2. HOW OLD IS THE EARTH? I. CANDLE Suppose you walk into a room and find a candle burning. You watch and find that it is being consumed at a rate of one inch per hour. How long has the candle been burning? A.How tall was the candle originally? B.Has it really burned at a constant rate? C.Was it tapered at the top and is thicker where it is currently at? D.Has a breeze fanned the flame earlier and made it burn faster at some point? The Bible says the world is about 6,000 years old. Some scientists say the world is billions of years old.

3. HOW OLD IS THE EARTH? II. STALACTITES & STALAGMITES Scientists & guides tell us about the millions of years it took to form the various formations. While many formations currently are slow, who says the rate is constant? A.The Lincoln Memorial was built in 1923. Within 50 years there were stalactites over 5 feet long. They grew at 2/3 an inch a year.

4. HOW OLD IS THE EARTH? II. STALACTITES & STALAGMITES B. Sequoyah Caverns at Valley Head, Alabama. Stalactites have grown about 25 centimeters over 10 years (10 inches). That is one inch of growth per year. C. In October 1953, National Geographic published a photo of a bat that had fallen on a stalagmite in the famous Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, and had been cemented on to it. The stalagmite had grown so fast it was able to preserve the bat before the creature had time to decompose.

5. HOW OLD IS THE EARTH? II. STALACTITES & STALAGMITES D. At Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, a sign proclaiming the "fact" that the caves were formed over a period of millions of years had to be removed as the evidence became overwhelming that the processes involved could have produced everything in the caves in only a few thousand years. One state geologist even photo monitored a stalactite in the cave that grew several inches in a matter of days.

6. HOW OLD IS THE EARTH? CONCLUSION: 1) Stalactite and stalagmite formation’s grow are dependent on the rate of water drip, the concentration of the minerals in the water, and the rate of evaporation. All of which are highly variable factors over time. 2) Don’t believe everything you hear (Prov. 14:15). DO WE HAVE FAITH IN GOD’S WORD? 3) The earth is not as old as some would have us believe!