Post 1
I believe that "day" means a literal 24-hour period, because God said it does. With that said; I do not
believe that God made everything on each of those days in a succession of 6 days. I think the story of
how He created everything is told that way because God wanted to ensure that we had a schedule to
live by, so we could understand time. I think God created everything. But everything He did was done all
at once, the very second, he decide to do it. I choose to believe that it was done in a blink of an eye. For
God is all powerful, all genius. He is the best part of every single living thing on this earth from the
beginning of time till forever and always. I believe He chose to have the author He selected to tell the
story of creation in a way that could be understood by all. We can choose to dissect Genesis 1, but that
will not change the facts. He created everything, from earth, to space and beyond. He told the story and
divided into days because there must be a time for everything or there will be no order. He gave us
"time", in every single sense of what that means. In our textbook there was one thing I read that really
made me think about Genesis 1. It came from the Revelatory Day Theory's idea on creation.
"Creation was revealed in six days, not performed in six days. The days are means of communicating to
man the great fact that God is the Creator, the Creator of all. God reveals unknown futures by vision so
it is logical he revealed the unknown past by visions."
The Bible is written to teach us, to give us purpose and understanding, it is a guide for us to follow so we
do not destroy ourselves, others, and this great earth the Lord gave us. The bible shows us God's
character, we are made in his likeness. We exist because he exists.
Response
Hello, thank you for sharing such an informative post on the understanding and interpretation of
the word day in the bible. As you have noted, I also believe the that bible was made to guide
human beings and all things that occurs in the world. Therefore, how one interprets whether day
means 24 hours or thousands to millions of years. Important to note is the implications such
interpretations would also have on how we understand the events in the bible. For instance, we
see that Jonah lasted three days inside the fish after he declined to comply with his responsibility.
Assuming that a day is defined as thousands of years, then, for instance, Jonah can be said to
have lasted 300 years inside the fish! Also, Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the dessert. The
later interpretation would mean 40000 years. These are absurd. What do you think?
Post 2
Does “day” mean a 24-hour period or ages?
The literal concept of a 24-hour day is the most logical way to interpret Creation week. Kurt
Wise says, “The first use of the Hebrew word yôm (translated ‘day’) is found in Genesis 1:5,
where God created light and called it yôm. The second use of yôm is in the same verse, where the
‘evening and the morning’ complete the definition of Day 1.”[1] Essentially, the Lord defined
the first day of a seven-day week without allegory or ambiguity. Wise says, “While astronomical
indicators provide time markers for days, months, seasons, and years, there is no astronomical
indicator for a week … biblical evidence suggests strongly that the Creation Week of Genesis 1
and 2 … was seven earth-rotation days in time, counting the day of rest.”[2]
Understandably, the Lord defined the entire week as an example for humanity to follow. Indeed,
the fact that humanity currently adheres to a seven-day work week should speak volumes (Exod
20:8-11, King James Version). Besides, it is hard to imagine God commanding the events of
Creation week and having to wait for the universe to respond, taking millions of years. Wise
further addresses the 24-hour astronomical day by saying, “All meanings of ‘day’ throughout the
rest of the Bible – including the places where it is used symbolically – are based upon the light
portion of an earth-rotation day.”[3] John J. Davis says, “It is quite true that the literal day theory
conflicts with current scientific opinion … Modern scientists … almost unanimously agree that
the earth is millions of years old.”[4] In contrast, many Christian scientists are working hard to
dispel the fallacy of the Earth being millions of years old, as old age theorists assert. The best
documentary on the subject is titled Is Genesis History, where Christian scientists beautifully
refute the old age theories of the Earth.[5] Unfortunately, scholars such as Tremper Longman are
promoting heresy regarding Creation week, so knowing what Genesis teaches is essential.[6]
[1] Kurt P. Wise, Faith, Form, and Time: What the Bible Teaches and Science Confirms about
Creation and the Age of the Universe (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002),
45.
[2] Ibid., 48.
[3] Ibid., 45.
[4] John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis (Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing
Company, 1998), 54.
[5] Is Genesis History?, directed by Thomas Purifoy Jr. and hosted by Dr. Del Tacket (The WTA
Group and Compass Cinema, 2018), 1:44:08, https://isgenesishistory.com/
[6] Tremper Longman, “Creationism vs. Evolution with Tremper Longman III,” Creationism vs
evolution with Tremper Longman III (Venice Presbyterian Church, May 9, 2019), video 1:27:14,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCbTuIEvDIE.
Response
Hello, thank you for sharing such an informative and educative decision on the significance of
literal interpretation of the day as 24 hours. Your argument is easy to follow and relatable. For
instance, you point to the lack of astronomical definition of seasons, weeks and years, contrary to
the scientific baselines for such definitions. On the same note, it is worth noting that those who
propose the thousand-million-year interpretations of the day tend to support their arguments with
scientific bases. As Wise notes, “All meanings of ‘day’ throughout the rest of the Bible –
including the places where it is used symbolically – are based upon the light portion of an earth-
rotation day.” The bible and science are generally contrasting, which means that underpinning
biblical teachings on scientific foundations contradicts the essence of the Scripture, causing
debates rather than solutions. Thus, as you have mentioned, I would also prefer the 24-hour
interpretation.
