Thank you very much, Luke17:37, that helps me somewhat. I still have some reservations (I lean towards the Gap Theory), but I can honestly say that the article was helpful.
I would go get this if you want more:
https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/lie-25th-anniversary-edition/?sku=10-2-418& It goes into all kinds of millions of years ideas, including gap theory, progressive creation, day-age theory, theistic evolution, and why they are not compatible with the Bible (even though some Christians hold to them).
I remember debating my grandpa Thanksgiving morning when I was 14, and concerning gap theory, he said, "If it's good enough for Scofield, it's good enough for me." (Scofield put it in his study Bible notes as a viable doctrine, along with several other unbiblical things... I have a Scofield study Bible.) I pointed out to him what I'll say to you. Exodus 20:11 negates gap theory. In one sentence, God tied up everything He made in Genesis 1.
Exodus 20:11
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
My pastor, who is Jewish and fluent in Hebrew and formerly taught Hebrew in a seminary, said to me that the Hebrew doesn't allow for anything but a six day young earth creation. I agree with him. Although I don't know as much Hebrew as he does, I can argue against the person who told me how Hebrew supports gap theory.
Also, in Mark 10, Jesus said,
Mark 10:6
6 But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’
The creation of man couldn't be "from the beginning of creation" if it were millions of years after it started.
Millions of years puts death and suffering before mankind and thus, before sin. It also suggests God called death and suffering "very good" (Genesis 1:31). But the gospel says death and suffering was the result of sin, and that a perfect blood sacrifice (death) was needed to cover sin (
Leviticus 17:11,
Hebrews 9:22). He promised a Savior immediately (
Genesis 3:15) after they sinned, and Jesus is the promised Savior--the Seed of the woman, the Seed of Abraham, the perfect Passover Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world by His shed blood on the cross (
Genesis 3:15,
Genesis 22,
Exodus 12,
John 1:29,
1 Corinthians 5:7,
Romans 5). God's solution to mankind's sin problem doesn't even make sense at all if death preceeded sin. A person might argue, well, that's human death, not animal death. But
Romans 8:20-22 says sin corrupted the entire creation. One effect not explicitly given in
Genesis 3 but that we can see is that the animals aren't all vegetarians today, as they were when God originally created them (
Genesis 1:30). And, when Jesus reigns on the earth after He returns, He's going to be systematically dismantling the effects of the curse (see
Isaiah 11 and 65), including returning animals to their Edenic dispositions and diets.
Please wrestle with this. It's important.
Another thing I recommend is taking a 3 day trip to the Cincinnati area to visit the Creation Museum (
www.creationmuseum.org) and the Ark Encounter (
www.arkencounter.com). It will really help bolster your faith in Biblical authority. I was just there two weeks ago.
God bless.