Six Days or Millions of Years?

1. Six Days or Millions of Years?

3. “Day” may mean: • Opposite of night • A division of time: e.g., working day; day’s journey; the daylight portion of a day • Indefinite: some days, a few days • A period of 24 hours • A long time: e.g. many days • A special day: e.g., day of adversity, day of birth • A future time: e.g., some day I will be a fireman(list is not exhaustive)

4. Context, context, context • Qualifying words in immediate context • Larger context of sentence or paragraph

6. ‘Day’ in Genesis chapter 1 • Qualified by a numberone day, second day, third day, etc. • Qualified by the phrase ‘evening and morning’

13. We have to admit here that the exegetical basis of the creationists is strong … In spite of the careful biblical and scientific research that has accumulated in support of the creationists' view, there are problems that make the theory wrong to most (including many evangelical) scientists … Data from various disciplines point to a very old earth and an even older universe. James Montgomery Boice, Genesis, An Expositional Commentary, Vol. 1, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, pp. 57–62, 1982.

14. “From a superficial reading of Genesis 1, the impression would seem to be that the entire creative process took place in six twenty-four-hour days. If this was the true intent of the Hebrew author … this seems to run counter to modern scientific research, which indicates that the planet Earth was created several billion years ago.” Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Moody Press, Chicago, p. 187, 1985.

16. Yes! Yes! Science proves this can’t be true! Science proves this can’t be true! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

17. No! No! Science proves these can’t be true, either! No! No! No! No!

19. Gen. 2:4 “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.” (NASB) In this instance ‘day’ is not qualified by a number or the words ‘evening’ or ‘morning’ In this verse ‘day’ is beyom (בּֽיוֹם), yom modified by the preposition be, which is an Hebrew idiom for ‘when’ as the NIV translates it.

20. If any one is in search of accurate information regarding the age of the earth, or its relation to the sun, moon and stars, or regarding the order in which plants and animals have appeared upon it, he is referred to recent text-books in astronomy, geology, and paleontology. No one for a moment dreams of referring a serious student of these subjects to the Bible as a source of information. It is not the object of writers of Scripture to impart physical instruction or to enlarge the bounds of scientific knowledge. Expositor’s Bible, Marcus Dods, Eerdmans Publishing, 1947, Pg. 5

21. …if, for example, the word ‘day’ in these chapters does not mean a period of twenty-four hours, the interpretation of Scripture is hopeless. Marcus Dods, Expositor’s Bible ( T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, 1888). Quoted in “Creation and Change,” Douglas F. Kelly, Mentor, Great Britain, 1999, reprint.

22. Francis Schaeffer: The answer must be held with some openness. In Genesis 5:2 we read: “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” As it is clear that Adam and Eve were not created simultaneously, day in Genesis 5:2 does not mean a period of twenty-four hours.1 However, the Hebrew idiom in this verse is beyom; and lacks any number or the words “evening and morning.” 1. Francis Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time: The Flow of Biblical History (1972, p. 59).

23. Other words to convey long ages • מוֹעד (mô’ēd) an indefinite time word • עלָם (‘olām) “age” • עדָּן(‘iddān) Aramaic indicating an indefinite period of time

24. Consider this: All those who argue that six days are not really six days must use the same grammatical structure they are arguing against.

25. Avoiding the discussion on ‘day’ being a ‘day’

26. The length of the days of creation is a side issue. If the Bible is wrong on matters of origins, then what makes it right on matters of morals, faith, and salvation? The real issue is the authority of God’s Word. Does man’s opinion supersede God’s written revelation?

27. The length of the days of creation is a side issue. • When television, radio, magazines, and newspapers frequently espouse a millions of years old earth and ridicule biblical creation, is it a side issue? • When students are indoctrinated in our schools, colleges, and universities about earth being millions of years old, and the Bible is simply wrong, it a side issue?

28. The length of the days of creation is a side issue. • When four out of five high school students attending evangelical churches drop out of church by the time they reach their senior year1, is it a side issue? • When “science” is given a magisterial, or authoritative, role over Scripture and its interpretation, is it a side issue? 1. Survey in the U.S., from the Barna Research Group, cited in New Man, May/June 2002, p.33.

29. Only important that God created, not how long He took. • Some have stated that “It only matters that God created, not how long He took.” • If such is the case, then only Gen. 1:1 need apply, and the following verses are irrelevant. Whatever happened to “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness?”

30. Discussing the length of the days of creation is too divisive. • It is said that we should focus on more important matters, and allow for various views on the days of creation. Peace and unity should be emphasized. • While peace and unity are good and honourable and ought to be sought, is it at any expense? What about the search for truth? There can be unification around anything as long as a group of people feel the same way about that issue - witness the numerous cults.

31. The issue is too divisive Watch out which theological train you get on because your ticket is punched further on down the line. And it may not be your ticket, but your children’s ticket or their children’s ticket, and so on. Dr. Franklin Pyles, currently Director of Christian and Missionary Alliance of Canada. Former professor of theology, Canadian Theological Seminary. A caution given to his students during a theology lecture.

32. Discussing the length of the days of creation is too divisive. • Real, true truth divides that from which is false. If six days be true then all other views are false. If six days really means long-ages, then the six-day view is false. • In accepting a long age view the authority of Scripture has been compromised. In the long term, because of compromise, when children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on, leave the faith, who is really dividing the kingdom of God?

35. When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to which six days were one day. But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, the grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are. continued…

36. For you are to deal with Scripture in such a way that you bear in mind that God himself says what is written. But since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to turn His Word in the direction you wish to go. Martin Luther, What Martin Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, p. 1523.

37. Some recommended reading • Refuting Compromise by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati • Thousands Not Billions by Dr. Don DeYoung • The Young Earth by John D. Morris • Unformed and Unfilled by Weston W. Fields

38. Acknowledgements Answers in Genesis Creation Ministries International Institute for Creation Research