When did God create the heavens and the earth? Again, the Bible answers that question for us when it says: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” (Gen. 1:1).
Though some would attempt to extend the six days of creation into long periods of time and others would introduce a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 with the claim that the angels were a part of an earlier failed creation, the Bible is quite clear that the six days are, literally, six days.
In Genesis 1, we read: “So the evening and the morning were the first day” (Gen. 1:5), with the same parameters mentioned of each day; and, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31).
The Bible also makes clear that all things were created within the six days when it says: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day” (Ex. 20:11); and, “You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You” (Neh. 9:6).
When did the six days of creation occur? While it would be a mistake to make a doctrinal issue out of a specific date or year, the Bible’s genealogical records indicate that creation occurred approximately 4,000 years before Christ, or approximately 6,000 years ago — numbers which can be calculated based on the ages of the patriarchs when sons were born to them, the lengths of kings’ reigns and other dates or events in the Bible, such as the exile and destruction of the temple (e.g., Gen. 5 and 11; 1 and 2 Kings; 1 and 2 Chron.).
Though the Bible contradicts modern “scientific” theory regarding the age of the earth, there is no contradiction with the true evidence, which suggests a young earth and a catastrophic and universal flood (Genesis 6-8). Believers accept the accuracy of God’s account of creation which is recorded for them in the pages of the Bible.
[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]