How old is the world?

[Tellyontellyon]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

 

[BobRyan]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

According to the Bible - life on Earth is only about 6000 years old.

However the "rocks" of earth are most certainly older since in Gen 1 the "start point" is an existing Earth already covered by water.

Gen 1:2 NASB " And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said..."

Gen 1:2 NKJV
. 2 "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And then God said ... "


Compare that to Jeremiah 4's description of the millennium future to Jeremiah's day.

Jer 4:
23 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no human,
And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.

27 For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
Yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn,
And the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have purposed and will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.

 

[One God and Father of All]

According to the Bible - life on Earth is only about 6000 years old.

However the "rocks" of earth are most certainly older since in Gen 1 the "start point" is an existing Earth already covered by water.

Gen 1:2 And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said

It seems fossils show that before God began to form the earth as we now know it previous life existed on the earth.

 

[BobRyan]

One of the early well-known calculations from the Bible is in "Usher's chronology" of the Bible.

Ussher chronology - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

from that link above

"Ussher deduced that the first day of creation was October 22, 4004 BC on the proleptic Julian calendar, near the autumnal equinox. Lightfoot similarly deduced that Creation began at nightfall near the autumnal equinox, but in the year 3929 BC."

The method used - involved adding up the lineage/geneology timelines given in the Bible from Adam to Christ.

 

[BobRyan]

It seems fossils show that before God began to form the earth as we now know it previous life existed on the earth.

well.

step 1 is to figure out how old the Bible says life on Earth is.

step 2 is to work out the "guesswork" that is mixed into evolutions claims separating actual fact from wishful thinking.

Just getting step 1 right - is a challenge in some circles.

Collin Patterson (well known evolutionist/atheist scholar at the British Museum of natural history and author of its text on evolution) ask top scientists in the field "Can you tell me any one thing you know for sure - about evolution?" -- and reported that all he got to that question was "dead silence" until one scholar raised his hand and said "I know one thing... it should not be taught in high school".

So getting "step 1" right is very important even if one is inclined to attend those meetings of the evolutionists.

 

[HTacianas]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

No one knows for certain. Genesis describes the creation as occurring over six days. But based on the wording of Genesis some resolved long ago that it was not six days as we know days. There has never been a defined teaching on the age of the earth within Christianity. Anyone demanding that you accept their account of the creation is simply demanding that you accept their account. And no, it is not necessary to believe in any account of the creation to be a Christian.

 

[One God and Father of All]

well.

step 1 is to figure out how old the Bible says life on Earth is.

step 2 is to work out the "guesswork" that is mixed into evolutions claims separating actual fact from wishful thinking.

Just getting step 1 right - is a challenge in some circles.

Collin Patterson (well known evolutionist/atheist scholar at the British Museum of natural history and author of its text on evolution) ask top scientists in the field "Can you tell me any one thing you know for sure - about evolution?" -- and reported that all he got to that question was "dead silence" until one scholar raised his hand and said "I know one thing... it should not be taught in high school".

So getting "step 1" right is very important even if one is inclined to attend those meetings of the evolutionists.

I think 6,000 years for life as we know it today is probably very close.
What’s even more interesting is the millions and millions of years earlier when life existed on earth.

 

[AV1611VET]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.

See: Young Earth Creationism

Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?

See: Ussher Chronology

How was it calculated?

By simple arithmetic; concatenating the lifespans of those mentioned in the Bible.

I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?

There is no such single figure. It is arrived at by adding the lifespans of those mentioned in Genesis 5, Genesis 10, and 1 Chronicles 1-9.

Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?

No.

How old is the world...

It is as old as God willed it the day He created it.

... and how is your belief justified?

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

 

[Aussie Pete]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

Bishop Usher calculated the age of the earth based on genealogy in the Bible. He assumed that the earth was created from scratch in the first chapter of Genesis. Some, including me, believe that the earth is much older. There are many reasons why it can't be billions of years, but it seems certain that it is more than 6,000.

The first verse of Genesis 1 says that God created "in the beginning". We have no way of knowing how long ago that was. However, verse 2 says that the earth "was" formless and void. It is possible to translate the Hebrew for "was" as "became". It is the same word as used of Lot's wife. She for sure did not start out as a pillar of salt.

What is known as pre-Adamic creation says that there was a creation prior to Genesis 1:2. There is good evidence to support this claim and the Bible does not rule it out. For a comprehensive discussion of this, you could read "The Mystery of Creation" by Watchman Nee. You can get it from the internet for free.

It is not necessary to believe one way or another in order to be saved. It is the principles of God's creation of man in His image and the fall of man that matters. A creation prior to Eden does help explain geology and fossil records.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Genesis describes the creation as occurring over six days. But based on the wording of Genesis some resolved long ago that it was not six days as we know days.

Everywhere in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew bible), the word “day” when used (as here) with a definite article or numerical adjective means a solar day or a normally calibrated, 24-hour day. Thus, the biblical account of Creation clearly indicates that God created the world in six literal days.

The book of Genesis is a historical narrative, and literal history.

 

[HTacianas]

Everywhere in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew bible), the word “day” when used (as here) with a definite article or numerical adjective means a solar day or a normally calibrated, 24-hour day. Thus, the biblical account of Creation clearly indicates that God created the world in six literal days.

The book of Genesis is a historical narrative, and literal history.

Are we to imagine that there was a solar day prior to the creation of the sun? If we read the book of Genesis we see that the sun was created on the third day. If the sun was created on the third day there could have been no solar days prior to that. It also says that plants were created before the sun. How is a plant to live with no sunlight?

You are demanding that I accept your opinions on the creation. And no one is required to accept your opinion on it. You're welcome to hold to your own opinion, but it is not now nor has it ever been an article of the Christian faith.

 

[One God and Father of All]

Are we to imagine that there was a solar day prior to the creation of the sun? If we read the book of Genesis we see that the sun was created on the third day. If the sun was created on the third day there could have been no solar days prior to that. It also says that plants were created before the sun. How is a plant to live with no sunlight?

You are demanding that I accept your opinions on the creation. And no one is required to accept your opinion on it. You're welcome to hold to your own opinion, but it is not now nor has it ever been an article of the Christian faith.

The sun existed before the third day. In verse 1 it says that the spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep/water and God said let there be light. The light was called day and the darkness night. The first day.
The moving of the spirit of God upon the waters that surrounded the earth most likely caused what may have been a very dense mist or fog to clear so that the light would shine upon the waters.
Then God forms a firmament between the waters to form water above it and below it.
Then the water below the firmament/ heaven He gather so that dry land would appear
The third day He created grass and trees..
On the fourth day God would have caused the light from the sun, moon and stars to shine upon the earth as it does today. Most likely by causing the sun to shine thorough the waters above the firmament.

 

[HTacianas]

The sun existed before the third day. In verse 1 it says that the spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep/water and God said let there be light. The light was called day and the darkness night. The first day.
The moving of the spirit of God upon the waters that surrounded the earth most likely caused what may have been a very dense mist or fog to clear so that the light would shine upon the waters.
Then God forms a firmament between the waters to form water above it and below it.
Then the water below the firmament/ heaven He gather so that dry land would appear
The third day He created grass and trees..
On the fourth day God would have caused the light from the sun, moon and stars to shine upon the earth as it does today. Most likely by causing the sun to shine thorough the waters above the firmament.

But that is not what it says.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

The only way I can square 6000 vs millions is not to take the days as literal. I believe there were humanoids ("daughters of men"/ Nephilim ) not in God's image first then He created Adam ( "sons of God") in His image later. As we unfold human orgins, we can see this as a possible scenario. Blessings.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

That number comes from calculations done by an Anglican bishop from the 17th century named James Ussher. Ussher added together numbers in the Bible, such as the ages of the Genesis patriarchs, and concluded that the first day of creation happened in 4004 BC. So, a little over 6,000 years ago.

James Ussher wasn't the only one in history who tried to do this, both Jews and Christians have, over the centuries, done similar calculations and have reached different dates. Which is why in the Jewish Anno Mundi system the year of creation is dated to (what would be using the Gregorian system) 3761-3760 BC.

Which means in James Ussher's calculations, we are in the 6,028th year of the world, but in the Jewish reckoning we are in the 5,785th year.

You won't find a figure in the Bible, because the Bible is entirely silent on the matter of the age of the earth/universe.

No, it is not necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian.

I believe the earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, according to modern scientific tests and observations.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[eleos1954]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

It's calculated through the documentation of the lineage in the bible. If one don't believe the book of Genesis (and other places where the lineage is stated) then what else will be dismissed?

 

[Neogaia777]

I've heard some say that the world is only about 6000 years old.
Where does this figure, or something of that order of magnitude, come from?
How was it calculated?
I couldn't find that figure in the Bible?
Is it necessary to believe this figure to be a Christian?
How old is the world... and how is your belief justified?

We often decide how much is necessary for us to know or not in order to be saved, etc, but many will say there are some basics that you absolutely must know in order to be saved, etc.

Most of the time, the exact age of the earth itself, isn't one of them, etc.

God Bless.

 

[eleos1954]

Are we to imagine that there was a solar day prior to the creation of the sun? If we read the book of Genesis we see that the sun was created on the third day. If the sun was created on the third day there could have been no solar days prior to that. It also says that plants were created before the sun. How is a plant to live with no sunlight?

You are demanding that I accept your opinions on the creation. And no one is required to accept your opinion on it. You're welcome to hold to your own opinion, but it is not now nor has it ever been an article of the Christian faith.

God is HIs own light ...

Genesis 1:5 - “Yom,” this Hebrew word for “day.” It is first used and defined in verse 5. It is used 410 times in the Bible in association with a number, e.g. 1st day, and in each instance it always refers to a 24-hour solar day.

 

[BeyondET]

God is HIs own light ...

Genesis 1:5 - “Yom,” this Hebrew word for “day.” It is first used and defined in verse 5. It is used 410 times in the Bible in association with a number, e.g. 1st day, and in each instance it always refers to a 24-hour solar day.

False yom means more than 24 hour, and is used in the bible to speak of a times longer than 24 hour.

 

[d taylor]

-
​

This current earth people live in now started at Genesis 8 and 9 and i believe in Genesis 10:25 was when the single circular earth was broken up into the scattered land areas we have now.
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

The earth before the flood started in Genesis 1:3 with God stating
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

The earth before Genesis 1:3 was created by God in Genesis 1:1 it was also the earth that was restored beginning in Genesis 1:3.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

But i believe the earth is ageless, the earth had a beginning that is seen in Genesis 1:1. But the time of earth's creation can not be determined. But what can be determined is when Adam was created the earth at that time with the sun, moon and stars can be determined as to long long ago that happen by counting back the gemology of the blood line of The Messiah.