The question exists for some that if the Bible covers history of approximately 6000 years, what about things that might indicate an old earth?
The possibility exists that both views are correct.
This is not an exhaustive treatise on that. It will merely open the door to seeing that dogmatically refusing to believe because understanding cannot be reconciled might be the wrong reason for unbelief.
Before delving deeper, it is necessary to talk about the King James Bible and the Strong’s Concordance.
While there are now many Bible translations, the King James Bible used to be the major translation. Then James Strong came along and made a concordance that related every word in the KJV to its Hebrew or Greek origin. The concordance is similar to a dictionary. If you look up a word in a dictionary, there are generally several shades of meaning.
The reason a person would use a Strong’s is to try to shed some light on various passages.
In this case, a Strong’s Concordance will be used to help explain the very beginning scriptures of the Bible.
The mystery of old earth/new earth may be contained in Genesis 1:1-2.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
If you look at a Strong’s and string some of the varied meanings along you come up with this. [For ease of reading, the numbers and Hebrew names of the words are not being listed, just simple meanings. Any person can use a Strong’s concordance and confirm this.]
[from Strong’s concordance]
In the beginning the (true) God create, shape, form, (always with God as subject) of heaven and earth, of new conditions, of something new, heaven, heavens, sky, Heaven as the abode of God, land, earth (inhabitants), ground, surface of earth, Now the earth, whole earth (as opposed to a part), come to pass, happen, occur, take place, formlessness, confusion, that which is empty or unreal (of idols), wasteland, wilderness, void, darkness, upon, on the ground of, face, surface (of ground), depths (of subterranean waters), deep, abyss, grave, And the Spirit, Spirit of God imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power, hover, on the ground of, surface (of ground), waters, danger, violence, transitory things
These are only a very few of the word expansions in Genesis 1:1,2, but it can be seen that it is quite possible that there was creation, destruction, and then recreation as Genesis 1:3 and beyond talks about the days of creation.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
In other places in the Bible we learn there was a war in heaven, that satan was cast out to the earth, that satan appeared in the Garden of Eden as a serpent.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Luke 10:18 And he [Jesus] said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
It is quite possible that the destruction of the earth occurred around the time that satan was cast out of heaven.
Another thing to consider is the Flood. Initially, there was never rain on the earth until the time of the Flood. The Flood made major changes on the earth.
Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
II Peter 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
In summary, it is not necessary to make the old earth/new earth an either/or obstacle to faith. Both can exist. The Bible indicates that.
What we need to know begins with the new earth, Adam and Eve, the Fall, and why Jesus came.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
In stating family histories, people generally don’t go back more than a few generations, maybe to a grandparent or great-grandparent.
To understand man’s relationship with God, to understand why Jesus came, and to understand what we need to know on this earth, it is not necessary for the Bible to go into great detail about the old earth. It is enough to understand that the possibility exists that there was one and that what people consider to be anomalies can be explained with an expanded view that an old earth/new earth explanation may reasonably exist.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
More could be said.