7 Day creation- literal or figurative?

The seven days are 'figurative' in the common meaning of the discussion.

Archie the Preacher said:

The seven days are 'figurative' in the common meaning of the discussion.

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If time was not the same, then the days are described, but not defined
exactly as we define them. They are described as light and dark.
Fine by me. No need to box them into 24 hours or millions of years.
They occurred before time really began, for man.

pinkmatter said:

I'm after thoughts and opinions Gods 7-day creation. Did Moses right it as a narrative to the Israelites? Is Genesis all figurative language?

Thoughts and opinions on the controversial topic!

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When it says that the waters below the firmament were separated from the waters above the firmament, why do you suppose it is that the astronauts didn't run into the latter?

It is figurative language, of course.

lesliedellow said:

When it says that the waters below the firmament were separated from the waters above the firmament, why do you suppose it is that the astronauts didn't run into the latter?

It is figurative language, of course.

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There was that flood thing where all that water came down on that boat.

And/or there's the possibility that the water was/is in vapor form.

pinkmatter said:

I'm after thoughts and opinions Gods 7-day creation. Did Moses right it as a narrative to the Israelites? Is Genesis all figurative language?

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Until Darwin came along (with a host of theologically liberal "scholars") no one questioned the creation account in Genesis. There is absolutely no reason to believe that this is NOT a factual, historical, literal, chronological, and spiritual account of how God created the universe in six literal 24-hour days, and rested on the 7th day.

The spiritual content is just as important as the history, since this is all "salvation history". God did not need seven days, but He was setting up the pattern for man's work week as well as for the observance of the sabbath (Exod 20:8-11). It is significant that in the Ten Commandments, creation and the sabbath takes up 4 verses, and reiterates a literal six day creation.

Also, there is absolutely no reason to question the historicity of this book as a whole, nor the chronology, and Martin Anstey wrote Chronology of the Old Testament based on the data that is found within the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the King James Bible.

mark kennedy said:

Yes, life on earth was created, in six literal days and it didn't take all day to do it.

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Though the first two literal days had no sun, moon, or stars
and man was immortal and death had not yet entered the world.

So "Literal" does not mean as normal as mom's apple pie.

pinkmatter said:

I'm after thoughts and opinions Gods 7-day creation. Did Moses right it as a narrative to the Israelites? Is Genesis all figurative language?

Thoughts and opinions on the controversial topic!

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The inability to match up the written narrative with a 24hour
timeline.....or.....a 1000 year timeline....or....a million year
timeline....all suggest that the Creation events were not tied
to any familiar timeline at all.

It seems to have been an event that took place in "no-time."
If we look at a list of miracles, many of them suggest that the
"miracle" took place in an "instant" or "no-time" as well.

If we feel the need to shoehorn Creation week into time
as we know it, then we should do the same for this list.

1. Born to a virgin - Miracles of Jesus 2. Changing water into wine - Miracles of Jesus 3. Healing of the royal official's son - Miracles of Jesus 4. Healing of the Capernaum demoniac - Miracles of Jesus 5. Healing of Peter's mother-in-law - Miracles of Jesus 6. Healing the sick during the evening - Miracles of Jesus 7. Catching a large number of fish - Miracles of Jesus


So....how long did it REALLY take for Jesus to turn water into wine?

pinkmatter said:

I'm after thoughts and opinions Gods 7-day creation. Did Moses right it as a narrative to the Israelites? Is Genesis all figurative language?

Thoughts and opinions on the controversial topic!

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A day in Genesis is a cycle of time, could be a nanosecond, could be a billion years, such as we know it as time is measured. What is important is the number of evenings and mornings, because they're always together, one pair: And the evening and the morning... He could have said, an evening, or another evening, or the next evening, but specifies a definite article.

SkyWriting said:

Though the first two literal days had no sun, moon, or stars
and man was immortal and death had not yet entered the world.

So "Literal" does not mean as normal as mom's apple pie.

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Hi Sky,

No, and as far as I understand the definition of literal, it has never had any consequence with 'normal'. Literal merely means that:
adjective
1. in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical:
the literal meaning of a word.
2. following the words of the original very closely and exactly:
a literal translation of Goethe.
3. true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual:
a literal description of conditions.
4. being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy:
the literal extermination of a city.
5. (of persons) tending to construe words in the strict sense or in an unimaginative way; matter-of-fact; prosaic.
6. of or relating to the letters of the alphabet.
7. of the nature of letters.
noun
10. a typographical error, especially involving a single letter.

You are correct. Literal has no bearing on whether or not something is normal. Don't know exactly why you would have brought that up, but you are right. However, in the same vein, literal also does not have any bearing on whether something is not normal.

SkyWriting said:

The inability to match up the written narrative with a 24hour
timeline.....or.....a 1000 year timeline....or....a million year
timeline....all suggest that the Creation events were not tied
to any familiar timeline at all.

It seems to have been an event that took place in "no-time."
If we look at a list of miracles, many of them suggest that the
"miracle" took place in an "instant" or "no-time" as well.

If we feel the need to shoehorn Creation week into time
as we know it, then we should do the same for this list.

1. Born to a virgin - Miracles of Jesus 2. Changing water into wine - Miracles of Jesus 3. Healing of the royal official's son - Miracles of Jesus 4. Healing of the Capernaum demoniac - Miracles of Jesus 5. Healing of Peter's mother-in-law - Miracles of Jesus 6. Healing the sick during the evening - Miracles of Jesus 7. Catching a large number of fish - Miracles of Jesus


So....how long did it REALLY take for Jesus to turn water into wine?

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It was likely fairly instantaneous. You see the difference being that Jesus didn't tell us how long it took to turn the water into wine, but God did tell us how long it took to create this realm in which we live. In all of the miracles that you bring to the evidentiary table, several of them mention the time it took to accomplish. The Scriptures never once mention any information about how long it took for Mary to become pregnant. The Scriptures do give an indication how long it took Jesus to turn water into wine. It happened sometime between the servants filling the jars with water and then the guests drinking. Since it all happened at a wedding ceremony that was actively going on throughout the entire process, it wasn't likely more than an hour or two at most. In some of your other examples the word 'immediately' does appear in some. For those, I'm confident that we can accept that they happened 'immediately'. There are actually quite a few of your examples that can be 'shoehorned' into time. Whether or not you want to, is up to you.

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

Hi again Sky,

I'm curious. You say that the creation event happened in God's mind. Question: If it all happened in God's mind, when did it become reality? Did all that God thought to happen suddenly appear as real or did God imagine something one day and that then became reality and then imagined something else and then that became reality? Or, did God imagine all that He would create and then instantly all the imaginings of the entire six day account just pop into existence? How long, roughly of course, did it take for God's imaginings to become the reality that we live in?

For example: On day one when God imagined the earth to exist, when did the earth actually exist? Or, are we still living in God's imagination and none of this is real, yet?

God bless you.
In Christ, Ted

BabylonWeary said:

A day in Genesis is a cycle of time,... What is important is the number of evenings and mornings, because they're always together, one pair: And the evening and the morning...

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Did you note that you just contradicted yourself? On one hand you have a cycle of time (which could mean anything). On the other hand you have a specific time period which can only mean a 24-hour cycle. So now you have to forget about a meaningless cycle of time, and stick with what is stated -- six literal 24 hour days, as also confirmed in the Ten Commandments.

Job8 said:

Did you note that you just contradicted yourself? On one hand you have a cycle of time (which could mean anything). On the other hand you have a specific time period which can only mean a 24-hour cycle. So now you have to forget about a meaningless cycle of time, and stick with what is stated -- six literal 24 hour days, as also confirmed in the Ten Commandments.

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You see contradiction because you see time from a fixed point on the earth as it's rotating. I read Genesis literally, and I see time as dimensions that could be likened unto matryoshka dolls, cycles within cycles.

miamited said:

Don't know exactly why you would have brought that up, but you are right.

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I brought that up because people often say "Literal 24 hour days." and some say "Normal 24 hour days."

miamited said:

It was likely fairly instantaneous.

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If a Happy-Meal instantly appears before you, you assume time was spent to prepare it.
If God instantly created the Happy-Meal for you, one would wonder if the meat was prepared properly.
While all examination would suggest the passage of time, it would seem that time had passed
and the hamburger would be cooked "somewhere." Just not before your eyes.

I'm suggesting that the Cosmos did age "somewhere." Just not in our understanding of time.
I'm suggesting that Creation did happen "In seven days." Just not in our understanding of seven days.
And that "time" and it's resulting decay and death, did not begin until Adam sinned.

miamited said:

Hi again Sky,

I'm curious. You say that the creation event happened in God's mind. Question: If it all happened in God's mind, when did it become reality? Did all that God thought to happen suddenly appear as real or did God imagine something one day and that then became reality and then imagined something else and then that became reality? Or, did God imagine all that He would create and then instantly all the imaginings of the entire six day account just pop into existence? How long, roughly of course, did it take for God's imaginings to become the reality that we live in? For example: On day one when God imagined the earth to exist, when did the earth actually exist? Or, are we still living in God's imagination and none of this is real, yet?

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As you read Revelations, you read some weird stuff. I propose that what happens in God's mind is reality.
What we read in Revelations is exactly what will happen. When Adam turned away from God our
existence only continued by the grace of God. We didn't deserve to continue. But God created what we
know as "time." "Time" is really just a countdown until God returns. That's all it is.

We think this is reality. But it will get REAL when God reconnects. That's what
Jesus was showing everybody. He was healing on the Sabbath for crying out loud!
His response was "Hey. I'm the real deal. Don't be wasting your time on rules
when you have the real deal standing right here."

pinkmatter said:

I'm not asking in order to make my own opinion or anything, I'm just asking for different peoples opinions on the topic. It will so help me with an essay, too! So really the only question is "do you think God created the world in 7 literal days?"

Thanks =)

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There are few serious theologist who interpret the bible as a literal work of God. God clearly did not create the entire world and everything in it in 7 days.

If you are looking to really research and think about this topic for an essay then you should do better research than coming to an Internet chat room.

KTskater said:

I believe that the language used to describe creation was the best it could be to suit the people that it was written by. What I mean by this is that a dense scientific explanation of how God set up the laws of physics and brought the universe and its contents into existence was not the point of Genesis 1:1-11. It's purpose was simply to show God as creator. The rest of the story about the garden was to show that man had rejected God and thus justified the Levical laws, and later on, would give explanation to the Gospel.

Was it literal language? I doubt it. Was it written in a way that served God's purposes? Most definitely.

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How can you have the double helix as your sign and then spout such unscientific nonsense?

Mrs_RC said:

There are few serious theologist who interpret the bible as a literal work of God.

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If not the word of God, then what is it?

God clearly did not create the entire world and everything in it in 7 days.

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God clearly did just that, as well as create man from the dust of the earth on day six.

Mrs_RC said:

How can you have the double helix as your sign and then spout such unscientific nonsense?

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What part of the Bible do you see as conforming with science?

Mrs_RC said:

God clearly did not create the entire world and everything in it in 7 days.

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According to whom? BTW God did not need six days for creation, since He could have accomplished everything at the same instant. He chose this pattern for the sake of man (Exodus 20:8-11): Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

rider99 said:

If not the word of God, then what is it?

God clearly did just that, as well as create man from the dust of the earth on day six.

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Hi Rider99. Depending on where your knowledge of the history of the Bible is, then you will possibly know that the assembly of the scriptures (written by men, not God) were something of an anthology put together by men, from ancient writings over many decades.
There are missing pieces that we still wonder about; and one of the beauties of bible study is working out what might be missing and also interpreting how the bible has morphed from its many original languages and original scripts into what we might read today.

For anyone to suggest that 'the Bible' is a single, definitive factual text, not only the direct word of God, but that it also a singular, imperative text from one given source, is simply daft. Even the Pope doesn't think so.