CAN WE DETERMINE HOW LONG AGO ADAM AND EVE LIVED?

Is the following common quotation true or false: “You can not get an accurate idea of how long ago Adam and Eve were created because there are too many gaps in the genealogies.”

Not only have I heard this many times, I used to say it. But I would always clarify it with some statement that you can still get pretty close.

The purpose of this paper is to show you that you can trace back to Adam and Eve’s time of creation with no gaps. Test it for yourself!

In the table below, the column heading FABS stands for Father's Age at Birth of Son, and the column heading A.C. stands for years After Creation.

Verse     Father      Son         FABS  A.C.
Gen 5:3   Adam        Sth          130   130
Gen 5:6   Seth        Enos         105   235
Gen 5:9   Enos        Kenan         90   325
Gen 5:12  Kenan       Mahalalel     70   395
Gen 5:15  Mahalalel   Jared         65   460
Gen 5:18  Jared       Enoch        162   622
Gen 5:21  Enoch       Methusaleh    65   687
Gen 5:25  Methusaleh  Lamech       187   874
Gen 5:30  Lamech      Noah         182  1056
Gen 5:32  Noah        Shem         500  1556

Now we get into a little fancy math. Genesis 7:6 states Noah was 600 when the flood came upon the earth. If Noah was 600, then Shem was 100 at the time of the flood. When Shem was 100, we have an A.C. date of 1656 (1556 + 100).

Now go to Genesis 11:10, Shem was father to Arpachshad two years after the flood. Thus Arpachshad was born on an A.C. date of 1658 (1656 +2).
Back to the table!

Verse      Father      Son      FABS  A.C.
Gen 11:12  Arpachshad  Shelah     35  1693
Gen 11:14  Shelah      Eber       30  1723
Gen 11:16  Eber        Peleg      34  1757
Gen 11:18  Peleg       Reu        30  1787
Gen 11:20  Reu         Serug      32  1819
Gen 11:22  Serug       Naher      30  1849
Gen 11:24  Naher       Terah      29  1878
Gen 11;26  Terah       Abraham    70  1948
Gen 21:5   Abraham     Isaac     100  2048
Gen 25:26  Isaac       Jacob      60  2108

(FABS = Father's Age at Birth of Son, A.C. = After Creation)

Now we are to Jacob. Genesis 29:28-30 and Genesis 30:22-24 show Jacob was the father of Joseph. {continued on back}
In Genesis 47:7-9 Jacob stands before Pharaoh and states he is 130 years old. This places us at an A.C. date of 2238. Genesis 47:11 states this is the time Joseph, his father and brothers settled in Egypt.
Exodus 12:40 tells us the sons of Israel spent 430 years in Egypt. This gives an A.C. date of 2668 (2238 + 430 = 2668).
1 Kings 6:1 tells us King Solomon’s reign began 476 years after the sons of Israel left Egypt (480 - 4). This gives us an A.C. date of 3144 (2668+ 476).

Verse          King         YOR     A.C.  Next King  
2 Chron 9:30   Solomon      40      3184  Rehoboam
2 Chron 12:13  Rehoboam     17      3201  Abijah
2 Chron 13:2   Abijah        3      3204  Asa
2 Chron 16:13  Asa          41      3245  Jehosophat
2 Chron 20:31  Jehosophat   25      3270  Jehoram
2 Chron 21:5   Jehoram       8      3278  Ahaziah
2 Chron 22:2   Ahaziah       1      3279  Athaliah
2 Chron 22:12  Athaliah      6      3285  Joash
2 Chron 24:1   Joash        40      3325  Amaziah
2 Chron 25:1   Amaziah      29      3354  Uzziah
2 Chron 26:3   Uzziah       52      3406  Jotham
2 Chron 27:1   Jotham       16      3422  Ahaz
2 Chron 28:1   Ahaz         16      3438  Hezekiah
2 Chron 29:1   Hezekiah     29      3467  Manasseh
2 Chron 33:1   Manasseh     55      3522  Amon
2 Chron 33:21  Amon          2      3524  Josiah
2 Chron 34:1   Josiah       31      3555  Jehoiakim
2 Chron 36:5   Jehoiakim    11      3566  Jehoiachin
2 Chron 36:9   Jehoiachin    3 mo.  3566  Zedekiah
2 Chron 36:11  Zedekiah     11      3577

(YOR = Years of King's Reign,  A.C. = years After Creation)

Zedekiah’s reign ended in 3577 AC when the people of Jerusalem were taken into Babylonian captivity. 2 Chronicles 36:21 states their captivity lasted 70 years. This gives a date of 3647.

Cyrus, the Persian, set the people free (2 Chronicles 36:23). History dates this event at 538 BC. Our AC date at the turn of the century is 4185 (538 + 3647).

This is 2007, so 2007 + 4185 = 6192. Naturally there is room for minor error in how the years were rounded off and whether the 538 BC and 2007 AD dates are precise, but the Bible does present a direct path to the time of Adam and Eve. If someone makes the charge there are too many gaps in the genealogies to get close to the time of Adam and Eve they are either unaware of this information or they are lying. If I have made any errors in this please point them out.
Since I feel the Bible clearly teaches Adam was created within 6 literal days of the creation of the Universe, this place the age of the Universe at about 6192 years. That is another study which I will gladly share with you. Bill Morgan (714) 898-8331.