In early 2025, during several flights, I gazed out of the airplane window at unfamiliar landscapes, mostly vast expanses of exposed geology along the desert coastlines of South America’s west coast. The stunning views filled me with awe and prompted deep reflection. During these journeys, I prayed earnestly for God to reveal His secrets to me—to grant me a profound understanding of His purpose, the world, and their connections to the Bible.
I recall vividly arriving in Santiago, Chile, in March 2015, deeply inspired by the breathtaking landscapes I had witnessed. At that moment, I felt an intense yearning to explore and understand the deeper things of God, determined to gain new insights and perspectives.
One of the significant issues that has always intrigued me was the ongoing debate about the biblical flood, which seemed perpetually unresolved. Young-earth creationists argue that all dinosaur fossils resulted from the global flood described in the Bible, maintaining a literal interpretation that places Earth’s age at approximately 6,000 to 6,500 years.
At the surface, there appears to be a stalemate between creationists and proponents of deep time. Motivated by this impasse, I embarked on a journey to identify new patterns in life that could provide tangible evidence supporting the biblical account of the flood.
Interestingly, some ideas emerged by chance. Google, aware of my passion for researching fossils and geological strata, often fills my Android news feed with related articles. One Sabbath day in Santiago, I came across an intriguing article about nearly 2,000-year-old [at time of death] fossilized trees.
This discovery fascinated me—I had never considered fossilized trees in this context before. It seemed an excellent starting point to investigate proof of biblical timelines, at least indirectly.
Most of the oldest living trees today are around 4,000 years old, with some exceptional specimens reaching up to 4,853 years. These ancient trees, particularly resilient, appear to have possibly survived a global catastrophe. Initially, I reasoned that if I could find no fossilized trees that had reached more than maybe 2500 years of age before dying, this could have significant implications.
My search did not yield any fossilized trees older than about 2,000 years. From the young-earth creationist perspective, this lack of older specimens supports a literal interpretation of biblical timelines, indicating that the global flood occurred roughly over 4,000 years ago, and that the earth’s age before the flood was approximately 2,000 years.
But then this has a weak point. God likely created a mature universe—instantly established, yet seemingly bearing evidence of a past, much like a painting that appears to depict a moment in time. Certainly Adam wasn’t a zygote This realization suggested that the apparent age of trees alone might not conclusively determine Earth’s age, though it was a fascinating concept.
During further reflection on the following Sabbath afternoon, another life form came to mind that could leave an unmistakable historical record: corals. Corals grow very slowly, and many species thrive only near the water’s surface.
My perspective shifted dramatically within just a few hours as I uncovered reports of undamaged shallow-water corals submerged globally at depths reaching around 1.5 kilometers (nearly a mile). Some drowned coral platforms extend hundreds of meters thick, and regions like the Caribbean feature expanses covering thousands of square kilometers.
Merely reading about this phenomenon was intriguing, but I realized I needed a more thorough investigation. I committed to reviewing scholarly articles, photographs, and videos and sought to understand the scientific methods used to assess coral ages. This careful research was critical because, as I will soon illustrate, the observable evidence from corals directly challenges the traditional biblical narrative of a global flood.
It would make sense that if shallow-water species coral platforms did not consistently exist deep below the ocean’s surface, this absence could support the notion that Noah’s flood occurred around 4,000 years ago. We would expect to see shallow-water corals primarily near the current ocean levels, perhaps with smaller bands at slightly lower depths, reflecting brief periods when sea levels might have been lower during a post-flood mini ice age.
Additionally, we would expect fossilized pre-flood corals atop continents globally, which indeed exist. However, my immediate focus was not on these fossils, but rather on modern coral platforms, given that the flood scenario posits drastic changes in ocean levels occurring quite recently.
Shallow-water coral platforms tens or hundreds of meters thick take extensive periods to form and should not exist in areas where ocean levels have not remained stable for long durations. Although geological subsidence can contribute to coral depth changes, the Hawaiian Islands, for example, subside at a rate of only about 1 to 2 millimeters per year—significantly slower than coral growth rates.
What genuinely astonished me was the comprehensive international research conducted by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), particularly their extensive study (IODP 389) near Hawaii. This study, and similar ones worldwide, provide compelling image and video documentation, core samples, and robust coral age assessments using sophisticated techniques like Carbon-14 and Uranium–Thorium dating.
Shallow-water corals in Hawaii have created extensive platforms along the slopes of the Big Island, reaching depths of approximately 1.5 kilometers (almost one mile). These structures represent hundreds of thousands of years of coral growth, something directly observable without specialized scientific equipment. Drill samples clearly show the considerable thickness of these coral formations, and dating techniques consistently indicate that the deeper coral layers are progressively older. It’s important to emphasize that these are not fossilized corals but modern, currently existing coral formations.
Research from the IODP was just one part of a broader set of supporting evidence. Another notable example is the Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, studied extensively by the U.S. government before atomic bomb testing there. This atoll features a calcite cap covering a seamount, extending more than 1.4 kilometers thick.
At the base of the atoll, the earliest corals have been compressed into rock-like formations, yet their original coral structures remain clearly visible within the calcite layers. The accumulation and compression of such extensive coral formations undeniably require hundreds of thousands of years, as each successive coral generation builds upon the previous ones.
Enewetak Atoll isn’t alone in this phenomenon. Core samples from the Maldives similarly indicate calcite deposits reaching approximately 2 kilometers (more than one mile) deep.
Initially, my journey was intended to reinforce existing beliefs, not to challenge them. Yet now I found myself faced with significant contradictions, forcing me to reconsider my perspectives.
It became apparent to me that perhaps the authors of early biblical texts, such as Genesis, were attempting to describe God and His immense power using their best available understanding. These early books seemed more aligned with moral teachings or localized experiences rather than precise global history. However, I recognized that more research was essential before drawing any definitive conclusions.
As days turned into weeks, my findings continued to expand. Consider the case of New Zealand and the Giant Moa bird, a remarkable flightless bird standing over 3 meters (10 feet) tall, which became extinct approximately 600 years ago—around 200 years after humans first arrived on the islands. Remarkably, unfossilized skin and feathers of these birds have been discovered preserved in dry caves, and their bones have been found piled in middens near ancient human settlements, as uncovered by archaeologists.
New Zealand, isolated by vast oceans for millions of years, has no native mammals aside from bats. This isolation means that only flying creatures could naturally settle there. Given this context, the Moa could not have arrived in New Zealand by walking or swimming from Noah’s Ark. If such migration had occurred, similar species or close relatives would still exist in nearby regions, such as Asia, yet none are found.
Consider also the blind and deaf marsupial mole native to Australia’s deserts—did it traverse from the Middle East alongside other marsupials? Notably, marsupials are absent from Asia, Africa, and are not native to North America, which defies simple explanations. Similarly, consider the platypus, an animal living exclusively in rivers; how could it have migrated over vast oceans? Many have attempted to address these Australian anomalies, but the issue is even broader. Modern animals east of the Wallace Line near Bali differ significantly from those in Asia, sharing ancestral connections primarily with South American species, supported further by marsupial fossils discovered in Antarctica.
Some might argue that such evidence supports evolution exclusively, but I propose that God indeed knows precisely what He is doing. Throughout history, faithful individuals have testified to divine help, evidenced through prophecies predicting the future rather than detailing the past explicitly.
There remains space for belief in God as the Creator, though we must not presume to fully understand His mechanisms. While I am not opposed to considering that God possibly placed Adam and Even in a new categorical earth possibility or different universe after the fall, this may not be important to the wider theological discussion. What we can observe must be relevant, because as the bible says, God himself tempts no one.
Across broader Christianity, one view holds that God created life without death; another observes a natural cycle inclusive of death. (These are only two examples) Some find it inconceivable that God could allow death from creation, or that their God is your God if you don’t believe it with them. Others believe it appears death [or at least the place we find ourselves in to have been based in it] to be a tool of His nonetheless. What is important is that we not throw-stones at one another, for when we throw them we are in danger of losing what we thought we would gain.
The post fall flood neratie still wouldn’t stack up against the multi modal evidence described here in this document, and as such, Gods grace must abound for those who still choose believe in Jesus Christ, even for those who know it must play a role..
Faith, by nature, places those who trust in God at odds with worldly wisdom, often branding them as foolish. Regardless of one’s stance—whether embracing a global flood or accepting deep geological time based on empirical evidence—both perspectives transcend earthly logic. One position asserts that all scriptural inspiration is entirely flawless, while the other recognizes inspired writings as inspired by God yet shaped by human understanding.
To outsiders, believers may appear misguided: one perceived as believing in myths, the other as interpreting allegories or the results of fables as literal truths. Yet, to believers, there is a shared experiential foundation underpinning their faith, and an understanding that scripture still holds profound symbolic meanings that can not be undone.
I deeply believe that the central message of the Bible is that God is love, that our own works alone are insufficient, and that eternity demands more than any of us can provide on our own. This message is vividly portrayed through God’s promises to Abraham and His patient guidance of humanity—from their initially primitive understanding toward the eventual birth of His Son. Over time, this narrative has matured into a sophisticated framework that directs Christians toward compassion, selflessness, and peace, even to the extent of biblically advocating against slavery, inspiring lives dedicated purely to helping others, and for some – even encouraging conscientious objection during warfare.
Indeed, there is no greater demonstration of love than someone laying down their life for their friends. Through His ongoing refinement, God prepares humanity for eternity, a place where our focus is wholly on love, free from distractions that limit its fullest expression.
Examining the Ten Commandments closely, one finds that violating their principles directly reflects a lack of love. In the words of the Psalmist, “I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad”. Meanwhile even the 10 are bound within the two greatest commandments given by Jesus: Love you God, Love your neighbor.
The path of love is expansive, whereas sin narrows our capacity to experience and express freely due to the effects it places on interaction at personal and societal levels. By the Law we have all been condemned, unable to undo the trespass, but through the clemency provided through Jesus Christ, we have Justice.
This is why my conclusion is that the Great IAM, God, is Love. The rest, we’ll be able to find out when all has been revealed.
In part two, I will address the complexities of interpreting the biblical narrative without rigid historical literalism, exploring Christ’s references to figures such as Noah and Adam, and examining what it truly means to live authentically as a Christian amidst criticism from fellow believers and the secular world.
