How long were the creative days?
Jehovah witnesses believe the wording of Genesis chapters 1 and 2 indicates that considerable lengths of time were involved in creation. Is that biblical?
- God spoke every thing into creation
Psalms 33:6-9 By the word of Jehovah the heavens themselves were made. 9 For he himself said, and it came to be; He himself commanded, and it proceeded to stand so.
Heb 11:3 By faith we perceive that the systems of things were put in order by God’s word
Matt 8:7-8 He [Jesus] said to him: “When I get there I will cure him.” 8 In reply the army officer said: “Sir, I am not a fit man for you to enter under my roof, but just say the word and my manservant will be healed.
JW’s are questioning the validity of Gods word just like serpent tempted Eve. But "never may that happen! But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar (Rom 3:4).
- Quoting JW online Publication - Does Science Contradict the Genesis account [on the first creative day, “God began calling the light Day, but the darkness he called Night.” (Genesis 1:5) Here, only a portion of a 24-hour period is defined by the term “day.”].
Answer:
Genesis 1:5 And God began calling the light Day, but the darkness he called Night. And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, a first day.
Notice the conclusion of Gen 1:5 is that ‘Days’ were a period of light and a period of darkness. The clear expression “the evening and the morning” made up each day (Gen 1:5, 8, 13, 31).
- The Sun divides a literal day – distinction between day and night (Gen 1:14):
Gen 1:14, 16 And God went on to say: “Let luminaries come to be in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night. 16 And God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary [sun] for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars.”
- Lev 23:32; Deut 16:6 - Specifies the day beginning at evening or sunset
Lev 23:32 32 It is a sabbath of complete rest for YOU, and YOU must afflict YOUR souls on the ninth of the month in the evening. From evening to evening YOU should observe YOUR sabbath.
Deut 16:6 But at the place that Jehovah your God will choose to have his name reside there, you should sacrifice the passover in the evening as soon as the sun sets, at the appointed time of your coming out of Egypt.
There is absolutely no justification for saying it is one literal day in Leviticus and an unknown time period (beyond one literal day) in Genesis.
- Quoting JW online Publication [The fact is that the Hebrew word translated “day” can mean various lengths of time, not just a 24-hour period.]
- The Sun divides a literal day – distinction between day and night (Gen 1:14):
Gen 1:14, 16 And God went on to say: “Let luminaries come to be in the expanse of the heavens to make a division between the day and the night. 16 And God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary [sun] for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars.”
- Lev 23:32; Deut 16:6 - Specifies the day beginning at evening or sunset
Lev 23:32 32 It is a sabbath of complete rest for YOU, and YOU must afflict YOUR souls on the ninth of the month in the evening. From evening to evening YOU should observe YOUR sabbath.
Deut 16:6 But at the place that Jehovah your God will choose to have his name reside there, you should sacrifice the passover in the evening as soon as the sun sets, at the appointed time of your coming out of Egypt.
There is absolutely no justification for saying it is one literal day in Leviticus and an unknown time period (beyond one literal day) in Genesis.
- Quoting JW online Publication [The fact is that the Hebrew word translated “day” can mean various lengths of time, not just a 24-hour period.]
Answer: If the Hebrew word translated “day” can mean various lengths of time, not just a 24-hour period, but what is the accurate interpretation? If you want to understand a phrase in the bible, see its usage elsewhere so that the bible explains itself.
When Yom accompanied by a definite number, it always literal and there are no exceptions. (Gen 7:11 Ex 16:1; 20:8-11).
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day [yom] of the month, on this day all the springs of the vast watery deep were broken open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
Ex 16:1 Later they departed from E´lim, and the entire assembly of the sons of Israel finally came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between E´lim and Si´nai, on the fifteenth day [yom] of the second month after their coming out of the land of Egypt.
Ex 20:8-11 “Remembering the sabbath day to hold it sacred, 9 you are to render service and you must do all your work six days. 10 But the seventh day [yom] is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, you nor your son nor your daughter, your slave man nor your slave girl nor your domestic animal nor your alien resident who is inside your gates. 11 For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day. That is why Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and proceeded to make it sacred.
Further the 4th commandment would be meaningless were each day stretched into eons.
- 2 Pet 3:8 says one day as 1000 years. But the same verse concludes 1000 years as one day.
2 Pet 3:8 However let this one fact not be escaping YOUR notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
- 2 Pet 3:8 says one day as 1000 years. But the same verse concludes 1000 years as one day.
2 Pet 3:8 However let this one fact not be escaping YOUR notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.
- JW’s teach the 7th day is still in progress.
However Heb 4:4 says God is not still resting but rested on the 7th day.
Heb 4:4 For in one place he has said of the seventh day as follows: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works”
- Quoting JW online Publication [Geologists estimate that the earth is approximately 4 billion years old, and astronomers calculate that the universe may be as much as 15 billion years old. Do these findings—or their potential future refinements—contradict Genesis 1:1? No. ]
Answer:
- We look at science from the bible and not bible from science. The accounts of feeding the 5000, parting of the Red Sea and even Jonah in the belly of a fish are scientifically impossible. We believe - Psalms 33:9 For he himself said, and it came to be; He himself commanded, and it proceeded to stand so.
- Genesis says God made the vegetation on the third day and did not make the sun, moon and the stars till the 4th day. Well, you can have vegetation survive 24 hours without the sun. But you cannot have it survive a 1000 years or 1 million years without the sun.
-If each "day" was 7,000 years or more, (since days of creation were light and darkness), they would consist of 3,500 years of darkness and 3,500 years of light. All plant life (created on the 3rd day) would have died without light (created on the 4th day) during that time of darkness. Vegetation without sunlight for so many years???
- Vegetation had no pollination by insects for so many years??? Insects were created on the 6th day.
- Mature creation – It was a mature vegetation bearing seed. Gen 1:12 “And the earth began to put forth grass, vegetation bearing seed according to its kind and trees yielding fruit”