HOW OLD IS THE EARTH?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

WithinReason

Active member
Feb 21, 2020
929
136
43
#21
It has some links to creation resources, but also has some other material that is not related. Some may find some of the content schismatic.
Well the link is Creation to Redemption (thus Re-Creation). :) I understand what you mean, but most do not make the connection between the two, which is why people always ask the question what does it matter of the age of the earth, as noted in this very thread.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#22
As old as the hills
as old as time
older than you
what do you want an exact number?
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#23
HOW OLD IS THE EARTH?
According to this site I looked up, the earth is about 6000 years old. But I'd like to figure out myself too - how to determine it's age by looking at genealogies in the Bible, and at any other information in the Bible there may be that can be used to determine the age of the earth too.
Here's the link to that site:
https://answersingenesis.org/age-of-the-earth/how-old-is-the-earth/
The genealogical record lines up with the 6000 years figure pretty well.:)
 

SoulWeaver

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2014
4,889
2,534
113
#24
Wellll...? Technically.. dirt is formed by ....Over hundreds of years, rocks break down into tiny grains, and these small grains, mixed with plant and animal matter — decayed roots, leaves, dead bugs and worms, and other organic matter thrown in, along with water and air — is what we call dirt or soil. ... so therefore, it would depend on which dirt you were talking about as some dirt might be younger than other dirt. :p
That's why I don't dust, maybe it's someone I know.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#25
Yes, I'm aware of that. But even so, there is no indication in the Bible of how long that formless mass (or whatever it used to be) existed before God created the world and the universe.
Obviously, God is infinitely old.:)
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,776
113
#26
If you go by scripture we find that as God began creating His earth "the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered surface of the water depth............. So God's creation did not start from an empty space. Genesis 1:2.
Actually it did, and the Ten Commandments confirm it.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exod 20:11)

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Heb 11:3).
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#27
Wellll...? Technically.. dirt is formed by ....Over hundreds of years, rocks break down into tiny grains, and these small grains, mixed with plant and animal matter — decayed roots, leaves, dead bugs and worms, and other organic matter thrown in, along with water and air — is what we call dirt or soil. ... so therefore, it would depend on which dirt you were talking about as some dirt might be younger than other dirt. :p
You win the "MISTER WISE GUY" award!:geek:
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#28
Quite possible if it 4.5 billion years between creation and the fall
That is arrived at by the erroneous assumption that it all evolved from a blop of nothingness gradually. God did not use this method. Reading the Bible will help you on this.:) God created a fully mature universe 6000 years ago.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#29
What is important is that men accept the gospel. If there is proof that the earth is older than the 6,000 plus years and the man is sure the bible tells them something that isn't true, there is great damage done to man. It isn't a question then, of how old the earth is, but a question of whether scripture (and God) can be trusted.

I think that it is vitally important, then, that men accept that both science and scripture can be correct. There are people who label God stupid for saying the scientist are wrong, when actually God's knowledge is as vast as creation. It id false gossip against our Holy God.
Amen. Any science that does not line up with the Word of God is erroneous science.
 

breno785au

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2013
6,002
767
113
39
Australia
#31
That is arrived at by the erroneous assumption that it all evolved from a blop of nothingness gradually. God did not use this method. Reading the Bible will help you on this.:) God created a fully mature universe 6000 years ago.
Lol, it was not a serious comment though we don't know the time between the creation of Adam and the fall right? Though the possibility of 4.5 billion years is quite a stretch.
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#32
though we don't know the time between the creation of Adam and the fall right?
Sure we do. It was less than 130yrs. Four billion is definitely a stretch.

Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
 

WithinReason

Active member
Feb 21, 2020
929
136
43
#33
Sure we do. It was less than 130yrs. Four billion is definitely a stretch.

Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Yes:

Adam (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:7,8,15-25) is the 'first man' (1 Corinthians 15:45,47; Luke 3:38), who was 'made' 'in the beginning' (Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6), and he was made in the 6th day before the 7th Day (Mark 2:27). 'All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years' (Genesis 5:5). We do not know the exact age when Adam had Cain and Abel, but we are given the age of Adam when he had Seth, being at 130 years old (Genesis 5:3) who came after Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:25).
 

breno785au

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2013
6,002
767
113
39
Australia
#34
Sure we do. It was less than 130yrs. Four billion is definitely a stretch.

Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Yikes! I always read that that he lived 130 years on top of what he already lived...interesting
 

oyster67

Senior Member
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#35
Yikes! I always read that that he lived 130 years on top of what he already lived...interesting
Genesis
5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
 

Angela53510

Senior Member
Jan 24, 2011
11,786
2,957
113
#36
Creation and the age of the earth are very important if people are evangelizing. One question that always comes up is a question to do with science and the Bible. It goes like this, "What do you think of the conflict between the age of the earth in science, being 4.5 billion years when the Bible says it is more like 6000 years? They both can't be right"

How will you answer if you think it isn't important? Or if you've never thought about it.

Before I was saved, some Catholic people gave me magazine with a mail in book store where you could buy Catholic snd other Christian books. I knew Catholicism wasn't right with its priests and masses. But I did get some interesting books in creation. One was by Henry Morris, the other was a well documented book on the history of evolution replacing creation, especially in the universities. It put a lot of doubt into my unsaved mind. I had never liked evolution, it just seemed wrong. And all those silly text books with hunched over apes gradually turning into upright men seemed fake, but everyone but me seemed to believe it.

By the time I went back to university at 26, I had big doubts. I wanted to do environmental studies, and did a lot of physical geography, geology, biogeography and biology. In biology, I learned the plants were dated by the rocks. In geology I learned the rocks were dated by the plants. There were many other contradictions, and I began to believe in creation. But I didn't believe in the God who created it!

That year I met my future husband who was a closet Christian. Oh, he had repented and changed his life. He was also very kind, different than the average secular person. He decided to make friends with me, in order to share the gospel. Which he did, more and more. He told me about Old Testament people like David, who sinned, but God didn't lose him out of his hand. David repented, but left a sad legacy. Then we talked about creation, and he had the same idea as Oyster, that God created the earth, Adam and Eve as mature adults, not babies. I told him all the contradictions between different sciences I had learned in my secular university classes.

Then, God saved me! It was so amazing. I knew I needed to repent of the life I had been leading, so I did! Not perfect, but certainly major changes, with a lot of help from the Holy Spirit who came into my heart and life the moment I was saved.

So before I was saved, God removed a major stumbling block. The fact is, if science is correct about a long age earth, then the Bible is wrong! And if the first and opening chapters are wrong, how can I believe the rest of it? Are they just stories and lies, too?

God told me he was the Saviour of the world, and that the Bible is true, and I could trust it and that means Genesis chapters 1-3.

Some people may disagree, because they have a world view that is not Biblical! Since God saved me, 40 years ago, I have never found anything that contradicts the creation account.

When people deny the Bible creation account, or make up things like the "Gap" account, it makes the Bible look childish and written by people with little knowledge of the truth. The Bible has to be completely true. Or Christ might not have died in the cross, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and then risen from the dead.
 

AndyMaleh

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2020
863
532
93
44
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
#37
One question that always comes up is a question to do with science and the Bible. It goes like this, "What do you think of the conflict between the age of the earth in science, being 4.5 billion years when the Bible says it is more like 6000 years? They both can't be right"
Asking that question is a red herring not only because it is not important at all from a practical point of view for leading a good life, but also because any science that is true is actually studying God's creation. Had God not given us a human brain, there would have been no science in the first place and we would have all been just like animals. Science's goal was never to prove or disprove God. You don't need science for that. People can sense God with their hearts when they're pure enough.

What those people refer to as "science" is actually agreed-upon "pseudoscience" that is driven by greed, lust, and/or other sins. That's why this pseudoscience turns out wrong every year making room for more pseudoscience to replace it to feed people's sinful cravings. God's true science never changes. It may be revealed gradually though.

Back to my point above. In my experience, people can perceive the truth with their heart in direct proportion to how little they've sinned in their life without repentance. You must have not been a bad sinner to have sensed the illegitimacy of a lot of what goes on by the name of science these days. As such, your heart was pure enough to sense the truth and follow the breadcrumbs of faith towards God.

People who are good people just like you can sense that there is truth in religion and as such humble themselves by trusting the right path they are on and relaxing their critical questioning enough to patiently learn the full truth by listening to people of the faith. Their pure hearts can sense that those people are telling the truth.

Bad sinners who are too stubborn to repent have hearts that are hard as a rock and blinded completely from the truth, sensing only what satisfies their sinful desires like lust and greed. As such, no amount of debate or discussion can convince them. After all, there are stories in the bible of prophets performing miracles for such people and still not being able to convince them to worship God.
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
42,595
17,062
113
69
Tennessee
#39
Wellll...? Technically.. dirt is formed by ....Over hundreds of years, rocks break down into tiny grains, and these small grains, mixed with plant and animal matter — decayed roots, leaves, dead bugs and worms, and other organic matter thrown in, along with water and air — is what we call dirt or soil. ... so therefore, it would depend on which dirt you were talking about as some dirt might be younger than other dirt. :p
I'm thinking the older dirt rather than the young dirt. :)
 

tourist

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2014
42,595
17,062
113
69
Tennessee
#40
God only knows. What does it matter? Regardless of the age of the earth, we must follow Jesus Christ to be saved!

I mean, I don't even know what I ate yesterday, let alone when the earth was exactly born.

Godspeed.
I ate Chinese yesterday. Since there was a lot I also ate Chinese tonight. I will not eat Chinese tomorrow. I would much rather eat a bologna sandwich with mustard (French's).