WE ARE CLOSER TO 6,000 YEARS THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE

WE ARE CLOSER TO 6,000 YEARS THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE The Bible never comes out and says, “The earth is 6,000 years old.” It does give us enough information to work it out. Genesis records how old each man was when the next man in the family line was born. After that, Scripture gives us the length of Israel’s sojourning, the time between the Exodus and Solomon’s temple, the reigns of Judah’s kings, the fall of Jerusalem, and the line leading to Jesus. So let’s actually add it up. Adam was 130 when Seth was born. Seth was 105 when Enos was born. Enos was 90 when Cainan was born. Cainan was 70 when Mahalaleel was born. Mahalaleel was 65 when Jared was born. Jared was 162 when Enoch was born. Enoch was 65 when Methuselah was born. Methuselah was 187 when Lamech was born, and Lamech was 182 when Noah was born. Genesis 11 says Shem was 100 years old two years after the Flood. Noah was 600 when the Flood began, placing Shem’s birth when Noah was approximately 502. Add it up and you get 1,558 years from Adam to Shem. Shem was 100 when Arphaxad was born. Arphaxad was 35 when Salah was born. Salah was 30 when Eber was born. Eber was 34 when Peleg was born. Peleg was 30 when Reu was born. Reu was 32 when Serug was born. Serug was 30 when Nahor was born. Nahor was 29 when Terah was born. Terah was 130 when Abraham was born, and Abraham was 75 when he entered Canaan. That adds another 525 years. 1,558 + 525 = 2,083 years from Adam to Abraham entering Canaan. From Abraham the line runs through Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Phares, Esrom, Aram, Aminadab, Naasson, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David and Solomon. Then we get another hard number. “Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” Exodus 12:40 KJV Add those 430 years and we reach the Exodus at approximately 2,513 years after Adam. First Kings tells us Solomon began building the temple 480 years after Israel came out of Egypt. “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt...that he began to build the house of the LORD.” 1 Kings 6:1 KJV That brings the total to approximately 2,993 years from Adam to the temple. After Solomon came Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. Once the overlapping reigns are accounted for, the kings of Judah add approximately 381 years. That puts the fall of Jerusalem around 3,374 years after Adam. Jerusalem fell around 586 BC. From there to the birth of Christ around 5 BC is approximately 581 years. Luke preserves the line through David’s son Nathan. David, Nathan, Mattatha, Menan, Melea, Eliakim, Jonan, Joseph, Juda, Simeon, Levi, Matthat, Jorim, Eliezer, Jose, Er, Elmodam, Cosam, Addi, Melchi, Neri, Salathiel, Zorobabel, Rhesa, Joanna, Juda, Joseph, Semei, Mattathias, Maath, Nagge, Esli, Naum, Amos, Mattathias, Joseph, Janna, Melchi, Levi, Matthat, Heli, Joseph and Jesus Christ. Add those 581 years and Christ’s birth lands approximately 3,955 years after Adam. From the birth of Christ around 5 BC to 2026 is approximately 2,030 years. 3,955 + 2,030 = 5,985 years. The exact total can shift slightly depending on how someone handles co-regencies and calendar dates. It still lands right around 6,000 years, not millions or billions. People skim the genealogies because they look like long lists of dead men. Those lists are carrying the clock. #MoreJoyMinistries