Myths About The Bible The Days of Genesis

Eons allowed by Scripture? Where? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Week of Creation

Exodus 20 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy

2 Peter 3 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day

2 Peter 3 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day

2 Peter 3 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day

2 Peter 3 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day

Palm 90 4 For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night

the “six days” of creation are Ten Reasons We know that the “six days” of creation are literal days

Linguistic indicators 1 Plural (“days”) Preceded by a numeral (“three days”) Definitive description (“evening and morning”)

First use defines 2 Light + dark = day

Genesis 1 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day

Each successive use 3 “evening and morning”

Genesis 1 5 …evening and morning, one day 8 …evening and morning, second day 13 …evening and morning, third day 19 …evening and morning, fourth day 23 …evening and morning, fifth day 31 …evening and morning, sixth day

Compare 4 The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Contrast 5 Days and Years

Genesis 1 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years”

Objective scholars 6 Professor James Barr, Oxford “So far as I know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world class university who does not believe that the writer(s) of Genesis 1 through 11 intended to convey to their readers the idea that…creation took place in a series of six days which were the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience… (Private letter to Don Patton, 4/23/84)

Marcus Dods, Evolutionist Objective scholars 6 Marcus Dods, Evolutionist “If the word ‘day’ in this chapter does not mean the period of 24 hours, the interpretation of Scripture is hopeless” (The Book of Genesis, p. 4)

Biology Contradicts 7 If an “evening and morning” Lasts million of years Plants – Insects – Animals Could not survive

Stephen J. Gould, Harvard (agnostic) Zoology Contradicts 8 Stephen J. Gould, Harvard (agnostic) “Many species are fertilized by insects in a mutually beneficial arrangement that supplies food to the insects while transporting pollen from flower to flower. So intricate…are the features of both flower and insect in many cases-special colors to attract the insects, exquisitely fashioned mouth parts to extract the nectar…” (Natural History, 2/1994)

5th day 3rd day

5th day 3rd day

Stephen J. Gould, Harvard (agnostic) Man is trivialized 9 Stephen J. Gould, Harvard (agnostic) “If humanity arose just yesterday as a small twig on one branch of a flourishing tree, than life may not, in any genuine sense, exist for us or because of us.” Perhaps we are only an afterthought, a kind of cosmic accident, just one bauble on the Christmas tree of evolution” (Wonderful Life, 1989, p. 44)

Mark 10 6 But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female”

Romans 1 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse

Luke 11 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this genera-tion, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.

“Shoehorning” Years Millions of years are the “heroes” of evolution 10 Millions of years are the “heroes” of evolution Some try to “shoehorn” these years in between the days of Genesis 1 There are brethren who have bought into this theory

Non-consecutive days Millions of years Millions of years 1st Day 2nd Day 3rd Day 4th Day 5th Day 6th Day Non-consecutive days

Non-consecutive days Millions of years Millions of years

Genesis 1 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light

Genesis 1 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light

Genesis 1 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light

Genesis 1 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below and the expanse of the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day

Genesis 1 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day

Genesis 1 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens… 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day

Genesis 1 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

Genesis 1 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day

Ten Reasons Linguistic indicators a. “days” b. “six days” c. “evening and morning” 2 First use defines (Light/Dark) 3 Successive use (eve. – morn.) 4 Like the Sabbath day 5 Contrast days with years

6 Objectives scholars deny 7 Biology contradicts 8 Zoology contradicts 9 Man is trivialized a. “from beginning of creation” b. “since beginning of creation” c. “from foundation of world” 10 Cannot be “shoehorned”

Matthew 27 63 And said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day…