How old is the Earth?

[kivie22]

Hi, I've recently become intrigued with this question. There are many who believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as opposed to billions of years old. This is a debated topic, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Earth would be 6,000 years old. I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history. Not to say that the Bible doesn't propose valid argument on the contrary, but I just find this really hard to believe. What do you think? Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old? I've just been thinking about why God would send his only son down to Earth at that time? If the Earth and people have been around for so long, why 2,000 or so years ago? Thanks for any clarification.

 

[1watchman]

You will hear many views on this, but let us not suppose limitations on God. He is not limited by time, and can speak a matter into existence.

I recommend one visit icr.org and see what scientists there say, who are also Christians. They support a young earth (around 6,000 to 10,000 years), and give a sound rationale for it, but other believers do not agree with that. We should probably just leave the question to conscience.

Most opposers of a young earth point to scripture to seek to support their view, but I have found the verses used do not support it ---just my opinion.

 

[Nails74]

Agreed. If you are truly interested in this topic, forums are not the place to research. Check with the experts like AiG, ICR, etc.

 

[KJohnWright]

It widely considered a scientific fact (proven through research, and being able to be reproven when that research is replicated) that the earth is far older than 6,000 years. The number reaches into the billions.

 

[hedrick]

The usual question about why Jesus appeared when he did is that this was the time when people were ready.

I think Christians generally believe that the OT patriarchs could be saved, so that doesn't necessarily cause problems for people who came earlier. Paul says that we are saved by a spiritual union with Christ. If Christ existed as the Logos forever, then this would be possible even before he become human, just as it is possible for us to be saved even though Jesus is no longer around as a human. There's no reason to think that the effects of his death and resurrection are limited to the specific time he was alive. After all, the prophets and others had been teaching God's will for some time, and the OT sacrificial system pointed to Christ's death.

 

[Bible2]

kivie22 said in post #1:

Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old?

The earth could be billions of years old, without contradicting anything in the Bible.

All the Bible requires is that Adam was created about 6,000 years ago. For various verses in the Bible make it possible to estimate the year BC that Adam (as opposed to the earth) was created, by working back from the year BC that Solomon's temple began to be built:

Historians say that Solomon's temple began to be built about 966 BC.
And 1 Kings 6:1 says that Solomon's temple began to be built 480 years after the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.
And Exodus 12:40-41 says that Israel had spent 430 years in Egypt before the Exodus.
And Genesis 47:9 shows that Israel entered Egypt when Jacob was 130 years old.
And Genesis 25:26 says that Jacob was born when his father Isaac was 60 years old.
And Genesis 21:5 says that Isaac was born when his father Abraham was 100 years old.
And Genesis 11:26 shows that Abraham was born when his father Terah was about 70 years old.
And Genesis 11:24 says that Terah was born when his father Nahor was 29 years old.
And Genesis 11:22 says that Nahor was born when his father Serug was 30 years old.
And Genesis 11:20 says that Serug was born when his father Reu was 32 years old.
And Genesis 11:18 says that Reu was born when his father Peleg was 30 years old.
And Genesis 11:16 says that Peleg was born when his father Eber was 34 years old.
And Genesis 11:14 says that Eber was born when his father Salah was 30 years old.
And Genesis 11:12 says that Salah was born when his father Arphaxad was 35 years old.
And Genesis 11:10 says that Arphaxad was born when his father Shem was 100 years old.
And Genesis 11:10 and Genesis 7:6 taken together show that Shem was born when his father Noah was 502 years old.
And Genesis 5:28-29 says that Noah was born when his father Lamech was 182 years old.
And Genesis 5:25 says that Lamech was born when his father Methuselah was 187 years old.
And Genesis 5:21 says that Methuselah was born when his father Enoch was 65 years old.
And Genesis 5:18 says that Enoch was born when his father Jared was 162 years old.
And Genesis 5:15 says that Jared was born when his father Mahalaleel was 65 years old.
And Genesis 5:12 says that Mahalaleel was born when his father Cainan was 70 years old.
And Genesis 5:9 says that Cainan was born when his father Enos was 90 years old.
And Genesis 5:6 says that Enos was born when his father Seth was 105 years old.
And Genesis 5:3 says that Seth was born when his father Adam was 130 years old.

Adding up all the numbers of years above, we see that Adam was created about 4114 BC. This lines up with the fact that our current human civilization began about 4,000 BC.

If Adam was created about 4114 BC, this means that 6,000 years since Adam's creation were completed back at the end of about 1886 AD, and that the seventh millennium since Adam's creation began about 1887 AD. (But this doesn't require that the millennium of Revelation 20:4-6 has begun yet.)

It's curious that the Mayan calendar begins in 3114 BC, exactly 1,000 years after 4114 BC, the possible date of Adam's creation.

The numbers of years in the list of scriptures above show that Abraham (who was first promised the land of Israel by God: Exodus 32:13) was born about 1948 years after the creation of Adam, just as the modern state of Israel was established in 1948 AD.

If Solomon's temple began to be built about 966 BC, then 1 Kings 6:1 means that the Exodus may have occurred about 1446 BC.

---

Regarding the claim above that our current human civilization began about 4,000 BC (subsequent to Adam's creation about 4114 BC), by "civilization" was meant "the stage of cultural development at which writing and the keeping of written records is attained" (Webster's, print-version); "The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marked the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing. The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Egypt were established and grew to prominence" (Wikipedia -- 4th millennium BC).

Regarding "civilization" being defined by Oxford Dictionaries as the "most advanced" stage of human social development and organization, our current human civilization (4th millennium BC to the present) is the most advanced stage of human social development and organization, compared to all known prehistoric (pre-4th millennium BC) stages.

---

Regarding the claim above that our current human civilization began about 4,000 BC, by "current" was meant that civilization which began in the 4th millennium BC and continues on today, as opposed to any pre-Adamic human civilizations which may have existed from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years ago.

If there were pre-Adamic civilizations, they could have reached as high a level of technology as our modern technology today, for the Bible says "there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things" (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11). And even our future technology could have already been invented during past eons, for "that which is to be hath already been" (Ecclesiastes 3:15).

But all past-eons technology on the earth could have been completely obliterated by God, leaving no trace of it, just as all our own technology today (and in our future) will eventually be completely obliterated by God, when "the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10b). Here by "earth" could be meant just the surface of the earth, for the planet itself could continue on forever (Ecclesiastes 1:4, Psalms 104:5, Psalms 78:69b), so that the future "new earth" (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1) could mean a new surface for the earth.

---

Regarding the claim above that our current human civilization began about 4,000 BC, by "human" was meant human civilization in general, as opposed to the civilization of any particular people (e.g. Mayan civilization).

Also, by "human" civilization was meant civilization started by humans as opposed to any non-human animals. For preceding the first human civilization, there could have been non-human mammalian civilizations some 65 to 2 million years ago, started by, for example, intelligent horse-like creatures (cf. Revelation 9:17-19), who could have rebelled against God and then been banished from the earth (and forced to live, perhaps, in underground bases somewhere away from the planet, such as on the far side of the moon and/or on Mars, for the future army of 200 million weird horse-like creatures in Revelation 9:16-19 will have to come from somewhere).

Preceding the first mammalian civilization, there could have been reptilian civilizations some 250 to 65 million years ago, started by, for example, intelligent dragon/dinosaur creatures (cf. Revelation 12:9).

And preceding the first reptilian civilization, there could have been amphibian civilizations some 350 to 250 million years ago, started by, for example, intelligent frog-like creatures, who could have rebelled against God and become unclean spirits (cf. Revelation 16:13).

And preceding the first amphibian civilization, there could have been insect civilizations some 450 to 350 million years ago, started by, for example, intelligent locust-like creatures (cf. Revelation 9:3-10), who could have rebelled against God and been banished to a cavern deep within the earth's crust (cf. Revelation 9:2-3,11).

 

[Bible2]

kivie22 said in post #1:

I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history.

None of that evidence needs to be rejected, because none of it contradicts the Bible.

Creationism includes what could be called the double-gap theory, meaning that there could have been two different gaps of time in Genesis chapters 1-2, the first gap having occurred between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, and the second gap having occurred between Genesis 2:4 and Genesis 2:5.

Genesis 1:1 could have occurred some 4.5 billions years ago, when God first created the planet earth and its atmosphere (the first heaven, in which the birds fly: cf. Genesis 1:20b). Between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, some 4.5 billion years could have occurred, in which God could have allowed his own created process of evolution (random mutation and survival of the fittest) to serve as a mechanism by which new species arose on the earth. During those same 4.5 billion years, God could have also sometimes gone outside of evolution and created new species miraculously, whenever he wanted (cf. punctuated equilibria).

Genesis 1:2 could refer to the condition of the earth only some 12,000 years ago (at the end of the Paleolithic period), after some cataclysm, such as a comet strike, had killed off all life on the planet (both evolved and miraculously created), and had submerged all land areas in water (comets contain huge amounts of water), and had ruined the atmosphere. The impact of the comet could have also knocked the earth out of its orbit around its original star, so that the earth was sent hurtling into the darkness of interstellar space. Genesis 1:3-2:4 could then refer to God, over a period of six literal, 24-hour days (some 12,000 years ago, at the start of the Neolithic period), miraculously restoring to the earth light, a good atmosphere, dry land, and life, including a race of male and female homo sapiens sapiens, after God had miraculously restored land plants (Genesis 1:11-13) and land animals (Genesis 1:24-25) to the earth.

Then, only about 6,000 years ago, God miraculously created on the earth an individual male homo sapiens sapiens named Adam in an uninhabited desert land (Genesis 2:5-7; the original Hebrew word translated there as "earth" can simply refer to a certain "land"; cf. Genesis 2:11). After that, God planted the plants of the Garden of Eden in that desert land (Genesis 2:8-9) and God placed Adam in that garden (Genesis 2:15). After that, God miraculously created the animals of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:19). After that, God miraculously created in the Garden of Eden an individual female homo sapiens sapiens (Genesis 2:22) whom Adam named Eve (Genesis 3:20).

If there were pre-Adamic humans existing on the earth when God created Adam, they could have died in the same ways people die today, and their descendants could have died during Noah's flood.

1 Corinthians 15:45 doesn't require that there were no pre-Adamic humans on the earth. For just as "the first day" in Philippians 1:5 doesn't have to mean "the first day" of Genesis 1:5, and just as "the first works" in Revelation 2:5 doesn't have to mean the first earthly works of Genesis 1:1, so "the first man" in 1 Corinthians 15:45 doesn't have to mean the first homo sapiens sapiens ever to exist on the earth. Instead, Adam could have simply been the first man of the Adamic line of homo sapiens sapiens, which could be the only line alive on the earth today.

Because Adam was created only about 6,000 years ago, but there are homo sapiens sapiens fossils said to be as old as about 200,000 years, God could have first created homo sapiens sapiens (or it could have evolved by God's created process of evolution) as far back as about 200,000 years.

Also, all the different hominid forms the fossils of which long predate or are as old as the earliest fossils of homo sapiens sapiens, and which preceding or co-existing hominid forms we don't consider to have been fully human like us (such as homo sapiens neanderthalensis), could have all been created by God (or could have evolved by God's created process of evolution) over millions of years prior to the first appearance of homo sapiens sapiens on the earth.

And this doesn't even get into the possibly trillion other inhabited planets in the universe on which homo sapiens sapiens (or similar or far more advanced life-forms) could have been created by God (or could have evolved by God's created process of evolution) billions of years prior to the first appearance of homo sapiens sapiens on the earth. For the universe could be about 14 billions years old, and there are something like 100 billion different galaxies in the universe, each containing something like 100 billion different stars. So even if only one out of 10 billion stars in the universe has an inhabited planet, this would still mean that there are 1 trillion inhabited planets in the universe. And on most of these planets God could have begun his miraculous work (and the work of his created process of evolution) billions of years before beginning his miraculous work (and the work of his created process of evolution) on the earth.

 

[Bible2]

hedrick said in post #5:

I think Christians generally believe that the OT patriarchs could be saved, so that doesn't necessarily cause problems for people who came earlier.

That's right.

All the OT believers are now part of the church in heaven (Hebrews 11:13-16, Hebrews 12:22-24), for now there are no believers outside of the church (Ephesians 4:4-6). And 1 Peter 4:6, 1 Peter 3:18c-19 and Ephesians 4:9 show that there was a post-resurrection descent of Jesus into Hades to preach the fulfillment of the gospel (of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) to the souls of the dead in Hades, sometime subsequent to which preaching Christ ascended into heaven with all the souls of those in Hades who had died in faith (Ephesians 4:8-9, Hebrews 11:13-16, Hebrews 12:22-24).

 

[thesunisout]

Hi, I've recently become intrigued with this question. There are many who believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as opposed to billions of years old. This is a debated topic, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Earth would be 6,000 years old. I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history. Not to say that the Bible doesn't propose valid argument on the contrary, but I just find this really hard to believe. What do you think? Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old? I've just been thinking about why God would send his only son down to Earth at that time? If the Earth and people have been around for so long, why 2,000 or so years ago? Thanks for any clarification.

I also grew up with such evidence, and when I became a Christian, I believed in an old age of the Earth and evolution. After doing some research, I changed my mind. Although scientists present these things as absolute fact, the reality is that their conclusions are based on flimsy, circumstantial evidence. It was shocking to find that out, because I always assumed these things were absolutely proven.

There is very good support scientifically for a young creation; once you do the research and understand the subject matter you will find you live in a much different world than the secular world has presented. One of the most fascinating things is to discover what the pre-flood word was like, when people were living for 1000 years. There is strong scientifc evidence to support it, and it also explains the fossil record, and what happened with the dinosaurs.

Here is a good place to start on the age of the earth:

Evolution Handbook 3

 

[Aibrean]

God is capable of creating an "adult" earth. He proved it when he created a man from dust and not a baby.

 

[salida]

Age of the earth

A Summary of Evidence for Literal 24-hr Creation Days in Genesis 1.
Summary of evidence for 24-hr Creation Days

 

[Harry3142]

Hi, I've recently become intrigued with this question. There are many who believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as opposed to billions of years old. This is a debated topic, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Earth would be 6,000 years old. I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history. Not to say that the Bible doesn't propose valid argument on the contrary, but I just find this really hard to believe. What do you think? Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old? I've just been thinking about why God would send his only son down to Earth at that time? If the Earth and people have been around for so long, why 2,000 or so years ago? Thanks for any clarification.

www.theologywebsite.com/etext/egypt/creation.shtml

This is the creation story that the Hebrew people were already familiar with, as it predates the Genesis stories by centuries. But note that in their creation epic the gods and goddesses created other gods and goddesses for the first five days, and then created man and all the other animals on the sixth day.

The author of the Genesis stories (Genesis 1:1 to 2:3, and Genesis 2:4-25) had to contend with this acceptance even among the Hebrews of the egyptian creation epic. So the first creation story of Genesis methodically stripped every facet of the physical realm of its divine significance. The sun, moon, and stars were to be seen as merely objects in the sky which gave us light, rather than deities. The earth, sky, and heavens were to be seen as spaces which God had created, rather than gods in-and-of themselves. The animals that the people saw around them were to be seen as nothing more than other species of animals, rather than representations of gods or goddesses (there were over 40 in their pantheon). By the time that the reader reached Genesis 2:3, the only divinity that was to be seen as real was also a spirit and invisible, while all that we could see was merely his creation.

The second creation story (Genesis 2:4-25) dealt with another egyptian belief, namely, that man was on the same level as all the other species of animals. But in the Genesis story God created man out of the dust of the earth and personally breathed life into him, he presented all the other species of animals to him so that he could name them (a symbol of power in the ancient world), he created for him a special garden where he could live comfortably, he conversed with him in an intelligent manner, and he enabled man to converse with him in an intelligent manner.

He also gave him a power that no other animal has to this day: He gave man the power to disobey God himself. Adam could choose to obey God, or he could choose to disobey him. And when he disobeyed him he lost the innocence that until then he had shared with all the other species of animals. He alone attained the knowledge of good and evil, a concept which mankind shares with no other specie of animal to this day.

 

[Peripatetic]

As others have said, it is clear that either the Earth is much older or God created the Earth in such a way for it to appear much older. In general though, I think it's a bad idea to get too wrapped up in the exact dates, counts, and numbers of the Bible.

 

[thesunisout]

www.theologywebsite.com/etext/egypt/creation.shtml

This is the creation story that the Hebrew people were already familiar with, as it predates the Genesis stories by centuries. But note that in their creation epic the gods and goddesses created other gods and goddesses for the first five days, and then created man and all the other animals on the sixth day.

The author of the Genesis stories (Genesis 1:1 to 2:3, and Genesis 2:4-25) had to contend with this acceptance even among the Hebrews of the egyptian creation epic. So the first creation story of Genesis methodically stripped every facet of the physical realm of its divine significance. The sun, moon, and stars were to be seen as merely objects in the sky which gave us light, rather than deities. The earth, sky, and heavens were to be seen as spaces which God had created, rather than gods in-and-of themselves. The animals that the people saw around them were to be seen as nothing more than other species of animals, rather than representations of gods or goddesses (there were over 40 in their pantheon). By the time that the reader reached Genesis 2:3, the only divinity that was to be seen as real was also a spirit and invisible, while all that we could see was merely his creation.

The second creation story (Genesis 2:4-25) dealt with another egyptian belief, namely, that man was on the same level as all the other species of animals. But in the Genesis story God created man out of the dust of the earth and personally breathed life into him, he presented all the other species of animals to him so that he could name them (a symbol of power in the ancient world), he created for him a special garden where he could live comfortably, he conversed with him in an intelligent manner, and he enabled man to converse with him in an intelligent manner.

He also gave him a power that no other animal has to this day: He gave man the power to disobey God himself. Adam could choose to obey God, or he could choose to disobey him. And when he disobeyed him he lost the innocence that until then he had shared with all the other species of animals. He alone attained the knowledge of good and evil, a concept which mankind shares with no other specie of animal to this day.

The author of Genesis was Moses, and Moses spoke with God face to face. We also know that the holy scriptures were inspired by God. Satan is the author of false religion, and it is always seeded with half-truths. If there are any parallels it is for that reason alone. You are looking at dating as if that is the proof of which is more valid than the other, missing the spiritual connotation entirely.

 

[parsley]

How old is the Earth?

Older than dirt.

 

[Aibrean]

How old is the Earth?

Older than dirt.

Dirt is earth.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Just sayin'

 

[albrecht]

I believe that the earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old, as the scientific evidence suggests. I don't think the creation accounts in Genesis lend themselves very well to a literal interpretation.

 

[Malachi814]

God says "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate". The Father wishes you not worry about such things. Worry is from the evil one.

By trusting the Father in complete love, we trust that his words "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate" are true. The flesh counts for nothing, the Spirit is everything. Do not believe in science, believe in the Spirit.

It is not good to put God together with science. If we do, when we are approached by scientists who look to disprove God, we have not defence; their words penetrate our hearts.

God doesn't want us to argue with scientists, but for us to live at peace in all ways. If someone disagrees with your oppinion, it does not matter. It does not affect your relationship with the living God; the Kingdom of God is within us.

 

[FrozenOne]

Hi, I've recently become intrigued with this question. There are many who believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as opposed to billions of years old. This is a debated topic, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Earth would be 6,000 years old. I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history. Not to say that the Bible doesn't propose valid argument on the contrary, but I just find this really hard to believe. What do you think? Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old? I've just been thinking about why God would send his only son down to Earth at that time? If the Earth and people have been around for so long, why 2,000 or so years ago? Thanks for any clarification.

Well, since your asking, I support the 6000 year view. I have been at presentations by Dr Grady Mcmurtry, he has a creation ministry.
Creation Worldview Ministries

You can check here on youtube to see him give a presentation on evolution.
Evolution No Evidence, The Facts By Dr Grady McMurtry Part 1 of 10 - YouTube

 

[razeontherock]

Hi, I've recently become intrigued with this question. There are many who believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old, as opposed to billions of years old. This is a debated topic, and I can't wrap my head around the fact that the Earth would be 6,000 years old. I've grown up surrounded by the scientific evidence of dinosaurs and ancient history. Not to say that the Bible doesn't propose valid argument on the contrary, but I just find this really hard to believe. What do you think? Is the Earth 6,000 or billions of years old? I've just been thinking about why God would send his only son down to Earth at that time? If the Earth and people have been around for so long, why 2,000 or so years ago? Thanks for any clarification.

These are 2 entirely distinct questions. I don't think it's productive to tackle both simultaneously. If it's a safe assumption that you're settled on the age of the earth being well over 100,000 years, why not concentrate in that light? And then the passage "in the fullness of time" has a more specific context.