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I have been having a discussion with my cousin on many different bible topics and this is just one of them. She says that the earth was created in six literal days and I say I don't see how that is possible. I just don't see how everything that was supposed to have happened on the 6th day could have taken place in a 24 hour period. I have done my own research, and found a few different things that make me think each day was more than just 24 hours.
1. Genesis 2:18 God says “It is not good for the man to continue by himself.” Also, in verse 23 it says, “This is AT LAST bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”
Would this phrasing have been used had it been but a few hours since Adam had been created? I don't think so. It seems as though he would have had to have been created for quite awhile for these phrases to make sense.
2. I also noticed that Adam had to name every living animal in that 6th day as well as be put to sleep to have a rib removed. Surely while naming the animals God had created he put a little thought into it. I would like to think he cared at least a little.
And also, Genesis 2:4 refers to the entire process of the heavens and earth being created as one “day”. So why then should I believe the first passages that refer to a “day” as being just 24 hours each?
It just seems like an awful lot for one literal 24 hour day. Does anyone else agree with me?
Oh, one last note. From what I can tell, we are still in the 7th day today! At Hebrews 4: 1-11 Paul refers to us still being in the 7th day of rest.
Hi and welcome M81,
I will bring up another thread or two.Ps90 also in 2peter.
4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. sHi Nick!
Thanks for the welcome. So I take it you agree that they were not 24 hour days? I am also arguing with her on whether or not God knew Adam and Eve would sin. She says yes, I say no! I really can't seem to get her to listen to any logical reasoning. I just want to pull my hair out sometimes!
Dear Mannequins,
Don't you think the whole Genesis Creation story is allegorical? Do you really think the creation of the universe could be put down in a few verses to people with no knowledge of physics and science without resulting to oversimplification and symbolism?
Quote (Nick Hassan @ July 02 2008,21:23) Hi m81,
They do not need to mean 24 hr days according to scripture.
Hi Nick,
Don't you believe that they are literal days consisting of morning and evenings?Hello M81, and welcome
I can see you are a thinking man, that is always good. We should never except scripture for what it appears to say without researching it further. God has hidden his truth in his word all through the bible, much in symbolism and metaphors.
We will not come to understand his word without the help of the Holy Spirit, and we are instructed in several scriptures to do just that.Jam. 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
1 Cor. 2:11 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”I have done a study on that subject and will share it with you. Let it be food for thought.
The Earth
Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Stop right there, and look at this verse for a moment, think about what it is saying. This very first verse of the bible is stating a fact; it is not describing the account of that creation. The fact is that God did create heaven and earth, what is not a fact is, that it happened only 6000 years ago. Reading the very next verse should make us wonder.
v. 2 “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep…”
Why would God create the earth in such a chaotic state, knowing he was about to create plants, trees, animals and man on it? Also, if this was what the earth looked like when God created it, would the angels really have shouted for joy?
Job 38:4 “Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth?…”
v. 7 “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”It would also give us reason to wonder what some of the other scriptures mean, for instant, speaking of Lucifer, who became Satan.
Is. 14:13 “For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”
From where was Satan ascending?
v. 12 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nation!”
On what ground did he fall back down? What did Jesus mean when he said?
Luke 10:18 “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”
When did Jesus see Satan fall from heaven? Satan is not his real name, it is what he became, an adversary, his name was Lucifer, meaning, bringer of light, truth. He was perfect in every way, when God created him.
Ez. 28:13 “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering…”
v. 14 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set the so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
v. 15 “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created…”And yet, the bible also teaches that Satan was a murderer from the beginning.
John 8:44 “Ye are of you father the devil, and the lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning…”
Who is wrong, Ezekiel or John? Neither read the rest of,
Ez. 28:15 “…till iniquity was found in thee.”
Lucifer was created perfect until something happened; he became jealous of God, that was the beginning of him becoming Satan. God created a beautiful earth until something happened and it became void and empty. We should learn from this that beginning is not what we have thought of it to say. Was not Satan on this earth when God created man? What about scientific facts? Science may not believe in creation, but should we then return the favor and say, anything you teach we wont believe either? If the earth was only 6000 years old, how could you possibly explain the geography or geology of this planet? Science may be wrong in believing in evolution, but through science we all have learned a great deal.
We have learned that the earth is not flat.
We have learned that the sun does not revolve around the earth.
We have learned that the earth crust moves on tectonic plates, that where they collide they form huge mountain ranges over millions of years. We have found huge deposits of coal, gas and oil, deep under ground and under the sea; are we to assume that God put them there because he knew we would need them for our cars and airplanes, so we can pollute the environment? What are coal, gas and oil? How are they formed? They are our resources of fuel and energy. They are formed from decaying organic matter over 100s of millions of years, under enormous pressure and heat. To ignore these truths, is no different than for science to ignore God’s truth.
So then, what did happen in Gen. 1:1? The bible does in fact tells us.Gen. 1:2 “…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
This brings to mind a scripture that practically explains what happened.
Ps. 104:30 “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.”
Renewing the face of the earth is what I believe God did in Genesis. And hear are more reasons why I believe that. When God created grass, herbs and fruit trees on the third day, he created them after their kind. On the fifth day he created creatures that move in the waters, and winged fowl, after their kind. And finally on the sixth day, the earth brought forth all the living things, creeping things, cattle, and beasts, all after his kind. What does, after their kind, mean? It is really very simple to understand, when you say after, there had to be something before. Man was created in the image of God, not after his kind, his kind had not existed before. Also, after their kind does not mean the same size or shape, it refers to that particular group, whether they be fish, or birds, or beats, etc. Fossils and skeletons are undeniable proof that God had created animals much larger then, as now. Why did God create all those animals so big? Well, I think one reason could be, there were no humans around that would feel threatened by them. How then did all life become extinct, and the earth void and empty? Let me start from the beginning, and this is what I believe has happened.
God did in fact create a beautiful earth, with all kinds of vegetation, trees and animals on it, which did caused the angels to shout for joy, Job 38:4+7. Angels were created to live forever, not being dependent on food or water or air. God also gave them a free will to make choices. To see if the angels were loyal and obedient to him, he had to test them, and this earth became the proving ground. Lucifer, God’s masterpiece of creation was put in charge. There are no specifics given in the bible, as to what his duties were, but his name, Lucifer, is somewhat revealing, “bringer of light”. Light is symbolic for truth; Jesus said he was the light of the world, John 8:12. Jesus brought us the light that leads to everlasting life, Lucifer was to do the same to the angels, teach them God’s way. While hear on earth, administering his responsibilities, something happened to him, he became jealous of God, he felt he should be worshiped. Over time, the bible does not say how long, he convinced himself that he could overthrow God. He revealed his plan to the angels, and convinced a third of them to follow him in his rebellion.Rev. 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth…”
Again, the bible does not say how long it took Satan to convince the angels to follow him, but then, God had not created time yet. Satan’s rebellio
n failed, no surprise. It was this rebellion that caused the decay and destruction of this Planet. God would not allow Satan and his demons to exist on a beautiful planet. This earth had become his domain, his kingdom. God withdrew his Spirit that upholds all things, from this earth.Heb. 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power…”
When God created Adam and Eve, he put them in a beautiful garden; it became their testing ground, when they rebelled, they were thrown out of that garden. This entire period of the Gospel has been a testing period for the saints, to see who endures to the end, and is worthy to rule with Christ for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be loosed for a little while to give mankind a final test, all those who fail will be destroyed forever, all those who pass will live forever.
Could a meteor or asteroid have hid the earth and helped in the destruction? Possibly, it really doesn’t matter. God would allow this planet to shape itself into what he wanted for us, and that may very well have taken billions of years. He then renewed the face of the earth, and created animals more our size. This is what I believe Gen. 1:1 teaches.
You may want to think about this for a while, but it makes perfect sense to me.IM4Truth
Hi IM4Truth,
That's nice post. But let me ask one thing, do you believe the creation that God made after Gen 1:2 is only of six literal days or not?Hi IM4,
You say
“God did in fact create a beautiful earth, with all kinds of vegetation, trees and animals on it, which did caused the angels to shout for joy, Job 38:4+7. Angels were created to live forever, not being dependent on food or water or air. God also gave them a free will to make choices. To see if the angels were loyal and obedient to him, he had to test them, and this earth became the proving ground. Lucifer, God’s masterpiece of creation was put in charge. There are no specifics given in the bible, as to what his duties were, but his name, Lucifer, is somewhat revealing, “bringer of light”. Light is symbolic for truth; Jesus said he was the light of the world, John 8:12. Jesus brought us the light that leads to everlasting life, Lucifer was to do the same to the angels, teach them God’s way. While hear on earth, administering his responsibilities, something happened to him, he became jealous of God, he felt he should be worshiped. Over time, the bible does not say how long, he convinced himself that he could overthrow God. He revealed his plan to the angels, and convinced a third of them to follow him in his rebellion.”Some interesting but bizarre speculation
Hi mannequins81:
I do not believe that the creation was six literal 24 hour days. I do, however, believe that God knew that Adam and Eve would sin. God has seen every thing from the beginning to eternity.
God Bless
Quote (942767 @ July 03 2008,09:06) Hi mannequins81: I do not believe that the creation was six literal 24 hour days. I do, however, believe that God knew that Adam and Eve would sin. God has seen every thing from the beginning to eternity.
God Bless
If you do not believe that God created the earth in 6 24 hrs. time days, you are denying what scriptures say. Morning and evening, means to me morning and evening a 24 hr. day, if it becomes morning again. etc.
Peace and Love IreneHi Irene,
Is the day of the Lord one day?
Can the morning and evening by 24 hr time be shown when the Sun is yet to be created?Quote From what I can tell, we are still in the 7th day today! Right, and if we are still in the 7th day, what does this tell us about the length of days. We notice too, that at Genesis 2:4 (I think that's the verse) all those days are lumped into one day, in the day God created heaven and earth. So the term day isn't meant to be a 24 hour day here. “Day” can have many meanings.
Quote 1. Genesis 2:18 God says “It is not good for the man to continue by himself.” Also, in verse 23 it says, “This is AT LAST bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Would this phrasing have been used had it been but a few hours since Adam had been created? I don't think so. It seems as though he would have had to have been created for quite awhile for these phrases to make sense.
Another good point. We have no idea how long or even how many years Adam was on the earth before Eve was created.
Quote And also, Genesis 2:4 refers to the entire process of the heavens and earth being created as one “day”. So why then should I believe the first passages that refer to a “day” as being just 24 hours each? Sorry. I had missed that you said this. You're exactly right. If all these days are lumped into one “day” it's obvious that these are not 24 hour days, or at least, it's obvious that this mention of the “day” that lumps them all together isn't. And that would tell us something about the use of the word “day” in Genseis.
Hi mannequins81 & David:
I believe that we are still in the sixth day rather than the 7th. In the sixth day in Genesis, God stated: “let us make man in our image”. The first man was made a living soul, but that was not the perfected man, and so this is an ongoing process as we are perfected as we learn to apply the Word of God in our daily lives. The last Adam was made a life giving spirit.
The seventh day will occur when the Lord comes for the church. Those who are in the body of Christ will enter into our rest. We will rest from our works. Actually, when someone dies in the Lord, they have rested from their works. They are asleep until the resurrection, but the whole body will be resurrected to be rewarded according to their works in the seventh day.
Quote (Nick Hassan @ July 03 2008,10:02) Hi Irene,
Is the day of the Lord one day?
Can the morning and evening by 24 hr time be shown when the Sun is yet to be created?
Nick If you are referring to the Millennium it is a thousand years.
The sun and the moon were created for our orientation, so that we can tell time and season, not for God.
IreneQuote believe that we are still in the sixth day rather than the 7th. hi 94. As far as I can tell, of each of the six creative days concludes with the statement: “And there came to be evening and there came to be morning” a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day. (Ge 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) The seventh day, however, does not have this ending indicating that this period, during which God has been resting from his creative works toward the earth, continued on.
And BY THE SEVENTH DAY God came to the completion of his work that he had made, and he proceeded to rest ON THE SEVENTH DAY from all his work that he had made. 3 And God proceeded to bless the seventh day and make it sacred, because on it he has been resting from all his work that God has created for the purpose of making.
But the seventh day is certainly not finished. When it is finished, all will be complete. The earth will be as God purposed.
Quote In the sixth day in Genesis, God stated: “let us make man in our image”. The first man was made a living soul, but that was not the perfected man, and so this is an ongoing process as we are perfected as we learn to apply the Word of God in our daily lives. The last Adam was made a life giving spirit. I think some have sometimes been confused by the first couple chapters.
Chapter 1 to chapter 2:4 goes over the days, ending with the seventh day of rest beginning and then, 2:4 says: This is a history of the heavens and the earth in the time of their being created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.
So, that's the history. But then, we go back and focus in on what's important, Adam and Eve. It's not a continuation, but it goes back and gives more detail concerning this. We know this because in 1:27 he already created the man. Then in 2:7, he's creating the man again.It's 2:4 that is so important. It tells us that the preceeding verses formed the history of the heavens and earth in the time of their being created. But, that doesn't mean we can't then focus in on certain important aspects of that creation–man.
david
Quote (Irene @ July 03 2008,13:01) Quote (Nick Hassan @ July 03 2008,10:02) Hi Irene,
Is the day of the Lord one day?
Can the morning and evening by 24 hr time be shown when the Sun is yet to be created?
Nick If you are referring to the Millennium it is a thousand years.
The sun and the moon were created for our orientation, so that we can tell time and season, not for God.
Irene
Hi Irene,
A thousand years is as one day.
So why should God need time?
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