The Universe Is 13.8 Billion Years Old—No Wait, It’s 12.6 Billion Years Old

One study, of which the popular summary was published July 15, 2020, claims the universe is 13.8 billion years old. They based this age on “the best image of the infant universe.” So they used what they call the “oldest light” to determine the age of the universe—and they’re confident it’s 13.8 billion years old.

But two weeks later, the popular summary of another study was published. It claims the universe is 1.2 billion years younger than that—“only” 12.6 billion years old. This younger age that the popular summary published was based on what the paper said about the expansion rate of the universe and light from distant galaxies.

So which is it? 13.8 billion years or 12.6 billion years? That’s just a difference of a “mere” 1.2 billion years, after all!

So which is it? 13.8 billion years or 12.6 billion years? That’s just a difference of a “mere” 1.2 billion years, after all, but why such conflicting results? Well, it’s because both have the wrong starting point—man’s ideas of naturalism and billions of years.

The correct starting point for our thinking isn’t billions of years. That’s a belief imposed on the observable evidence, such as the cosmic microwave background and light from distant galaxies. Because the models of these researchers have the wrong starting point (i.e., wrong assumptions), they’re drawing wrong interpretations and conclusions from the evidence.

Genesis chapter 1 tells us God created everything in six days (Exodus 20:11 reaffirms this), so we know earth and the universe are roughly the same age.

But we can know the age of the earth and universe because Scripture gives us the information we need to determine how old earth and the universe are. Genesis chapter 1 tells us God created everything in six days (Exodus 20:11 reaffirms this), so we know earth and the universe are roughly the same age. Then Genesis chapters 5 and 11 give us detailed chronologies that, when added together, give us approximately 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham. We know Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Christ, and Christ is 2,000 years before us—that’s approximately 6,000 years for the earth and universe.

God’s Word gives us the eyewitness account of history. He never lies (Titus 1:2) so we can trust his Word to give us the true history of earth, the universe, and life itself.

You can learn more about light from distant galaxies and the cosmic microwave background in this chapter from The New Answers Book 1: “Does Distant Starlight Prove the Universe Is Old?”

Get More Answers on Answers News

This news item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Bryan Osborne, Avery Foley, and Roger Patterson. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also covered the following intriguing topics:

• A popular author warns of a coming scandal in the transgender debate.
• Microbes from 100 million years ago wake up.
• Are movies of the universe hiding in black holes?
• And more!

Be sure to join us each Monday and Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET) on my Facebook page or the Answers in Genesis Facebook page for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.