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Most conservative Biblical Scholars, including this author, believe the age of the Earth should be determined after the recreation of the Earth done in Genesis Chapter 1.  Notice the first two verses of the Genesis Chapter1 describe the Earth created and then the Earth is:

1. Formless,
2. Empty and
3. Darkness (in Hebrew a terrible darkness)

Then God is "hovering", like a parent does in protection, before the recreation begins.  Biblical Scholars have given the name for this occurrence by God as the Gap Theory.  The Gap Theory shows the Earth was already present in Genesis 1:1 and then it was void, formless and darkness on it in Genesis 1:2.  God does not create anything formless, empty and with darkness, so something happened in-between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  From other scriptures, including the implications of Revelation's new Earth, the Earth was previously in perfect state and part of the Kingdom of Heaven before something happened. 

Some Biblical Commentaries have the theory that when the events of Lucifer's insurrection occurred, then this caused the Earth to go into a state of void that is discussed further down in this topic and also in the Gap Theory.  

If this author had to make an estimate, using a theory of how long ago did the recreation part of the Earth occur, then the Earth is no less than 6,000 years-old, which is purely just a guess based on popularly known published estimates.   The popular theories are using the age of all the genealogies in the scriptures and time since the New Testament to come up with an age of the Earth starting:

• On October 23, 4004 BC, or
• Roughly 3760 BC

where both have some problems as discussed in the Generations topic.  The problems with determining an age of the Earth:

1. We do not know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before eating the Forbidden Fruit. 
2. We do not know how long the Gap period of time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2.  

The age of the universe cannot be any younger than 6,000 years-old when coming up with a guess, that has to be based on the Genesis creation events, which is when God did the recreation of the Earth that included the creation of the Universe.  Note that:

1. We know God created the universe on Day 4, (Genesis 1:14-19),
2. To determine an age of the Universe, is simply the fourth day from Genesis Chapter one and all time since then that event.

As already stated, we do not know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, which then adds more time to age of the Universe.  There is more information on the age of the universe further in this topic and also discussed in the Big Bang and the Days of Creation topics.

Preliminary information from Secular sources

Depending upon when you last read or heard anything dealing with how old the universe is, as of 2015, you will hear the universe is 13.8 billion years old or 15 billion years old, give or take 100 million years. 

This was determined usually by two methods, but more are listed farther down in this topic.

1. By studying the oldest objects.  The oldest known globular clusters of stars, based on calculated life spans of 11 and 18 billion years, were used in the calculations.  The consensus is the universe cannot be any younger than 11 billion years old.
2. How fast it is expanding using what is known as the Hubble constant.  The proportion of regular and dark matter to dark energy is compared.  If a universe consists of low-density matter, then it is older than a matter dominated one.  To get the measurement, thermal radiation is analyzed to yield the density, composition and expansion rate of the universe.  The left-over radiation is called cosmic microwave background which have been measured by NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and the European Space Agency's Planck spacecraft.

From literature as of 2012 the Earth is estimated to be approximately 4.57 billion years old based on specific research derived by comparative estimations.  Some sources will explicitly explain that no scientist can determine the exact age from Earth rocks because the oldest rocks have been recycled and destroyed by the process of plate tectonics.  Furthermore, no rocks left in their original primordial state have never been found.  What has been found all over the Earth are rocks exceeding 3.5 billion years using radiometric dating methods. 

Earth and the Moon

Many Christians, who have not read carefully the first few verses of Genesis Chapter 1, will have missed the point made that God did a re-creation on the Earth which was already there.  This is an important point which is called and explained in the Gap Theory Topic.  This means the Earth would most likely have signs of very old age, and then a more recent age in all other areas.

At the point in history, when God went through the Creation Process on Earth, to the present day, then that is when history began regarding the Earth.  As an analogy, if someone purchased a classic old car, dating back over 40 years, and did a complete restoration, then the car would be considered new after the completion of the restoration.  Because the Earth did exist before God did the restoration / creation process, it is possible with the rocks, that existed underneath the waters of Genesis 1:2, to actually be 4.54 billion years old.

These are points obtained from Chuck Missler's excellent presentation on the Book of Genesis that can be obtained from khouse.org and it is highly recommended. Note that this list will be continued as time permits.

• The Earth's magnetic field half-life has an estimate of 1,400 years which according to measurement indicate the Earth to be less than 10,000 years.  Remember that God moved on the Earth in Genesis chapter 1 and re-formed it.  If you take the side that God did create everything but disagree with the age calculations, then there is room for discussion.
• The moon dust is an indicator also that the moon is not as old as believed.  Ultraviolet light and X-Rays destroy surface layers of rock that are on the moon.  Additionally, the moon collects dust from its gravitational pull.  The rate of dust that can collect in a year on the moon has many estimates that are about a millimeter.  If the age of the Earth and Moon are in the billions of years, then than the dust on the moon should be very deep and possibly even miles deep but it is not.  This was a major concern of the Apollo Moon landings where they found out it was very little.
• The Earth's oceans would have greater percentages of bicarbonate materials, copper, gold, magnesium, molybdenum, nickel, potassium, silicon, sodium, and uranium if the oceans were as old as billions of years.  As known, nitrates and uranium do not break down over time or recycle like salt does.  This tells us that the oceans are not that old.
• The Poynting-Robertson Effect, called the Solar Janitor, states that photons slow down the movement of objects in spaces.  This force causes objects like micrometeoroids, to spiral in towards the center of the gravitational pull of the Sun.  The calculations indicate a rate of 100K tons per day are taken by the Sun where there is no known replacement or replenishment of the source objects.  The abundance of micrometeoroids indicates a younger universe.
• Radiohalos, Primordial Polonium 218 which has a half-life of 3 minutes, have been found in mica and fluorite.  This points to evidence of an instantaneous crystallization of the granite containing it when it was formed.  This points to a simultaneous and instant creation.
• There is an area that requires some explanation to the reader that points to the Speed of Light has been slowing down since the beginning of the created universe.  The speed of light is reflected as "c" in  E=mc and many other equations that are used in sciences such as physics.  This points to a creation.   (Part of the research on data, regarding speed of light, is the theory that light moving through water vapor to create a rainbow in the sky was only possible after the Great Flood because the speed of light changed after the Great Flood.)

Carbon Dating Accurate?

This following is a duplicated section from Generations of the Bible and also discussed in the Carbon Dating method topic.

There are at least three main problems:

1. How is there a guarantee that we know what the initial quantity of isotopes are in a rock?
2. What if there were external influences that added back isotopes or stopped the loss at specific points in the past?
3. How do we know the decay was at a constant interval over time?

Additionally, another problematic method used to date the Earth is to assume the Earth and the other solid planets in the Solar System formed at the same time which if one planet's creation date can be determined then the others are about the same age.

Secular Source Time Spans

Earth's time spans listed below are a general summary from numerous sources.  This author does NOT believe in this, but it is listed for the readers general knowledge of secular theories.  When reading through this secular time periods list, it is amazing how time is given as the method and solution to how the Earth became more and more habitable and advanced.  The first three questions are:

1. What is creating order out of disorder?
2. What is adding design out of randomness?
3. What is creating complexity of out inert materials?

If these three questions could be solved by time, then the we should be seeing this occurring in most, if not all of the planets, in our own solar system and others.  This is the same problem that evolutionist have that is often called Darwin's Problem, because an external source of information to design and create is required.

The Evolutionist Theory of Time Periods that cannot be proved:

Christian Perspective Regarding the Age of the Earth and Universe

1. The Earth was recreated in Genesis Chapter 1 and then the Universe was created on Day 4, as explained at the start of this topic.  The animals along with Adam and Eve were created on Day 6 as read in Genesis 1:24-31. 
   
   This author has not seen this in any Biblical Commentaries, where this author's theory is:
   (a) When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and they were cast out of the Garden of Eden then at that point the Universe was linked to the destiny of the Earth.  Because of the sin of Adam and Eve then absolutely everything was then doomed to decay.  The consequence of decay also put the Universe in chaos that had stars and planets no longer being perfect, eroding quickly, along with some stars going into premature supernova.

   Romans 8:20-22

   20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, )in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

   
   (b) God most likely had intended the Earth and Universe to be under the jurisdiction and realm of Adam and Eve, and their decedents.  This was lost by Adam and Eve after eating the Forbidden Fruit.  Lucifer had his plan, speaking through the snake, to have Adam and Eve's jurisdiction lost by doing what God had forbidden.  When Adam and Eve lost their intended dominion given by God, there was also additional ramifications of the loss that introduced death and separation from God.
   (c) There are a few old Biblical Commentators that state that Lucifer most likely considered Adam his rival and would be his replacement.  This is why Lucifer tempted Eve first as a way to get to Adam who Lucifer knew would not be deceived.  This was the catalyst to wreck and corrupt so many things and then also gave Lucifer dominion over the realm of the Earth and even the Universe.  Other scriptures reveal that God constrained Lucifer and the Fallen Angels influence to the realm of Earth and local surrounding planetary areas.  See the topic on Space Travel for scriptures dealing with God's control of outer space.
   (d)  As proof of Lucifer's control gained from Adam and Eve notice in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4, Lucifer trying to tempt Jesus Christ to avoid the Crucifixion by offering the entirety of the Earth and peoples to Jesus Christ.  In order for there to be the well-known "temptation" then Lucifer's offer to Jesus Christ had to be valid ownership.  If Lucifer did not have control and own, that was gained from Adam and Eve, to give to Jesus Christ then it would not have been a temptation for Jesus Christ to take Lucifer's offer.  Lucifer was trying to get Jesus Christ to not take the path to the Crucifixion.  When Jesus Christ went to the Crucifixion and made the sin payment, then this gave all human-beings the method for Salvation, removing separation from God, and God to take back what Adam and Eve had given to Lucifer.  Note that Jesus Christ at His Second coming at the end of the Tribulation Period is when He will take ownership of the Earth away from Lucifer.  There is a wonderful purpose of the Tribulation that reveals the prophecies yet to happen such as Jesus Christ sitting on King David's thrown which will happen.

   Matthew 4:8-9

   8 Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

   
   
2. Regarding the Universe's vast distances, there are at numerous scriptural references that God stretched or stretches out the heavens.  (2 Sam 22:10, Job 9:8, Job 26:7, Job 37:18, Psalm 18:9, Psalm 104:2, Psalm 144:5, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:12, Isaiah 48:13, Isaiah 51:13, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 51:15, Ezekiel 1:22, Zechariah 12:1) 
   (a) Look at this detailed link for more excellent information.  Stretching makes more sense from scientific reasons, as described in the link, but there are many other reasons such as Spiral Galaxies that are farther away, whose light is now reaching Earth, should appear with their spirals closer or tighter together than Galaxies that are nearer to us, but they are not.  Galaxies are expanding and if the images of them from thousands of light years in the past are now reaching Earth, then they should be the earlier stages before the expansion.
3. When scientist say the universe is 15 billion years old, there is a second part that is often left off which is "as seen from the time-space coordinates of the earth." 
4. There is a revolutionary proposal that has been made first by Barry Setterfield and Tervor Norman that the speed of light is slowing down.  This has profound respects to estimating the distance of objects in space along with the state they were in if the images of them have reached Earth quicker than estimated.
5. Some mathematical models proposed, state there is harmony because of the stretching where the correct age of the Universe appears to be 15 billion years old because of the Stretching done by God.  In other words, when the galaxies are created, moved and stretched in the universe, then next they are farther away from the position of Earth in the Universe, then one part of the aspect of the age calculation changes.  From the Big Bang perspective, if all matter:
   (a) was in a central point in the beginning,
   (b) exploded,
   (c) formed the stars and planets,
   (d) then using the distances between objects and the expansion, can derive an elapsed time which comes out to be at least 11 billion years old. 
   (d.1) There is of course other parts to the equations on expansion that are used to help support the theories such as life of a Star, where we see Stars that have died (burnt their helium core) and they eventually Supernova. 
   (d.2) The Supernova event theory has the life of a Star around a few billion years, so this why the age of the universe is also given such a period greater than 6 billion years. 
   Note that there are frontiers of the science of Star Life that are wondering if external influences, such as gravity from other nearby Stars or Black Holes that could cause a premature death of a Star.  From the Christian's perspective, we can agree to disagree and move on, knowing that God will give us answers when it is needed.  It may have been that God chose to also increase the age of a Star or a Galaxy when moving it based on science we do not understand at this time.  The rhetorical question is how often has science had a break-through that shattered the foundations of previous tenants?
6. From some science articles that propose a proof of the minimal age of the Universe, there is sometimes given a statement that a star supernova requires billions of years for the stars primary core element of hydrogen fuel to burn up.  There are other theoretical factors that can a cause premature death of a star that are beyond the context of this topic.  Additionally, consider if a star has a premature death and is 300,000 light years away but the stretching of the universe can mean the star death occurred before the stretching where light particles/waves were also moved.  Recall from the scriptures that Creation groans, Romans 8:18-27, for its rebirth because of the Fall in the Garden of Eden.
7. In Job 38:31 "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?"  The translations on this scripture should have more correctly translated it to read something like "Can you bind together the stars in Pleiades or break the bonds between the stars in Orion?" as John Hartnett has explained concerning Job 38:31.  Unfortunately, Christians which includes myself, have misunderstood this passage and read more into in the past but like science, Christians also make mistakes.  In the scriptures unfortunately, because of translational problems in the past, the scriptures are getting clearer and more accurate through greater understanding of the ancient Hebrew and Greek.  The point on Job 38:31, when dealing with the Earth Age is "bound" to the age of the Universe, so it is often part of the discussions.  What can be discerned, is the Scripture is not void of details dealing with the universe and God knew it would be part of quest for knowledge in the future.
8. From science we know that energy can change its Form into Matter and Matter is subject to Time.  How fast time passes can be different from one place to another depending upon mass, gravity and speed of the object at a particular location which is a part of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.  As an example, there is the somewhat famous "twin astronauts aging differently when one of the twins travels to Alpha Centauri" theory where if the traveler goes at half the speed of light, he returns at a different age than his brother.  This link on "Twins Paradox of Relativity Is Absolutely Wrong" explains it better if you are interested, which summarizes it by stating "In other words, due to the same Time Dilation Effect of Special Relativity, he sees his twin on Earth to appear to be aging exactly 0.8 as fast as he was aging, due to the same Time Dilation. He even sees the wall clock next to his twin on Earth moving exactly 4/5 as fast as he sees his own wall clock moving!"  So, we still have much to learn on Space and Time Spans of objects like the Earth.
9. There is the theory to take the six days of creation at 24-hour days, then with an expansion rate at 1/100,000 of a second, then in the first fraction the universe is the size of a solar system and then at the end of the six days it is stretched to the point where the perception is it is 14 billion years old.  This lets us know that God during the Creation Week could have stretched in some factor to easily accommodate the perceived age of the Universe.

The Heavens

Space is not an empty vacuum and has physical properties according to science and the Bible.  There is fascinating information concerning Zero Point Energy and energy in Space. 

We know that the second heaven is identified, in the scriptures, as the Universe.  The scriptures describe the third heaven is where God has His thrown.  The third heaven is distinctly different and Christian Scholars point out that it is outside of the Universe.  The first heaven is the atmosphere that surrounds the earth.  The second heaven is the universe and appears to be the domain of Lucifer and the fallen angels but it limited to within the vicinity of the Earth only.

Some Specific Scriptures on the Universe

The following are scriptures dealing with Space, the heavens, the earth and the future heavens and earth.

What to read next?

See: (a) Time and Time Travel, (b) Time Domains, (c) Kingdom of God, (d) E=mc , (e) Evolution, (f) Ten Dimensions of the Universe, (g) Singularity and the Big Bang Theories, (h) Gap Theory of Genesis 1:2 - Earth formless for billions of years