Gospel Journey

The Earth, Like Dick Fisher, May Not be as Old as You Think

Each day we will also take a look at a statement. If you haven't read the devotional for today, please do that first. Then come back here and tell us what you think.

Though this is going to be largely based out of the Bible, I didn’t include it as a devotional for a couple of reasons:

a) This is not a mountain to die on. I will gladly worship with those who disagree with me over the age of the earth or the time involved in creating it. That doesn’t mean I don’t strongly believe one over the other (I do). But it does mean it’s nothing to create division over.
b) The application for this study is largely intellectual. I’m not sure it changes much in how we should act as believers, but rather, just gives us some thoughts to chew on.

With that said, here’s three reasons I believe the earth was created in six literal (24 hour) days:

1.) The Hebrew word ”yom”.

While the word can mean either twenty-four hour period, or general time or era (As in “the days of Noah.”), nowhere in the rest of the Old Testament is the word “yom” connected to a numerical qualifier that it does not mean a twenty for hour day. To argue that Moses was using “yom” to mean era, even though he added specific numbers to it, is to ignore the nature of that word in the rest of the Old Testament. It’s a little complicated to get into a Hebrew lesson right here and now (especially from one who barely passed Hebrew class!) but rewriting the rules for the function of the word in one unique situation is a bit of a no-no.

For further clarification, Moses added “evening and morning” to the description as well. To me, it appears obvious that by adding “evening and morning” as well as a numeric qualifier (first day, second day, etc.) Moses was making sure people understood he meant literal 24 hour time periods.

2.) Though God is not confined by time, He established time and speaks to us in respect to it.

A very common explanation I have heard is that a day doesn’t need to mean to God what it means to us. Typically, 2 Peter 3:8 is quoted at this point: “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” Does this verse say that God doesn’t articulate time clearly because it doesn’t apply to Him? First, don’t miss the word like. This is a simile, not a metaphor. Peter is not saying “a thousand years is a day, and a day is a thousand years. Second, creation, or even God’s communication of time is not the point Peter is making. Looking at the context, Peter is saying that God is patient with bringing about the End Times. We look around and wonder what is taking Jesus so long to return, but God, Who is eternal, has not grown impatient. He has always existed, so a millennium doesn’t feel like a long time to Him. This passage does not suggest that God may say day, but it really means one thousand to Him. The passage suggests that if God returns tomorrow or a thousand years from now, He waits so that people can come to know Him.

3.) The redemptive story seems to require immediate action. This may be early in “the Journey” to deal with this concept. God had the story of Jesus dying for our sins prepared before He established the earth (Ephesians 1;4). Jesus is the center of the story He wants to teach with humanity. If that is His agenda, it appears inconsistent for the God who has spoken life into existence at other times (Mark 5:41, John 11:43) to delay His redemption story by having creation take six thousand years (or more). It seems more consistent with the whole of Scripture that God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, they took advantage of the opportunity to sin quite quickly, and then He began showing humanity that their sin is a severe violation of His character and that He alone is the only One who can pay for such a penalty.


Again, these are just some thoughts to chew on. Don’t let it create division among others. Share your opinions, thoughts, questions. But let’s use this kind of discussion to explore even more the glorious nature of God.

posted by danny2 @ 12:01 AM