The Age of the Earth and the Age of Man
How old is the universe? How long has the earth been here? The Bible says that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). When was this beginning? When did this wonderful work of creation take place? Hundreds of years ago? Thousands of years ago? Millions of years ago? Billions of years ago (as the evolutionists now believe)? What does the Bible teach about the age of the heavens and the earth?
Problems in Determining Age
The problem with determining the age of the earth is that no one was alive to witness this great event. A scientist might say, “The earth is four or five billion years old.” This is what he believes, but does he really know this? Was he there when it happened? Does he know anyone who witnessed this event? The Lord Jesus was present when the world was first made because He was the Creator (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Eph. 3:9). We can fully trust what He says about the creation of the world. The angels also witnessed the creation of the earth (Job 38:4-7). But there were no people to witness this event.
The Necessity of a Starting Point
Suppose you were to enter an abandoned house and you see a candle burning on the table. The candle is 5 inches tall. As you watch this candle, you notice that it is burning at a rate of 1 inch every hour. To answer how long the candle was burning, you must know the starting point. You must know how tall the candle stood in the beginning. You also must assume that the candle has always burned at the same rate from the time it was first lit. These factors are difficult to determine if you did not see the candle when it was first lit.
In this same house you also notice a clock on the wall. It is an 8-day windup clock. Soon after you enter the house this clock stops ticking. How long has the clock been ticking? Here again, you need to know the starting point. You need to know when the clock was first wound up and whether or not the clock was wound up all the way. If you assume that the clock was wound up all the way you might be making the wrong assumption.
Understanding Through Faith
How can we learn about the beginning or the starting point of the universe? “Through Faith we Understand” (Hebrews 11:3). Faith is simply taking God at His Word and believing what He has said. Our faith is in the Almighty CREATOR who was there at the starting point. Also God has given us the book of Genesis which tells us what the heavens and the earth were like when He created them in the beginning (when God “wound them up” and started them ticking!). We were not there when everything started (see Job 38:4), but God the Creator was!
The Creation Week
In our study of the DAYS OF CREATION we learned that the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and man were all created in the same week (Exodus 20:11), and so they are really all the same age! The sun and earth are not billions of years older than man, as evolutionists teach. Actually the earth is only five days older than Adam was! If we know how old the earth is, then we know how old the sun is and we know how long man has lived on the earth. They were all made at the same time, during the six days of the creation week.
| Creation Subject | Day of Creation |
|---|---|
| The Earth | Day 1 |
| Sun, Moon and Stars | Day 4 |
| Man (Adam) | Day 6 |
Creation With an Appearance of Age
When something is created, it may look like it is old, but it is not really old at all. It was just created! Consider the example of Adam. When God created Adam, did He create a baby and then wait 25 or 30 years for the baby to grow up or did He create a full grown man (Genesis 2:7,15,20,23,25)? Let’s believe what God tells us about the origin of our planet.