Infidel geologists claim that the world is very much older than the Bible record makes it. They reject the Bible record because of those things which are to them evidences from the earth itself that the world has existed tens of thousands of years. And many who profess to believe the Bible record are at a loss to account for wonderful things which are found in the earth, with the view that creation week was only seven literal days, and that the world is now only about six thousand years old. These, to free themselves from difficulties thrown in their way by infidel geologists, adopt the view that the six days of creation were six vast, indefinite periods, and the day of God’s rest was another indefinite period; making senseless the fourth commandment of God’s holy law. Some eagerly receive this position; for it destroys the force of the fourth commandment, and they feel a freedom from its claims upon them. They have limited ideas of the size of men, animals, and trees, before the flood, and of the great changes which then took place in the earth. {1SP 87.1}

Vantro naturkyndige påstå at verden er meget ældre end bibelen vidner. De forkastede biblerne på grund af de ting som de kalder vidnesbyrd fra selve jorden at verden har eksisteret i titusinder af år. Og mange som bekendte sig til at tro bibelens vidnesbyrd forstår ikke hvorledes de kunne gøre rede for mange underfulde ting som er fundne i jorden, i overensstemmelse med den anskuelse af skabelsens uge var kun var syv virkelige dage og at verden nu er blot omtrent seks tusinde år gammel. De antog denne anskuelse, for at undgå de vanskeligheder som vantro naturforskere stile i vejen for dem, at skabelsens seks dage var seks lange, ubestemte tidsperioder; og gør således sabbats buddet i Guds hellige lov betydningsløst. Nogle griber efter denne grund med begærlighed; thi den tilintetgør sabbats buddets autoritet, og de føler at de er fri fra dets fordringer. De have indtrængende begreber om menneskers, dyrs og træers størrelse før syndfloden, og om de store forandringer som på den tid foregik i jorden.