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[RRD]

Is there any problem if we interpret literal 6 days?  After all, God is almighty and anything is possible. It is no problem for Him to create the world in 6 days IMO.

h

Some claim that the Genesis account of creation is all a parable, not to be taken literally. The six days of creation are not symbolic or parabolic days. I have no doubt that they are indeed six literal days. The problem is that many seem to think that if any "day" that is not 24 hours long, then it is not a "literal" day, when actually, a "literal day" does not have to be 24 hours long. The six days of creation are without any doubt not symbolic, or figurative, days, but literal days, regardless of how long those literal days might be. A literal day may be 12 hours long. (John 11:9) A literal day may be 40 years long. A literal day may be a thousand years long, or a even a million years long. A literal day may be whatever time of a person's life, as in "Abraham's day". These are all "literal" days in that the word "day" is speaking of actual, not figurative, or parabolic, time periods. Or literal day may refer to "light" as opposed to "dark" (this usage may be also be used figuratively).

http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=2250
http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/OldTestamentHebrew/heb.cgi?number=03117

Christian love,
Ronald

[The_Editor]

Is there any problem if we interpret literal 6 days?  After all, God is almighty and anything is possible. It is no problem for Him to create the world in 6 days IMO.

h

Some claim that the Genesis account of creation is all a parable, not to be taken literally. The six days of creation are not symbolic or parabolic days. I have no doubt that they are indeed six literal days. The problem is that many seem to think that if any "day" that is not 24 hours long, then it is not a "literal" day, when actually, a "literal day" does not have to be 24 hours long. The six days of creation are without any doubt not symbolic, or figurative, days, but literal days, regardless of how long those literal days might be. A literal day may be 12 hours long. (John 11:9) A literal day may be 40 years long. A literal day may be a thousand years long, or a even a million years long. A literal day may be whatever time of a person's life, as in "Abraham's day". These are all "literal" days in that the word "day" is speaking of actual, not figurative, or parabolic, time periods. Or literal day may refer to "light" as opposed to "dark" (this usage may be also be used figuratively).

http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=2250
http://www.biblestudytools.com/Lexicons/OldTestamentHebrew/heb.cgi?number=03117

Christian love,
Ronald

Hi Ronald,

Good point.

Regards, Brenden.

[The_Editor]

Greeting Brenden

Interesting stuff.  Another theory from one commentator is as follows:  is that the days of Genesis 1 are not days of creation but days of revelation: the revelation theory. The days of Genesis 1 are literal days of twenty-four hours, but they are days in the life of Moses. In six days God revealed to Moses the truths concerning creation, and on each of those days Moses recorded the revelation that was given to him. The revelation theory satisfies the Hebraist who says that the Hebrew of Genesis 1 demands literal twenty-four hour days, and it satisfies the scientist who demands long periods of time for the formation of the earth.

Sounds interesting can you send over a link on the info

God Bless

BT

i BT,

I don't have a link for the info, as it is from some notes I have on disk.  But I believe the commentator is John Phillips in his commentary on Genesis.

Regards, Brenden.

[joyful]

Many times, I get headache reaching all those prophesy.

h

[humbleservant]

Hi Ronald,

Great stuff! These are points of arguement that I've used many times with creationists who believe in a literal 24 hour day of creation.

As you said, I also believe in a "literal day" & that it was not a 24 hour period.

WCL

Ion

[before time]

Greetings Brenden

Thanks

BT

[Alexander]

Hello fellow members,

I have been away for a few days and on checking your latest comments of interest I would like to offer the following on the six days of creation

                                       Days of Creation
Many seem quite confident that the six days of creation in Genesis chapter 1 were literal days of twenty-four hours each. In the literal sense day is exactly as stated [Hebrew yohm] which determines a solar day of 24hrs.

On the other hand, in a different context, the same word can present a totally different aspect. For instance, “This man was alive in Noah’s day.” Same word but if we apply a twenty-four hour status, the whole thing becomes ridiculous because Noah lived more than twenty-four hours.

When we examine the six days of creation and the seventh day on which God rested, we suddenly find that the twenty-four hour application doesn’t fit. As each day is listed we read the words “and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” So far so good, as we go through, “and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

However, this statement is not made regarding the seventh day, on which God proceeded to rest, indicating that it continued. (Genesis 2:1-3) Also, more than 4,000 years after the seventh day or God’s rest day commenced, the Apostle Paul indicated that it was still in progress.  Men were entering into God’s Sabbath in Paul’s day and the opportunity remains open until now. (Hebrews 4:3-10) At Hebrews 4:11 he referred to the earlier words of David and also urged: “Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest.” One cannot enter into that rest unless it is still running.

When God rested from creating on the earth, even though Satan had now turned things upside-down, to proceed to put things right during that period, God would have profaned the sanctuary of his own Sabbath. He must therefore wait until this Sabbath has ended now before he can rectify the situation. If these days were a mere 24hrs, all would have now been put back as it was in the beginning in Eden and we would read “and there was evening and there was morning a seventh day.”

One thing is certain, God has not created a single new thing on the earth since Adam and Eve; indicating that his great Sabbath is still running! [He will not profane the sanctuary of his Sabbath rest] Only during his Jubilee Sabbath will he again continue creating with regards to the earth, as he states in Revelation 21:5 “Look, I am creating all things new.”

It has now been just over 6,000 years since the creation of Adam and as he was created a short period before the end of the sixth day, it will soon be the end of 6,000 years of the great Sabbath with the last 1,000 years taking up the reign of the Christ. So with each day being equal, this makes each of the creative days 7,000 years long. 7x7000=49,000 years which makes the fiftieth thousand year period a Jubilee Sabbath and the beginning of the eighth day, when all will be restored as stated in Revelation 21:1-4.

Those acquainted with the Jubilee Law will remember that it states that every seventh day was a Sabbath and every seventh year was a Sabbath year. This continued for seven times seven when after the forty-ninth year the fiftieth year was declared a Jubilee year for all and all things lost were returned and all once more became equal.

This was a shadow of the six seven-thousand year creative days while the seventh seven-thousand year Sabbath on which God rested, is still running! In fact, we are fast approaching the end of six thousand years of that Great seven-thousand year Sabbath, which means that the last thousand years completing this is the one thousand year Sabbath of the Christ (Revelation 20:6). For Lord of the Sabbath is what the Son of man is (Matthew 12:8).

Almighty God states that there shall be no Sabbath resting for the wicked, ‘for the wicked shall not enter my rest [Sabbath]’. This is even more interesting because during the Sabbath reign of the Christ, there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous [wicked]. So this is not the Sabbath to which Almighty God is referring. The Sabbath to which he is actually referring is his own ‘Jubilee Sabbath’, the fiftieth thousand year Sabbath which was foreshadowed by the Jubilee Law when all that was originally intended for mankind [perfect everlasting life on earth as humans] will be returned. (Revelation 21:1-4)

Alexander