested in the YEC/OEC debate
Further, it is a great read even for those wondering how on Earth they should treat Scripture and Science.

[abelcainsbrother]

Thanks for this as it is an interesting read although a lot of it is the same arguments against evolution all creationists know about no matter which creation theory you side with except for possibly theistic evolution.

But since I agree mostly with the Gap theory I feel I need to defend it and respond to some of the attacks they made against it first off no matter which theory you choose Young earth or Day age OEC these seem to ignore Lucifer's history while The Gap theory doesn't and whether you are a YEC or OEC you must put the creation of Lucifer in day 4 however if you extend the days to be longer than 24 hours then it might be acceptable however it does not mention angels being created and so you'd have to assume but if you are a YEC you'd only have about two twenty four hours days for Lucifer to rebel.

But according to everything we read about angels and even Lucifer's history they were created before God created this world but you cannot stay biblical thinking the heavens and earth are only 6-10,000 years old and regular OEC seems to have overlooked Lucifer's history but because he sinned and rebelled a third of the angels rebelled against God too. The Gap theory emphasizes Lucifer's history and rebellion which should not be ignored biblically as we believe his rebellion resulted in the former world being destroyed until God created this world we live in now.This had to infuriate Satan too when God created man in his image in this world to take Lucifer's place as this is biblical consistency and not made up mumbo jumbo to make it seem right.

If we read about Lucifer's history in Ezekiel 28:11-19 then it clearly indicates Lucifer was in Eden and we do not believe it was the Garden of Eden in Genesis where Adam and Eve were,do you?Because angels were created before Genesis 1. Also Isaiah 14:13 Tells us that Lucifer had to have been on the earth in order to ascend into heaven,which he did Revelation 12:7-9. And Isaiah 14:12 tells us that Lucifer did weaken the nations and so this was before this world God created.We can find evidence all around this earth to back up nations existing in a former world if you just do some research.So we have very good reasons biblically to believe that before this world we now live in existed Lucifer was in Eden on the earth with great authority ruling it at one time until he rebelled and went to war-ascended to heaven and tried to overtake God's throne.

Lucifer's history is important biblically and YEC and OEC seems to ignore Lucifer's history and the clues to where he was and what he did before he rebelled and what was the result of him rebelling.

I hate to tell the critic but God is into being a repairman as he repaired us too through Jesus Christ and this gives even more evidence for a former world that was pefect in its creation but perished but was repaired or restored like we are as you could say it is a picture of the salvation of us from the beginning.It does not weaken theism at all.And I would tell him when God speaks it is created perfect and you make God look bad believing God created a giant mud ball and then decorated it by believing the first day of creation include verse 1,2 and 3. When if you start at day 6 and count backwards and read what God did on each day it will reveal the first day was verse 3 and you cannot add 1and 2 into it.On the first day God said " Let there be light" and that is all he did on day 1.

There is no need to change the interpretation to "became without form and void" from "was without form and void"in order to see the Gap in scriptures that point to it and testify to it like 2nd Peter 3:3-7 if you don't think of Noah's flood here and instead think of Genesis 1:2.However A book written years ago proved it could be as a Jewish rabi scholar translated a bible and used the word " became" instead of "was" and this was a Jewish rabi with no agenda either way just his honest translation who understood hebrew despite what young earthers say.

Also we actually have forensic scientific evidence in the earth's layers of strata for a former world that existed that perished and since we all know evolutionists cannot have evolution without macro-evolution which this article agrees with then evolutionists cannot use the fossils,coal and oil as evidence for evolution and all we would have to do in a debate in front of a crowd is tell the evolutionist to demonstrate to us macro-evolution and he would not be able to as we know,then we could say let me tell you the truth about the fossils,coal and oil since you've had 150 years to demonstrate life evolves and haven't the biblical old earth Gap theory is what the fossils,coal and oil prove and unless evolutionists finally demonstrated macro-evolution evolution would be destroyed and abandoned based on the bible and science and we would actually reach the people who were deceived by evolution,only the most die-hard evolutionists would remain.This is why The Gap fact is the theory of evolutions worst nightmare.Evolution would not stand a chance right now and yet the church is playing patty-cake with evolution right now.It is time to revive the Gap theory.

[Kurieuo]

Hi ACB,

Re: the article, I don't think many are aware to everything within that.
It makes a great 101 article I think for creation as well as where science fits.

Gap-ists I suppose would be a little disappointed.
Apologies, but it's nonetheless a very good article imo.

Re: Satan/angels, they're primarily spiritual beings.
What makes you believe that they had to inhabit our physical world, especially when they fell?

I'm not so much interested in the Gap theory, but have previously wondered where the angels fit in.
My idea was that it all happened prior to humanity, given Satan was already against God in the beginning.
I've not really given it must thought. Partly because I don't think that much can be drawn from Scripture.

Do you have many sources that discuss this issue? Re: fallen angels.

[Kurieuo]

Lucifer's history is important biblically and YEC and OEC seems to ignore Lucifer's history and the clues to where he was and what he did before he rebelled and what was the result of him rebelling.

The Gap Theory is also OEC, although I suppose it could be YEC.

[abelcainsbrother]

Lucifer's history is important biblically and YEC and OEC seems to ignore Lucifer's history and the clues to where he was and what he did before he rebelled and what was the result of him rebelling.

The Gap Theory is also OEC, although I suppose it could be YEC.

The Gap theory is old earth creationism but we get an old heavens and earth because we believe from reading the bible tells us it is old,not because of science but what the bible reveals but science backs it up proving the bible true.However we do agree with young earthers that this world we now live in since Adam and Eve is about 6-10,000 years old.