The Days of Creation

Introduction:

Up until recently, the creation of the universe as revealed in Genesis Chapter One was believed to have taken place in six literal 24-hour days. But with the advent of the Theory of Evolution, many have been deceived into believing that billions of years must be fit into the days of Genesis One. While Jehovah could have created the world in six seconds, six hours, or six billion years, what does God’s Word say?

Body:

  1. The Creation of Man
  • The Theory of Evolution claims man is a relative newcomer to the earth. It teaches the earth is some five to six billion years old but man has only been here a few million years. This completely contradicts the Bible.
  • Luke 11:50-51“that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.” NKJV Note that Jesus connected the time of one of the sons of Adam and Eve to the foundation of the world. Abel lived close enough to creation for Jesus to say his blood was shed from the foundation of the world. This does not allow for billions of years.
  • Mark 10:6 “But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.” NKJV God made Adam and Eve on Day Six of the creation week and He called this “from the beginning of creation.” If there were billions of years between creation and the origin of man, Jesus’ statement couldn’t be true!
  • Romans 1:20“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,” NKJV Mankind has been witnessing God’s attributes since the creation of the world. It is impossible for there to have been millions or billions of years between creation and the origin of man.
  1. God’s Order of Creation

There is no doubt the all-powerful Creator could have made everything in a second or over a billion-year time span. There are a vast numbers of ways God could have made the universe, but there is only one way His Word said He did! Evolution’s order of creation and the Bible’s order of creation are contradictory. Notice the following:

  1. Which came first – the earth or the sun? Evolution claims the sun and other heavenly bodies evolved millions of years before the earth. According to Genesis One, God created the water-covered earth onDay One. (Genesis 1:1-5)“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” NKJV The sun, moon, and stars were created on Day Four. (Genesis 1:14-19) “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’;and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” NKJV Jehovah God, the “Father of lights” could easily create light without having to first create the sun, moon, and stars. (James 1:17)“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (Psalm 136:1-9)“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever; To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever – The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever; The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever.” NKJV
  1. Did fruit-bearing trees come before or after fish? According to evolution, fruit-bearing trees came into being millions of years after there were fish in the sea. According to Scripture, God created fruit-bearing trees on Day Three. (Genesis 1:11-13) “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. NKJV Sea creatures were created on Day Five. (Genesis 1:20-23) “Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. NKJV Which are we to believe?
  1. The Days of Genesis One
  • The singular and plural forms of the Hebrew word for day appear in the Old Testament more than 2,300 times. It is used in three basic ways. *“Day” can refer to a 24-hour period. (Genesis 50:1-3) “Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.” NKJV *“Day” can refer to the part of the 24-hour period that is “light.” (Genesis 1:3-5) “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” NKJV *“Day” can also refer to longer periods of time. (John 9:4)“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” NKJV
  • It is usually very easy to tell which meaning applies to a particular Bible passage. Note the following: (Genesis 7:24) “And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.” (Genesis 8:22) “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” (Deuteronomy 31:15-18)“Now the Lord appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Behold, you will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.’ ” NKJV
  • An easy way to determine if a literal, 24-hour sense is meant is if the term is modified by a number. (Genesis 1:5) “God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Exodus 20:8-11) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor you male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” (Exodus 31:17) “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” NKJV God created everything in six 24-hour days is the clear meaning. Also, note Joshua 6:12-14. “And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.” NKJV The Israelites marched around Jericho for six literal 24-hour periods, not six long, vast periods of time!
  • Many other reasons could be given to show that, without a doubt, the days of Genesis one were literal, 24-hour periods of time.

Conclusion:

The Bible is clear about the origin of our world. (Psalm 33:6, 8-9)“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 8Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” NKJV Jehovah spoke the universe into existence in six literal days just a few thousand years ago.

Source of this lesson: apologeticspress.org

Bobby Stafford October 11, 2015