7 Day creation- literal or figurative?

Foghorn · Mar 2, 2016

Also,
Why would God keep Himself to 24 hour periods (as some see as normal) but not explain creation in the normal sense? For instance, "there was evening and there was morning the first day,.....and on and on up to the 6th?

Seems like the order of a normal 24 hour day is off. In the creation account, it starts with evening, and then morning closes the day (or if you rather, closes the 24 hour period).

However, there is no evening and morning for the seventh day. I think it may be safe to say we are in the 7th day? The day of rest? The Sabbath?

Scripture does not disagree with me, at least not that I can tell,'

Hebrews 4:1-11New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Believer’s Rest
4 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Hoghead1 · Mar 2, 2016

Genesis is concerned with a timeline, Foxhorn. It is describing a chronology of events. Genesis 1 gives a specific length of time, a day. Granted, it can be argued how much time a day denotes here. But all agree it doe some length of time. Also, we are dealing here with two very different chronologies.

Foghorn · Mar 2, 2016

Hoghead1 said:
Genesis is concerned with a timeline, Foxhorn.

Foxhorn? ROFL. sorry, that was just funny.

It is describing a chronology of events. Genesis 1 gives a specific length of time, a day. Granted, it can be argued how much time a day denotes here. But all agree it doe some length of time.

Yes, I suppose your right. Makes sense to me.

However, it is not concerned with how long a day is.

Aman777 · Mar 3, 2016

Foghorn said:
Aman777,
there is a problem with your understanding as far as I can see.

Psalm 95:7-11New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9 “When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
10 “For forty years I loathed that generation,
And said they are a people who err in their heart,
And they do not know My ways.
11 “Therefore I swore in My anger,
Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

Hebrews 4:1-11New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The Believer’s Rest
4 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Posting Scripture does NOT tell us what you think the Scripture says. IF just a plain reading of Scripture could tell us everything we need to know, there would be NO need for one to be born again Spiritually in order to understand God's Holy Word as this verse confirms:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Tell us what you think the verses you posted mean. Amen?

Aman777 · Mar 3, 2016

Hoghead1 said:
Genesis is concerned with a timeline, Foxhorn. It is describing a chronology of events. Genesis 1 gives a specific length of time, a day. Granted, it can be argued how much time a day denotes here. But all agree it doe some length of time. Also, we are dealing here with two very different chronologies.

Those who see two contradicting accounts of the Creation in Genesis one and two are admitting that they CANNOT understand Genesis. There is but ONE Creation story and those who see two are falsely supposing that God made a mistake. Do you think He needs man's great historically educated account which supposes He made an error?

Foghorn · Mar 3, 2016

Aman777 said:
Posting Scripture does NOT tell us what you think the Scripture says. IF just a plain reading of Scripture could tell us everything we need to know, there would be NO need for one to be born again Spiritually in order to understand God's Holy Word as this verse confirms:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Tell us what you think the verses you posted mean. Amen?

Well, if that be the case then you should have no problem understanding, so why ask me?

Hoghead1 · Mar 3, 2016

But obviously, Foxhorn, the author, the P source, did have a specified amount of time in mind. I am inclined to think he means 24-hour days. But that is a long story.

Aman777 · Mar 4, 2016

Foghorn said:
Well, if that be the case then you should have no problem understanding, so why ask me?

I have no problem understanding but you posted:

Foghorn said: ↑
Aman777,
there is a problem with your understanding as far as I can see.

What is the problem? Quoting Scripture without explaining the problem you see is NOT telling us what you think the problem is. I definitely have a problem with people who think that each Day is only 24 hours in length since it is UnScriptural and easily refuted.

-57 · Mar 4, 2016

Foghorn said:
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. Gen 2.

This verse 4 of Genesis 2 seems to be talking about a period, not literal days. IMO, these "days" were time periods. Periods of unknown time.

I agree, except the period of time was made known to us in Gen 1.

-57 · Mar 4, 2016

Foghorn said:
No, just as they are not mentioned as a 24 hour day. Your assuming a time, God created time, why does it have to be a literal 24 hour day when Genesis shows no concern for time?

Because that's how the bible presents it. What is there in Gen 1 that would indicate the "days" were long periods of time?

-57 · Mar 4, 2016

Foghorn said:
Why would God subject Himself to 24 hour periods?

Why? Perhaps so God could create a model for the sabbath presented in the 10 commandments where God says he created in what we recognize as days.

Foghorn · Mar 5, 2016

-57 said:
Why? Perhaps so God could create a model for the sabbath presented in the 10 commandments where God says he created in what we recognize as days.

Once God completed His creation, and set the galaxy in order for a literal 24 hour period. But it did not have to work that way during creation.

You either have God speaking each days work into existence or Him working progressively through each day (24 hours) timing it just right.

Which one do you think it was?

Foghorn · Mar 5, 2016

Aman777 said:
God has but 7 Days or periods of time in the Creation and the 7th Day is Eternity. We live today at the end of Day 6, Gen 1:27 to be more exact because God is STILL creating Adam (mankind) in His Image, which is in Christ Spiritually. Gen 1:28-31 is Prophecy of events which will happen at the end of the present 6th Day AFTER Jesus returns to this Planet. Amen?

According to Gen 2:2-3 your incorrect. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Radrook · Mar 5, 2016

The view that God might have been considering those days as more than just twenty-four hour periods is scripturally supported both in the OT and NT.

Radrook · Mar 5, 2016

The concept that the time spoken of in Genesis 1 might not have been literal is found both in the OT and NT. The first indication is Adam's lifespan which nearly reached a thousand years even though he had been told that in the very day that he sinned he would die. Then we have these:

Psalm 90:4
For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

-57 · Mar 6, 2016

Foghorn said:
Once God completed His creation, and set the galaxy in order for a literal 24 hour period. But it did not have to work that way during creation.

You either have God speaking each days work into existence or Him working progressively through each day (24 hours) timing it just right.

Which one do you think it was?

I think the galaxy was set in order during the six day creation time period. God didn't need to speak each day into existence....each day of creation God created. How long in the 24 hour time frame I don't know. It could have been 5 min, 6 hours or 20 hours.

-57 · Mar 6, 2016

Radrook said:
The view that God might have been considering those days as more than just twenty-four hour periods is scripturally supported both in the OT and NT.

No its not.

-57 · Mar 6, 2016

Radrook said:
The concept that the time spoken of in Genesis 1 might not have been literal is found both in the OT and NT. The first indication is Adam's lifespan which nearly reached a thousand years even though he had been told that in the very day that he sinned he would die. Then we have these:

Psalm 90:4
For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

You're taking that verse out of context. The verse was used to demonstrate God is not bound by our time. It has nothing to do with the six day creation period regarding its length of time of each day.

KWCrazy · Mar 6, 2016

Foghorn said:
Why would God subject Himself to 24 hour periods?

What else would an evening and morning be? It's a single rotation of the earth. Was it 24 hours? Probably slightly less, since the earth's rotation is slowing down

Radrook · Mar 6, 2016

The apostle Paul spoke of God as still enjoying his Day of rest during the first century CE. Some Christians view that statement a an indication that the other days mentioned in Genesis were just as long.

Hebrews Chapter 4

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

5 And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.

Context?

The entire Bible can sometimes be viewed as a sufficient context for legitimate, scriptural inference purposes. In such cases the immediate context will not prevent understanding of the scripture in question as having a far more extensive meaning. The way that the creator perceives time cannot be shunted aside as irrelevant wherever time is involved.

The Apostle Peter, quoting from the OT, reminds us to beware of assuming that the creator perceives time as humans do because that might lead to frustration when humans observe the years piling up and his promises remaining unfulfilled and assume that he is being slow in the human sense of the word.

The fact that Adam died almost 1000 years after he was told he would die in one day speaks volumes in this regard.

7 Day creation- literal or figurative?

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