If God did create everything as described in the book of Genesis, when did He do it? On a timescale, how do we get from the beginning of creation to now?
“Then God spoke to Noah, saying ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” - Genesis 8:15-17
Fun Fact: Before the Flood, humans had much longer lifespans than today.
Biblical Timescale
AC = After Creation / Dates are approximations
0 AC
130 AC (Birth of Seth Genesis 5:3)
1056 AC (Birth of Noah Genesis 7:11)
1536 AC (Noah Builds Ark Genesis 6:3)
1656 AC (The Flood Genesis 8:13)
1900 AC (The Tower of Babel Genesis 10:25; 11:9)
1900-2100 AC (Ice Age)
2000 AC (Birth of Abraham Genesis 11:10-27)
2100 AC (Abraham Travels into Egypt Genesis 12:4-10)
4000 AC (Birth of Jesus Matthew 21; Luke 1:5; 2:1)
Now and Then
In the beginning—year zero—God created Adam and Eve and all the living things of the earth.
Noah was born around 1,056 years after creation.
Around 1,536 years after creation, God instructed Noah to build the Ark.
The Flood came and lasted 371 day, about 1,656 years after creation, or roughly around 2500 B.C.
The major climate-related effect of the Flood—what we know now to be the Ice Age—started around 200 years after the Flood and lasted about 300 years.
During this time, mankind again became wicked, exalting man over God and building the Tower of Babel to reach to heaven. Because of their defiance, God confused their language and dispersed them.
In 2100 B.C., not quite 2,000 years after creation, Abraham, the “father of many nations,” was born in the city of Ur of the Chaldees.
When Abraham traveled into Egypt, around 2000 B.C., the pyramids were already standing.
About 4,000 years after creation, in the Year of Our Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior was born.
And the rest is history!
“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” - Proverbs 30:5
Fun Fact: By the end of the Ice Age, the world’s population had grown to one million people…or more!
Takeaways
When we research and see how the timeline of the Bible lines up with actual historical events and evidence uncovered by archaeologists, it reinforces our confidence in God’s Word and His promises. And just like the historical evidence, we have seen that the scientific evidence we have today also supports God’s Word as true. What should our response be?
“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make it boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” - Psalm 34:1-3
Tell the world!