Biblical Timeline: How Many Years From Adam to Jesus?
Biblical Timeline: Starting Point
As explained in the Biblical Calendar post, there weren’t calendars in Biblical days like we have today. So, the only way to create a Biblical Timeline and determine how many years elapsed from Adam to Jesus is to backtrack from a point that is trustworthy. For the purpose of this summarized Biblical Timeline, I’m using the death of Jesus in AD33 as the starting point.
Biblical Timeline: Focus on Jesus and not Dates
Before going further, please keep in mind that it is better to focus on WHO and WHAT than on WHEN. Dates help us prove historical events and the Bible is filled with details to help us identify dates. However, God never intended for His church to be divided over dates and times.
Instead, Christians need to be united in our belief that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to earth to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people. After allowing Himself to be punished for our sins and killed on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God. In due time, Jesus will return to gather His people. Afterwards, Jesus will rule for 1000 years with His people, and finally, all evil will be completely destroyed and Christians will live in peace with God and Jesus forever.
Biblical Timeline Summary: How Many Years From Adam to Jesus?
Approximately 4,000 years elapsed from the creation of Adam to Jesus and the 2,000 years since Jesus died are very well documented. So, 6,000 years have elapsed from the creation of Adam to Jesus, and there are 1,000 years yet to come in the near future.
The purpose of a timeline is to easily show the time that has elapsed since the beginning of the Bible and to show a continuous flow of time and events. It is not a statement about the age of the universe. Below is a high level summary with rounded dates for simplicity. For more information, please see the detailed Biblical Timeline.