JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

November 1987

Dear Friend:

Viewers of The WORLD TOMORROW telecast and readers of The PLAIN TRUTH ask us from time to time about fossils such as dinosaur bones and those termed "human" or "early man." Scientists often date these thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of years before the creation of Adam.

Although we can understand the interest generated by this subject, it is not our primary duty to enter a field that properly belongs to geologists, paleontologists, and anthropologists.

God's Church has been commissioned primarily to announce the good news of the soon-coming Kingdom of God to the human family now on earth -- descended from Adam, who the Bible show was created nearly 6000 years ago. As a part of that message, we explain that the modern creationists and flood geologists are totally wrong in explaining fossil and geological evidence. They overlook completely the fact that there was a previous world of immense duration (revealed in simplest form in Genesis 1:1-2) over which angels were given rule. See Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:11-16. Also note that Isaiah 45:18 states clearly that God did not create the world a chaotic wasteland, "he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited ...." But the previous world ended in chaos and destruction because of the rebellion of the angels (Gen. 1:2 and Jude 6). See our booklet DID GOD CREATE A DEVIL? for further information.

At the present time, we have no literature which describes in detail the characteristics of the earth and the physical creation over which the angels ruled and which geologists and prehistorians study. It is possible, however, that information on this subject may appear in future issues of The PLAIN TRUTH magazine. In the meantime, you may wish to investigate this ancient period if you are so inclined. Whatever forms of breathing, physical life, including hominids, that existed then would have died in the waters that covered the earth (Gen. 1:2). Then followed a week of RE-CREATION (Ps. 104:30). On the sixth day of that week man was created and endowed by God with human spirit. Any accurately dated fossils older than 6000 years would consequently be pre-Adamic.

The Bible is God's revelation of knowledge that man cannot discover by himself -- primarily spiritual knowledge concerning the purpose of life and the origin of creation. Basically, the Bible deals with the 7000-year plan of God for the descendants of Adam and has only sketchy glimpses of what occurred before -- or what shall come after this period. None of the FACTS discovered by science contradict the Bible, though certainly many of the THEORIES proposed by scientists to explain their facts are at odds with God's Word!

From the Bible we know that Adam and Eve were the first humans made in the image of God and given a human spirit to make possible the wondrous functioning of the human mind. Adam and Eve were created for the purpose of enlarging the Family of God. This is the important knowledge about human life -- the incredible human potential -- which can be learned only from God's revelation, not from the fossil record.

Thank you for your inquiry. It is our pleasure to serve you.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT