How Old Is the World?
ANSWER: For this question, we will not discuss the scientist’s estimate of the world’s age. Instead, we will look at the world’s age based on the biblical record, including some Persian history and the calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC.
THE BIBLICAL RECORD
I. Introduction
The Bible includes time markers that show when events happened in history. Fortunately, the LORD provides a summary of the key time markers related to the age of the world. Therefore, we only need to look at a few passages to find out the age of the world. We will begin with Adam’s creation.
II. The Creation of Adam – Genesis Chapters 1 and 2
In Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, the LORD instructed Moses to begin the book of Genesis. This happened during his first forty-day visit to Mount Sinai after he arrived with the Nation of Israel from Egypt. In these chapters, we learn that the LORD created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. We also learn that Adam was created on the sixth day of that first week as a fully grown man. He did not experience being born as a child or growing into a man; he was a man from the very first day of his life. This also marked the start of his first year. Now, we will examine the record given by the LORD to Moses, outlining all the descendants of Adam down to the birth of Jacob, whose name will be changed to “Israel” and who will become the father of the nation of Israel. The Descendants of Adam, called in Scripture the Sons of God – Genesis Chapters 5 and 11
The “Sons of God” in Genesis represent the descendants of Adam who called upon the name of the LORD for their salvation. Calling upon the name of the LORD for salvation begins in the year when Adam’s grandson, named Enosh, is born. Not all of the descendants of Adam’s line are included in Jacob’s ancestry, but we are fortunate that the LORD provided Moses with the ages of Jacob’s ancestors and the age of each father at the time each son was born. In Genesis Chapters 5 and 11, we can trace the years from Adam’s creation until Jacob was born. You will notice in the table that for each birth of a son, I included the father’s name and all previous fathers who were still alive at that time. I did not include all the death years of each; however, when you see a name drop off the list, that father is no longer alive. I did this so you can see the overlap in these men’s lives. The birth of each man in each year is followed by the word (born) in each row.
For instance, in the year 1993, after the creation of Adam, when Abraham was born, Noah and Shem, who were on the Ark during the Flood, were still alive. Look at the year 2092 after the creation of Adam. There, you will see that Shem, who was on the Ark, was still alive when Isaac was born. Check the year 2152 after the creation of Adam. You will find that Shem did not die until the year Jacob was born
| Year | Adam and His Descendants to Jacob |
| 1 | Adam Created |
| 130 | Adam, Seth (born) |
| 234 | Adam, Seth, Enosh (born) |
| 323 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan (born) |
| 392 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Majalalel (born) |
| 456 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Majalalel, Jarad (born) |
| 617 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Majalalel, Jarad, Enoch (born) |
| 681 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Majalalel, Jarad, Enoch, Methuselah (born) |
| 868 | Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Majalalel, Jarad, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech (born) |
| 1139 | Enosh (death), Kenan, Majalalel, Jarad, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah (born) |
| 1552 | Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem (born) |
| 1651 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad (born) |
| 1685 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah (born) |
| 1714 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber (born) |
| 1747 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg (born) |
| 1776 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu (born) |
| 1807 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug (born) |
| 1836 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor (born) |
| 1864 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah (born) |
| 1993 | Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Reu, Serug, Terah, Abraham (born) |
| 2092 | Shem, Shelah, Eber, Abraham, Isaac (born) |
| 2152 | Shem (death), Eber, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (birth) |
This list indicates that 2,152 years have passed since Adam’s creation. Now, we need to determine when Jacob and his family, who make up the Nation of Israel, entered Egypt.
III. How old was Jacob/Israel When He Moved to Egypt? Genesis 47:28
“Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years” (Genesis 47:28).
Here we learn that Jacob lived to be 147 years old. We also find out that he entered Egypt 17 years earlier. Doing the math, Jacob was 130 years old when he moved his family to Egypt. Adding 130 to the year of Jacob’s birth, we reach the following conclusion.
The MATH: 2152 + 130 = 2282
We now understand that Jacob/Israel entered Egypt in the 2,282nd year after the creation of Adam. Now, we need to determine when Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt.
IV. When Did Moses Lead the Nation of Israel out of Egypt? Exodus 12:41
“And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt,” (Exodus 12:41).
Now we know that the Nation of Israel was in Egypt for exactly 430 years, “to the very day.” Exodus 12 tells us that the nation left Egypt at the end of the day after the Passover that occurred at midnight. That day is known as Nissan 15th. This means Jacob moved his family to Egypt on Nissan 15th, 2282. Doing the math, we find in Exodus 12:41 that Moses led Israel out of Egypt on Nissan 15th, 2711. (Note: 2282 + 430 = 2712; however, Israel departed in the 430th year, not after it, so we must subtract 1 year.) Our next time marker is when Solomon laid the cornerstone for the Temple in Jerusalem.
V. When Did King Solomon Lay the Cornerstone for the Foundation in Jerusalem? 1st Kings 6:1
“Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord,” (1 Kings 6:1).
The Nation of Israel left Egypt in the 2711th year after the creation of Adam. Now we learn that Solomon laid the cornerstone for the Temple 480 years after Israel left Egypt. The math: 2711 + 480 = 3191. Therefore, the Temple foundation began in the 3191st year after the creation of Adam.
VI. How Many Years Passed between Solomon and the Fall of the Southern Kingdom?
Solomon will reign as king for another 36 years after starting the Temple complex, placing his death in the 3227th year after Adam’s creation (3191 + 36 = 3227). From the remaining parts of 1st and 2nd Kings, we can trace the kings of the Southern Kingdom to determine the years since Adam’s creation. We do not need to trace the Northern Kingdom because it fell to Assyria 116 years before Nebuchadnezzar took control of the Southern Kingdom.
| Year | Southern King |
| 3227 | K. Rehoboam (S) |
| 3243 | K. Abijah (S) |
| 3245 | K. Asa (S) |
| 3246 | K. Asa (S) |
| 3284 | K. Jehoshaphat (S) |
| 3308 | K. Jehoram (S) |
| 3315 | K. Ahaziah (S) |
| 3316 | Q, Athaliah [Queen] (S) |
| 3320 | K. Joash (S) |
| 3359 | K. Amaziah (S) |
| 3387 | K. Azariah (S) |
| 3438 | K. Jotham (S) |
| 3453 | K. Ahaz (S) |
| 3469 | K. Hezekiah (S) |
| 3496 | K. Manasseh (S) |
| 3550 | K. Amon (S) K. Josiah (S) |
| 3551 | K. Josiah (S) |
| 3581 | K. Jehoiakim (S) |
| 3582 | K. Jehoahaz (S) |
| 3591 | K. Zedekiah (S) |
| 3600 | K. Zedekiah (S) End of (S) Kingdom |
After Solomon’s death, the Southern Kingdom will last from the 3,227th year after Adam’s creation until the 3,600th year, when the Temple is destroyed.
VII. When Did Cyrus Capture the Babylonian Empire and allow the Israelite Exiles to Return to Judah? Ezra 1:1-3
After the Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem, the Babylonian Empire lasted for fifty years. In the year 3650, Cyrus the Great conquered the Babylonian Empire. That year, Cyrus issued a decree allowing all the Israelite exiles to return to Judah if they wanted to.
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:1-3).
This decree is to rebuild the Temple, but not to rebuild Jerusalem. We are waiting for the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, which will happen under Artaxerxes I.
VIII. When Did Artaxerxes Issue the Decree to Rebuild Jerusalem? Daniel 9:25
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress” (Daniel 9:25).
In this verse, Daniel has just told us that from the time of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, seven weeks of years and sixty-two weeks of years (which total 69 weeks of years) will pass before the arrival of the Messiah, the birth of Jesus. When did this decree happen?
The Persian Empire, which later became known as Iran, was founded by Cyrus the Great and is considered the longest-lasting monarchy in world history. It began with Cyrus and lasted until 1979, when the Shah of Iran was overthrown during Jimmy Carter’s presidency in the United States. Because of the continuous line of Persian monarchs, its history has been well preserved. Here are the years of the Persian rulers from Cyrus to Artaxerxes I.
| Year | Persian Monarch |
| 3651 | Cyrus the Great |
| 3653 | Cyrus the Great, Cambyses |
| 3659 | Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius I |
| 3660 | Darius I |
| 3693 | Darius, Xerxes |
| 3694 | Xerxes |
| 3712 | Xerxes, Artaxerxes I |
| 3713 | Artaxerxes I |
| 3718 | Artaxerxes I – Decree to Build Jerusalem – 7th Year |
In Ezra, chapter 7, during the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes I, the king issued a decree for Ezra and the people traveling with him to use the Persian treasury to rebuild Jerusalem. (Read Ezra 7 for this decree.)
As listed among Persian monarchs, the seventh year of Artaxerxes’ reign was the 3718th year after the creation of Adam. When this is aligned with Daniel’s prophecy of the sixty-nine weeks, we reach the following conclusion.
The MATH: 3718 + 483 (69 weeks of years or 69 x 7 = 483) = the year 4201, which is 4201 years after the creation of Adam.
Thus, according to Daniel, the Messiah, Jesus, would be born in the 4201st year after the creation of Adam. However, Jesus will be born in the year, not after the year, so Jesus will be born in the 4200th year after the creation of Adam.
IX. The Introduction of the Julian Calendar by Julius Caesar in 45 BC.
Forty-one years before Jesus was born, Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar for the Roman Empire. Jesus was born no more than 33 days before Herod the Great’s death in April of 4 BC. (With Jesus’ birth, a thirty-three-day countdown began for Mary, who had to be at the Tabernacle or Temple on the thirty-third day for her purification ceremony. See Leviticus 12:2-6.) Coincidentally, we still use the Julian calendar today, except for a 10-day adjustment made by Pope Gregory in 1582, which renamed it the Gregorian Calendar. At the time of writing this lesson, it is the year 2025 AD on the Julian/Gregorian Calendar. Since Jesus was born in the 4th year BC, we are 2028 years from His birth. Now, we need to add the 4200 years from the creation of Adam to 2028. However, these 4200 years are based on 354-day lunar years, not 365.25-day Julian/Gregorian years. When we do the math, 4200 x 354 equals 1,486,800; dividing by 365.25 gives approximately 4,070 years.
Adding the Julian and Gregorian years together, we find that the world is
4070 + 2028 = 6098 Solar Julian/Gregorian years old.
However, in lunar Biblical years, the world is 6291 years old (as of 2025 AD).
We eagerly anticipate the 7,000th lunar year and the Second Coming of the Lord to reign as King of kings.