1
Day = Yom in Hebrew used about 1009 times in bible. All but 9 times it means a 24 hr. day.
Day with Morning and Evening,23 times always means 24 hr day. Morning and evening used alone 38 times, always means 24 hr day
Day with a number is used 410 times in bible(like 1st or 2nd). Always means a 24 hr day. It seams God wanted to emphasize a 24 hr. day by adding these qualifiers.
The ordinal # and “evening and morning” occur with the word day in each of the 6 creation days in Gen. Chap.1(Taken from AIG and ICR web sites)
Exodus 20:9-11 The 4thof the 10 Commands: We are to work 6 days and rest on the 7th, for in 6 days God created the Heavens and the earth, and rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, which is Holy. God wrote this with his own finger. This is the basis of the 7 day week.
Mark 10:6 Jesus says “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.” This implies the Adam and Eve were created near the beginning or creation not millions of yrs later. Also see Mark 13:19 and Luke 11:50-51. In John 5:46-47 “Moses---because he wrote about me. But if you don’t believe his writings,”--) John 7:19 “Didn’t Moses give you the law?”
Is there a way around this? One way is to interpret Gen. as not a historical book and not literally true. One could interpret the whole Pentateuch (1st 5 books) as patched together writings (the documentary theory) and that the books were not written by Moses. I don’t favor this and this is another separate discussion.
Most Authors of Bible handbooks and some Bibles list Genesis as a book of narrative History.
3.Wilkinson, B.H. and Boa, K.(2002) The Wilkinson and Boa Bible Handbook. Thomas Nelson Publishers.,Nashville, TN
4. Hendricks, H.G. & Hendricks,W.D. (1991) Living by the Book, Moody Press, Chicago.
4a. The Holman Illustrated Study BibleHolman Bible Publishers , Nashville, TN 2006
4b. The Everyday Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Bibles (Word Pub.),Nashville, TN1996
One’s view of creation can be affected by how one views the authority of the scriptures. The view of the Protestants is that scripture alone (Sola Scriptura) is sufficient to be the basis of Christian doctrine. (2) This view of the scriptures was the basis of Luther’s reformation. In addition, most protestant denominations also adopt many of the early creeds like the Apostles creed. They may have slightly differing doctrinal positions, although sticking to a more strict interpretation of the scriptures. The Catholics, Anglican and orthodox churches, value the role of the church authorities to interpret scriptures and some have a more liberal interpretation of the scriptures (2). Ref. 2.
The NIV bible states (p.2) “Historically Jews and Christians alike stated that Moses was the author/compiler of the first 5 books of the OT.” Acts 15:1 refers to the circumcision as a custom taught by Moses and is an allusion to Gen. 17. The Documentary Hypothesis asserts that the whole Pentateuch was written by different authors. “However, this view is not supported by conclusive evidence, and intensive archeological and literary research has undercut many of the arguments used to challenge Mosaic authorship.” The Holman bible states “Both Jesus and Paul affirmed that Moses wrote the law.” (Jn. 7:19 “Didn’t Moses give you the Law”; Rom. “Moses said”10:19}
It also states (p 212) that Joshua may have written the Prolog 1:1-5 and epilog of Moses death 34 in the book of Deuteronomy. Snelling(p.15) cites Wenham’s Word Biblical Commentary as arguing for Moses as the author of the Genesis, and notes that Jesus spoke of the book of Moses in Mark 12:26. Many scriptures refer to the laws of Moses. Snelling (p 160) also asserts that Moses may have used earlier written documents in writing Genesis. This may be especially true of the sections using the word “toldot” in which means “the story of” and gives genealogies.
Thus, he(Moses) alludes eleven times (Gen.2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1, 32; 11:10, 27; 25:12,13, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2) to the term toledoth, commonly translated “generations” but more accurately to be understood as referring to records or “histories Eugene H. Merrill, “The bible in light of ht Ancient Near East”Aeropagus Journal, Nov-Dec.2009
The Catholic view of creation is that Genesis should not be interpreted literally or as a historic book but symbolically (5).
They also view scriptures to have limited inerrancy, which according to Erickson (6, p. 72) is a more liberal view of scriptural authority than most Protestants use. Erickson, M. J. (2001) Introducing Christian Doctrine, Baker Book House Co. Grand Rapids, MI.
In addition, Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the de facto head of the Church of England1 (also known as the “Anglican” church),was featured in a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian—a left-leaning daily newspaper in the UK. His views were that we should not teach the creation views given in Genesis and it should not be treated as a historical book of the bible (7).
A 709-page book by an Orthodox monk reviewed the history of Christian literature on Genesis and creation noted that the earlyChristian writings support a historical interpretation of Genesis. With many lengthy quotations from the ‘Holy Fathers’ of Eastern Orthodoxy from the fourth century to the present, the book reinforces the assertion that a Six-Day Creation about 6,000 years ago, followed by a global catastrophic Flood, has been the historic teaching of the church until the 19thcentury (8).8. Orthodoxy and Genesis: What the fathers really taughtA review of Genesis, Creation and Early Man, Fr Seraphim Rose, Saint Herman of AlaskaBrotherhood, Platina, CA, 2000 TJ ArchiveVolume 16 Issue 3 > Orthodoxy and Genesis: What the fathers really taught why did the Catholics change their mind about the historical view of Genesis? Some say it was to conform and fit with common world view of molecules to man evolution. (AIG)
McDowell (Chap. 3 and 13) noted that archaeology confirms the bible. N. Glueck stated (89). “Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the bible.” For example the walls of Jericho have been found fallen outward, which is odd but true (McDowell 95). Many biblical cities and characters have been verified in other documents. W. F. Albright, a noted archeologist stated (McDowell 372). “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition.” An important discovery was of the ancient Elba clay tablets in Syria. These tablets confirm ancient writing, parts of the creation story in Genesis, and biblical character names and laws ( 375,6). Clay tablets have also been found confirming the tower of Babel history (378). Some artifacts from Saul, David and Solomon also exist (McDowell 380). H. Morris (98) stated that two great non-Christian archeologists, Nelson Glueck and William Albright stated that the bible was the single most accurate source document from history.
McDowell, J. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Thomas Nelson Pub., Nashville (1999)
A more detailed discussion of alternate creation view is found in Some Alternate Views of Creation and Should Christians Believe the 6 Day Creation View? DT100 paper for the Orlando Institute by T. J. Tofflemire, Sept. 2008 Are rhetorical question is when does one stop changing the miracles of God into non historical fables? At the creation story? At the great flood in Gen 7? At the dispersion of the peoples at the tower of Babylon in Gen 11? At the birth of Isaac to a 90 yr old woman? At the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? At the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus?
Death before Sin? by John D. Morris, Ph.D. from ICR Web site
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:21-22).
Modern evangelicals have found it fashionable to accommodate Scripture to the concept of a very old earth. These views all do serious harm to Scripture, including the current compromise of choice, the "framework hypothesis," which holds that the passages which seem to deal with science and early history contain only "spiritual" truth, but not factual content. Each such attempt to accept vast ages before the appearance of man has many flaws, but perhaps the most damaging to the Christian faith is the problem of death before sin.
The Bible plainly teaches that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Before Adam and Eve rebelled, animals ate only plants (Genesis 1:30). Death came as a result of sin and the curse: "For in the day that thou eatest thereof |the forbidden tree| thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17). The first death in all of creation occurred when God provided Adam and Eve animal skins for clothing. Sin always brings death. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). Indeed "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). That this is not referring to spiritual death only is clear from our text, which deals with physical resurrection from the dead. Just as Adam's sin brought death on all creation, so Christ's resurrection brings victory over death.
But here is the problem. If death existed before Adam, then death is not the penalty for sin. How, then, did Christ's death pay the penalty for our sin? If death is not tied to Adam's sin, then life is not tied to Christ's death and resurrection, and the Christian faith is all in vain. JDM
2. Did death result from Adam's fall? Even though people will answer "Yes" to this, they may actually be thinking in terms of spiritual death, and not physical death, as well. One needs to get specific and ask if they believe that physical death and bloodshed of man and animals only existed in the world as a result of Adam's sin, and not before sin (Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:22; I Corinthians 15; Genesis 3:23). Even more specifically, they must be asked as to whether they believe the fossils of animals existed before Adam sinned; to allow this is to allow death and bloodshed before Adam sinned, which undermines the whole foundation of the Gospel message.
Romans 10:17 New international
Consequently, faithcomes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17(Holman Christian Standard Bible)
17 So faith comes from what is heard, (A) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. (B)[a]
1 Corinthians 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness
Mars Hill in Athens, Acts 17:23 Acts 17:23-32(Holman Christian Standard Bible)
23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:
TO AN UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it(A) —He is Lord of heaven and earth(B) and does not live in shrines made by hands. (C)25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, (D) since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. (E)26From one man[a]He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live, (F)27 so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (G)28 For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring. (H) ' [b]29 Being God's offspring, then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination. (I)
30 "Therefore, having overlooked (J) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day on which He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." (K)
32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, "We will hear you about this again."
Morris (The Young Earth p29) noted that Dr. S. Boyd, who was a Hebrew scholar studied Gen 1-2 to compare it with other poetry in the bible to determine if it was more like poetry for narrative prose. He colluded that due to verb usage and style it was clearly narrative and not poetic. It is easily contrasted with a poetic creation account as in Ps. 104.
Day 1 Earth space and time
Day 2 the atmosphere
Day 3 Dry land and plants
Day 4 sun, moon and Stars
Day 5 Flying and Sea creatures
Day 6 land animals and man