A possible answer to the old/new earth.

[joshua 1 9]

So the original universe, (that could well be 13.72 or so billion years or so old), was created perfect

Perfect in the Bible means whole, complete and mature. When a flower is in full bloom and when the fruit is mature and ready to reproduce. God could have began a work 13.72 billion years ago, then His work became perfected around 13,700 years ago when the age or era that we live in began. According to Gerald Schroeder's OEC theory a day is not a billion years so much as he believes each day is half the length of the day before.

 

[joshua 1 9]

about six thousand years ago

This was when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. Some people refer to this as day eight. Bishop Usshers book does a very good job of talking about the history of the last 6,000 years here on Earth.

 

[zippy2006]

I believe Aquinas wrote that the Earth might have always existed, like the footprint of the Creator, but that God set things into motion.

Actually Aristotle argued for an eternal universe and Aquinas said that it could not be proven from natural reason that the universe was created, but it could be known with certainty from the scriptures.

 

[SkyWriting]

(No extensive research prior to post, just a thought I had with the research that I have done)

If God created Adam as a fully grown man, and was older physically(assuming he created him as a fully grown man), despite being seconds old.

Could he have done the same with the universe?

Yes, He could have.

 

[SkyWriting]

This was when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden. Some people refer to this as day eight. Bishop Usshers book does a very good job of talking about the history of the last 6,000 years here on Earth.

And the scriptures describe the earth as ancient and everlasting, so you have to wonder what his source was.

 

[joshua 1 9]

And the scriptures describe the earth as ancient and everlasting, so you have to wonder what his source was.

Bishop Ussher spends VERY little time on Genesis Chapter one. They did not have as much information about that back then. Most of his books talks about Chapter two on. He devotes almost 1000 pages to the history of the last 6,000 years. A lot of the books he used for reference are no longer available. We do not need them anymore because the information is in Ussher's book.

 

[joshua 1 9]

Yes, He could have.

He could have, most likely he did not. All the evidence indicates that it took hundreds of thousands of years for God to create Adam. Of course God is outside of time and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He does not change.

 

[SkyWriting]

He could have, most likely he did not. All the evidence indicates that it took hundreds of thousands of years for God to create Adam. Of course God is outside of time and He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He does not change.

So there's no point in claiming a time frame
that God did not follow.