We have to do the math. The Geneology from Adam to Abraham is very easy. After Abraham the math becomes more difficult. We go by Bishop Usshers book. His book is best known for its calculation of the age of the Earth and the universe, famously placing the creation of the world at 4004 BC. Some people believe that Jesus was born in 4 BC.
Published in the early 17th century (in 1650, with an earlier version in 1654), "Annals of the World" represents Ussher's meticulous effort to date historical events and genealogies described in the Old Testament of the Bible. Ussher was the Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and his work was a reflection of his deeply religious and scholarly pursuits.
Sure we could do such math.... (we don't 'have to' in a commandment sense....and that's important actually....more on the
Life and Death aspect of that below!)
This scripture came to mind, and we must listen.
There's a trap here that some are falling into! (it's far more important to help those in real danger than merely who's right about whatever details)
So, let's consider what's truly important, because of how this topic has gone so far sideways:
1 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus
2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.
3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.
4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. )
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
b
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’
11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)—
12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother.
13 Thus you nullify the word of God
by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
-- Christ our Lord in Mark 7
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Yes,
we can easily come up with a calculation for how long after Adam was outside the Garden, and became mortal and aging slowly towards mortal death,
and the clock starts ticking....
Adam was ejected from the Garden, and the Tree of Life is not available (not here).
So, we might potentially then be tempted (in discussions or debates, over years of time) to begin to
make a special emphasis on our doctrinal ideas about how old the Earth is....
But this thing of making our particular doctrines important and preaching them though....that is deadly risky, because
some will begin to think that some overemphasized doctrine is itself important like God's commands...
It's very good to humbly remember God gave us many actual literal
commandments -- which are Life or Death for us... -- do justice for the poor and the oppressed, love your neighbor as yourself....
So, Christ warned us against our tendency to make our own 'traditions of men' -- that we not get caught up in our
own doctrines....
Our own special emphasis on whatever interpretation of stuff like even our favorite own creationist doctrine/theory/belief....
Because that's soon going to end up seeming more important than it is ... -- "you have to agree to
X (doctrine), or you are not believing in God."
These new man made traditions (like believing in a certain age of the Earth, or a certain day to be the Sabbath instead of other days) so that man made new traditions begin to displace doing God's commands.
(Of course, we know God did not anywhere say: "Calculate the age of Earth, and keep this number holy.")
Christ very emphatically warned us. Will we listen to Him?
So, I try to be sure people hear me say that my ideas about the age of the Earth aren't very important:
Below is one of my attempts to make that clear, and I'll bold it.
Please let me know what you think: did I make it clear enough that our doctrinal ideas about Earth's age aren't important?
...as I think you already agree, Genesis chapter 1 is about something far more important and profound than time duration (x amount of time vs y amount of time).
I happen to believe in the text of Genesis 1 literally, in case you think that's important.
So, perhaps you'd then agree it's only a mere discussion of mere theory among believers if we discuss the relatively trivial question of precisely how old the Earth might be, yes?
Here's why I think so:
If another person (not me or you) reads Genesis 1 without being preoccupied with how much time or other debates, that's very good, because they will better pay attention and hear the text, and that can be very important.
Because the scripture can lift their mind from base things to profound things, the things of God.
So, it's probably only good to discuss our mere theories of how old the Earth is if we both agree that it's not very important the precise age, among believers. (because of Romans 14:1) We could discuss it as a mere curiosity. What do you think?
