Was the Earth really created in six 24 hour days?

[Jefe Gordo]

Quote (t8 @ Aug. 04 2008,21:24)

People tend to think that God created the sun and moon on the fourth day, when in actual fact it says clearly that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then comes the first day.

Just throwing in some thoughts…

Verse 16 (see below) seems to indicate that the sun was created on day 4. That is assuming the “great light” refers to the sun

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

If each “day” was a very long period of time the plants created in day 3 would have no sunlight and couldn't survive.

There are a number of theories out there supporting a young earth. Check out Walter Brown's website at creationscience.com. I don't think Genesis has to contradict with the fossil record because I don't think the fossil record, as it is taught in universities, is accurate. I'm certainly not educated enough to defend myself on these forums. I'm just suggesting that everyone look into some creation science resources. You may be surprised.

Thanks for the great discussion all.

[Anonymous]

Tim
Interesting indeed on life formed in Clay and most would of missed the dirt similie. No-one knows how GOD could use a twig or a stone. I have no idea at all how the Rib thing worked with Eve but sure it wouldn't be too difficult for GOD … KAB-60

[Anonymous]

HI Jefe

Love your New view whether it aggrees with me or not. Just love the fresh viewpoint THANKYOU! It does step me back a pace or two but all the better to test ones theory and this is all we speak of. I'm sure you can more than hold your own my brother.
Hows this for quick change-up? My view has been each of 6 days has varied in length from several billion years minimum for first days to more normal periods nears man's creation. I will have to look at this photosynthesis problem further to get better time line but lets face it GOD could of brought back Portable solar lights from future if he wanted A whole bunch of them! ALL at same time mind you. Always nice when you can DREAM BIG… KAB-61

[Anonymous]

Jefe Gordo:

Thanks Again for your Question and  viewpoint!

Quote ( Jefe Gordo):
Just throwing in some thoughts…

Verse 16 (see below) seems to indicate that the sun was created on day 4. That is assuming the “great light” refers to the sun

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

If each “day” was a very long period of time the plants created in day 3 would have no sunlight and couldn't survive.

See below Quote:
(From David in my “Let there be LIGHT” Forum thread

Quote

Regarding the question raised, about letting there be light…. If we take the view that we're witnessing events from the earth, (as an earth observer) even though there were none back then, then, the order of events and of creation agree with science. When it says “let there be light” it appears that light began to shine through the clouds, as the atmosphere thinned.  The sun is much older than the earth, and light would have existed before this happened, but it seems the events are being described as if to someone who would have witnessed them on earth.  And, when we look at it that way, the order of scientific creation, is actually correct, and miraculously so, just like that first verse, that was written when no one had any clue about these things. david

My response to DAVID:

Quote

David Your view does explain alot THANKS! Closest I've seen Yet. Just one last Flaw I have yet seen answered and I have no Idea how it works either? Why is God in Day 4 creating the  2 lights one to govern the day and one to govern the night? This implies the Sun and Moon to me. So where is light coming threw your primorial clouds if no Sun yet created? I truly don't know this so I'm not being critical but you having the best answer yet on the first few days, what is your explaination if possible of this? If the Earth was Created before Day1 Then the Sun and moon per our scientific view today where all created together in a condensing bombardment of proto-planets? Is it your view, If this is true and the creation of the 2 lights was just them becoming visible after the clouds disapated. It does seem to help place events correctly. Thank-you my Head-aches seem to be lessening. Almost ALL gone now … KAB-67

David's Earth centred viewpoint DOES SEEM TO EXPLAIN THE GENESIS VERSION CLEARLY. Also would THIS not be the method God would use to explain to Morals on EARTH of that time-period? … KAB-68

[david]

Quote

David's Earth centred viewpoint DOES SEEM TO EXPLAIN THE GENESIS VERSION CLEARLY. Also would THIS not be the method God would use to explain to Morals on EARTH of that time-period? … KAB-68

I agree that it would make sense to expain how they would have seen it happening. How could they imagine it from space?

Let me give you more info:

EARTHLY CREATIVE WORKS OF JEHOVAH

Day No. Creative Works Texts

1 Light; division between day and night Ge 1:3-5

2 Expanse, a division between waters
beneath the expanse and waters above it Ge 1:6-8

3 Dry land; vegetation Ge 1:9-13

4 Heavenly luminaries become discernible
from earth Ge 1:14-19

5 Aquatic souls and flying creatures Ge 1:20-23

6 Land animals; man Ge 1:24-31

Genesis 1:1, 2 relates to a time before the six “days” outlined above. When these “days” commenced, the sun, moon, and stars were already in existence, their creation being referred to at Genesis 1:1. However, prior to these six “days” of creative activity “the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep.” (Ge 1:2) Apparently, a swaddling band of cloud layers still enveloped the earth, preventing light from reaching its surface.

When God said on Day One, “Let light come to be,” diffused light evidently penetrated the cloud layers even though the sources of that light could not yet be discerned from the earth’s surface. It seems that this was a gradual process, as is indicated by translator J. W. Watts: “And gradually light came into existence.” (Ge 1:3, A Distinctive Translation of Genesis) God brought about a division between the light and the darkness, calling the light Day and the darkness Night. This indicates that the earth was rotating on its axis as it revolved around the sun, so that its hemispheres, eastern and western, could enjoy periods of light and darkness.—Ge 1:3, 4.

On Day Two God made an expanse by causing a division to occur “between the waters and the waters.” Some waters remained on the earth, but a great amount of water was raised high above the surface of the earth, and in between these two there came to be an expanse. God called the expanse Heaven, but this was with relation to the earth, as the waters suspended above the expanse are not said to have enclosed stars or other bodies of the outer heavens.—Ge 1:6-8; see EXPANSE.

On Day Three by God’s miracle-working power the waters on the earth were brought together and dry land appeared, God calling it Earth. It was also on this day that, through no chance factors or evolutionary processes, God acted to superimpose the life principle upon atoms of matter, so that grass, vegetation, and fruit trees were brought into existence. Each of these three general divisions was capable of reproducing according to its “kind.”—Ge 1:9-13.

The divine will concerning luminaries was accomplished on Day Four, it being stated: “God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars. Thus God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth, and to dominate by day and by night and to make a division between the light and the darkness.” (Ge 1:16-18) In view of the description of these luminaries, the greater luminary was quite apparently the sun and the lesser luminary the moon, though the sun and moon are not specifically named in the Bible until after its account of the Flood of Noah’s day.—Ge 15:12; 37:9.

Previously, on the first “day,” the expression “Let light come to be” was used. The Hebrew word there used for “light” is ’ohr, meaning light in a general sense. But on the fourth “day,” the Hebrew word changes to ma·’ohr′, which refers to a luminary or source of light. (Ge 1:14) So, on the first “day” diffused light evidently penetrated the swaddling bands, but the sources of that light could not have been seen by an earthly observer. Now, on the fourth “day,” things evidently changed.

It is also noteworthy that at Genesis 1:16 the Hebrew verb ba·ra’′, meaning “create,” is not used. Instead, the Hebrew verb ‛a·sah′, meaning “make,” is employed. Since the sun, moon, and stars are included in “the heavens” mentioned in Genesis 1:1, they were created long before Day Four. On the fourth day God proceeded to “make” these celestial bodies occupy a new relationship toward earth’s surface and the expanse above it. When it is said, “God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth,” this would indicate that they now became discernible from the surface of the earth, as though they were in the expanse. Also, the luminaries were to “serve as signs and for seasons and for days and years,” thus later providing guidance for man in various ways.—Ge 1:14.

Day Five was marked by the creation of the first nonhuman souls on earth. Not just one creature purposed by God to evolve into other forms, but literally swarms of living souls were then brought forth by divine power. It is stated: “God proceeded to create the great sea monsters and every living soul that moves about, which the waters swarmed forth according to their kinds, and every winged flying creature according to its kind.” Pleased with what He had produced, God blessed them and, in effect, told them to “become many,” which was possible, for these creatures of many different family kinds were divinely endowed with the ability to reproduce “according to their kinds.”—Ge 1:20-23.

On Day Six “God proceeded to make the wild beast of the earth according to its kind and the domestic animal according to its kind and every moving animal of the ground according to its kind,” such work being good, as were all of God’s previous creative works.—Ge 1:24, 25.

Toward the end of the sixth day of creative activity, God brought into existence an entirely new kind of creature, superior to the animals even though lower than the angels. This was man, created in God’s image and after his likeness. While Genesis 1:27 briefly states concerning humankind “male and female he [God] created them,” the parallel account at Genesis 2:7-9 shows that Jehovah God formed man out of the dust of the ground, blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul, for whom a paradise home and food were provided. In this case Jehovah used the elements of the earth in creative work and then, having formed man, He created the female of humankind using one of Adam’s ribs as a base. (Ge 2:18-25) With the creation of the woman, man was complete as a “kind.”—Ge 5:1, 2.

God then blessed mankind, telling the first man and his wife: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth.” (Ge 1:28; compare Ps 8:4-8.) For humankind and other earthly creatures, God made adequate provision by giving them “all green vegetation for food.” Reporting on the results of such creative work, the inspired Record states: “After that God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good.” (Ge 1:29-31) The sixth day having come to its successful conclusion and God having completed this creative work, “he proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made.”—Ge 2:1-3.

Concluding the review of accomplishments on each of th
e six days of creative activity is the statement, “And there came to be evening and there came to be morning,” a first, second, third day, and so forth. (Ge 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) Since the length of each creative day exceeded 24 hours (as will be discussed later), this expression does not apply to literal night and day but is figurative. During the evening period things would be indistinct; but in the morning they would become clearly discernible. During the “evening,” or beginning, of each creative period, or “day,” God’s purpose for that day, though fully known to him, would be indistinct to any angelic observers. However, when the “morning” arrived there would be full light as to what God had purposed for that day, it having been accomplished by that time.—Compare Pr 4:18.

Length of Creative Days.
The Bible does not specify the length of each of the creative periods. Yet all six of them have ended, it being said with respect to the sixth day (as in the case of each of the preceding five days): “And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, a sixth day.” (Ge 1:31) However, this statement is not made regarding the seventh day, on which God proceeded to rest, indicating that it continued. (Ge 2:1-3) Also, more than 4,000 years after the seventh day, or God’s rest day, commenced, Paul indicated that it was still in progress. At Hebrews 4:1-11 he referred to the earlier words of David (Ps 95:7, 8, 11) and to Genesis 2:2 and urged: “Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest.” By the apostle’s time, the seventh day had been continuing for thousands of years and had not yet ended. The Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, who is Scripturally identified as “Lord of the sabbath” (Mt 12:8), is evidently part of the great sabbath, God’s rest day. (Re 20:1-6) This would indicate the passing of thousands of years from the commencement of God’s rest day to its end. The week of days set forth at Genesis 1:3 to 2:3, the last of which is a sabbath, seems to parallel the week into which the Israelites divided their time, observing a sabbath on the seventh day thereof, in keeping with the divine will. (Ex 20:8-11) And, since the seventh day has been continuing for thousands of years, it may reasonably be concluded that each of the six creative periods, or days, was at least thousands of years in length.

That a day can be longer than 24 hours is indicated by Genesis 2:4, which speaks of all the creative periods as one “day.” Also indicative of this is Peter’s inspired observation that “one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.” (2Pe 3:8) Ascribing not just 24 hours but a longer period of time, thousands of years, to each of the creative days better harmonizes with the evidence found in the earth itself.

[Anonymous]

Thankyou DAVID:

Need to look over your Mini-Book But couple notes on last entry of it reguarding length of Six days. This was posted by Nick in Second Post of this Thread right at start:

Quote

Posted: July 02 2008,21:13   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.

Again here we aggreement with 2 peter from Ps90. I think more over that 2Peter is more than it seems in not just equating a day of the LORD to a thousand years but with the reverse a thousand years to a day. This gives rise the question “Is there any limits of Time on the LORD?” I say no, Not a day or A milion years or a milli-second all can be as  day to the LORD. He is infinite in Possiblity! … KAB-69

[GeneBalthrop]

David…….> i think your right the creation took much longer then a 24 hour day. There is a study that Ray Smith is going to give on that subject in sept, this year it will be interesting to see what He has to say, He also agree that the creation took much more then a 6 day period. Even the word created is mistranslated it should be creating them in His image not created past tense, this shows it a process God is Performing with us. All interesting and a good study.

peace to you and yours……….gene

[Author]

Posts