Title: The Days Cannot Be Literal Shane Scott Sentry Magazine Vol' 21, No' 1
1The Days Cannot Be LiteralShane Scott Sentry
Magazine Vol. 21, No. 1
- Some Bible believers insist that the world must
be only 6,000 years old, because the world was
created in six days, according to Genesis 1I
will argue that the Bible allows for a much older
earth, because the days of Genesis 1 should not
be interpreted literally. - Because of all the things that occurred on the
sixth day as described in Genesis 2, the sixth
day of Genesis 1 cannot be literal.
2The Days Must Be AgesShane Scott Sentry
Magazine Vol. 21, No. 1
- To prove that the days are ages, consider the
seventh day. All the other days of creation
ended with the phrase, and there was evening and
there was morning, a xth day. I understand that
to mean that each of those days had a distinct
conclusion. However there is no such statement
for the seventh day, which must mean that it has
not ended. In other words, on the seventh day
God ceased creating new life forms, and that day
has continued until now because He still rests
from creating new life.
3Lord I Believe Seminar by Hill Roberts
- The classical approach and vocabulary for study
of internal and philosophical apologetics holds
very little appeal or sway in todays technical
culture. This seems to be true among believers
as well. Apologetics for todays skeptical world
must instead deal with a broad range of current
issues spanning modern topics such as natural
design, genetics and natural selection,
cosmology, biochemistry and the origin of life,
geological dating and paleontology. All of these
topics can be approached at a level accessible to
all audiences, not just those with specific
backgrounds
4Lord I Believe Seminar by Hill Roberts
- By drawing from the published work of respected
scientists and authors, most of whom are
evolutionists, we show how modern research is
providing more and more natural evidence everyday
that builds spiritual faith in skeptic and
believer alike. However, some preconceived
religious traditions may need to be re-examined
in the light of the Creators work faithfully
recorded in nature. The approach is to present
the primary data from the natural realm for the
hearer to evaluate on its own merits, rather than
by appealing to a myriad of quotations from
either religious or scientific authorities.
5Lord I Believe Seminar by Hill Roberts
- While I am a scientist and Christian who
believes in creation, I do not promote what is
generally referred to as creation science or
creationism. I adhere to standard science
methods and scientifically reported data to
evaluate the creation/evolution issue, instead of
getting sidetracked over spurious hypotheses such
as young earth flood geology. Scrupulous
scientific integrity is the only way to approach
todays scientific skeptic.
6Lord I Believe Seminar by Hill Roberts
- Day Five of Creation
- How long was this day five? One day for God to
proclaim His creation of fish and birds. And
just as long as necessary for the fish and birds
(and other not mentioned animals) to fully occupy
their place in the cycle of life. This
apparently took some time if the geological data
has the significance it apparently has. Many
hundreds and thousands of feet of sediments
accumulated with marine life before the birds and
beasts show up in the fossil record. Even some
massive extinctions show up, but life just keeps
on going and going, day after day, evening to
morning , day five. - How long did this take? God willed into
existence the animals on day five. Yet His
revelation in the fossils appears to show us that
they dwelt on this earth for some much longer
time before God chose to finish this days work
with the creation of man.
7Lord I Believe Seminar by Hill Roberts
- Conclusion of Article On All Seven Days
- We can see just how complex creation becomes
when we begin to see more of what God revealed to
us. If He had revealed even this very limited
level of written detail, Genesis 1 would have
grown to five times its original length. God put
all this technical stuff in an Appendix called
the creation itself. Even if He had written out
such a level of detail as guessed at here, it
would not even come close to really explaining
what creation was like or how it was
accomplished.
8According To Scott Roberts
- Dinosaurs lived and died before Day Six, Or they
lived at the beginning of Day Six and died long
before man came on the scene at end of day six - Universal flood unlikely
- Days in Genesis 1 are ages or they are literal
days separated by gaps of millions of years - Too much activity on Day Six for one 24-hour day
- Teaches children these things in seminars or
college students in evidences class
9Phil RobertsFaculty Member Florida College
- Defends non-literal approach to Genesis 1
- Questions our usage of term day in the normal
sense of the word - Disagrees with the contention that the use of the
Hebrew word yom (day) with numerals must mean
consecutive 24-hour days. - Does not think the qualifying phrases surrounding
the word day indicate the sense of a 24-hour
day. - Suggests contextual clues may indicate the writer
used the word in an unusual way. - Discounts the way the word day is used
elsewhere in Scripture.
10The Days of Genesis OneLiteral or Figurative?
- God defines the day for us Gen. 15, 14-18
- Do ages have an evening and a morning?
- If days represent years, then what do years
signify? - Day preceded by a numeral (first day) always
mean a normal 24-hour day - And the one who offered his offering on the
first day was Hanson the son of Amminadab, from
the tribe of Judah (Num. 712). - On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar,
leader of Issachar, presented an offering (Num.
718).
11The Days of Genesis OneLiteral or Figurative?
- 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 (Ex.
2011). - By the word of the LORD the heavens were
madeAnd all the host of them by the breath of
His mouth. Let 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 (Ps. 336, 8-9).
12The Days of Genesis OneLiteral or Figurative?
- Plants survive millions of years in darkness?
- 11 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. 12 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. 13 So the evening and the morning
were the third day. (Gen. 1). - Where are the insects that are needed to
pollinate them? (Gen. 124-31).
13The Days of Genesis OneLiteral or Figurative?
- Man Woman created at the beginning of creation.
- But from the beginning of the creation, God
made them male and female (Mk. 106).
4,500,000,000 Years
100 1200
3.5 Million Years
1
Theistic Evolution puts man somewhere other than
the beginning of time!
14Man From The Beginning
4,500,000,000 Years
- Isa. 4021 Man could understand Gods nature
from the beginning and from the foundations of
the earth. - Mt. 1335 Truths hidden from someone from the
foundations of the world. No sense w/o rational
beings present! - Mk.1319 Tribulation since the beginning of
creation. - Lk. 1149-51 Abels blood shed at the
foundation of the world. - Rom. 512 John 844 Curse of death from the
beginning. - Rom. 120 Power Divine Nature of God have
been observable by rational beings since the
beginning of the world. - Heb. 924-26 A sacrifice of some kind has been
needed since the foundation of the world.