Yesterday we discussed how the secular view has no good mechanism to cause a single ice age, let alone the many that they propose. But the Bible does have a mechanism.

Although most secular scientists believe that there have been thirty or more ice ages over many millions of years, early Biblical history provides a very different and more satisfactory view. One reason for this is because while mainstream science has no viable starting mechanism to explain even one ice age (let alone thirty), the Bible does. As meteorologist Michael Oard points out, “to cause an ice age, rare conditions are required—warm oceans for high precipitation, and cool summers for lack of melting the snow.” Interestingly, as Dr Morris already alluded to, the climactic state following the Genesis Flood provided these exact conditions. For instance, during the deluge, there were underwater volcanic eruptions as indicated by the bursting forth of the “fountains of the great deep” in Genesis 7:11. As the crust of the earth broke open, hot water and lava were released into the oceans making the post-flood ocean waters warm from pole to pole. Warmer oceans mean more evaporation and thus more precipitation. On top of this, for several years after the flood, there would have been large amounts of volcanic activity sending dust and debris into the atmosphere. These volcanic particles would reflect some of the sun’s light back into space causing cooler summers and therefore providing less snowmelt. We know this even today, that large eruptions cause disruption to the earth’s weather (and flight paths.)

As far as the length of this Biblical Ice Age is concerned, according to the best estimates it would’ve reached its peak 500 years after the flood and would have fully melted 200 years later making it a total of 700 years. (Answers in Genesis p216). If so, it means the Ice Age lasted from roughly 2350-1650 BC. Interestingly, many scholars date Job’s life to within this very timespan. While this doesn’t automatically mean that Job 38:29-30 is a reference to the Ice Age, the timing does, at least, make it conceivable. And while it is also true that Job didn’t live in the northern latitudes where the ice sheets formed it is still possible that during the winters, he observed lake ice and frost, especially if temperatures were lower because of the Ice Age. Other references in Job to ice: Out of the South comes the storm. And out of the North comes the cold. From the breath of God ice is made and the expanse of the water is frozen. (Job 37:9-10 NASB)

The word expanse is translated literally means “broad waters” and refers to massive bodies of ice. Job was describing a sea of ice. Considering Job lived in the Middle East, where did he get this idea? Job probably never saw the glaciers associated with the ice age, but obviously had heard about them from others. The several descriptions of ice in the book (Job 6:16, 37:6; 37:10; 38:22, 38:29-30) tells us it was on the mind of the writer.