Some basic reasons why I believe God created the earth in six, normal, 24-hour days.
1. This is just a plain reading of the Biblical texts without any reasons to believe they should be interpreted otherwise.
2. Each of the six successive days includes a specific number for the day (Gen 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
3. Each of these same six successive days includes a time cycle reference, "the evening and the morning" (Gen 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
4. In God's giving of the Ten commandments (Ex 20), the fourth commandment "Remembering the Sabbath" explicitly references a six-day creation event. The Sabbath is actually a seventh day of the regular calendar week. No different in length than the other six days.
5. Alternative conclusions for taking Gen 1-2 as non-literal, non-24-hr days, either directly or covertly are based on a false theory of evolution. Obviously this is not scriptural authority but a compromise with unbelieving scientists. These scientific theories confuse observational and historical science.
6. On a technical level, the underlying Hebrew text identifies Gen 1-2 as historical narrative. This is based on the Hebrew waw-consecutive structure. It appears most noticeably in the KJV text starting each line with the word "and." This Hebrew structure is not poetic literature such as the book of Psalms. I must admit as of today, I have not yet verified whether all 150 Psalms appear as poetry and not as historical narrative. One day I will have all 150 completed with "observed" data.
I am not here discussing the eternal destiny of those who I believe have compromised on their interpretation of the Biblical account of creation.
I am not aware as of yet, any part of the gospel content requiring believing in a literal creation. However, it is strangely inconsistent to believe in a literal second Adam (Rom 5; 1 Cor 15) who died a sacrificial death on a cross for the sins of a first Adam who may not have really existed (Gen 1-2). Jesus himself took them as historical people in his comments on marriage (Mt 5).
I would also suggest it presents an inconsistent picture of Biblical Christianity to claim Genesis does not matter.
Below are several short booklets helpful in understanding Genesis without evolutionary compromise:
A Pocket Guide to ... A Young Earth. Evidence that supports the biblical perspective. (Answers in Genesis: Petersburg, KY), 2010.
A Pocket Guide to ... The Global Flood. A biblical and scientific look at the catastrophe that changed the earth (Answers in Genesis: Petersburg, KY), 2009.
A Pocket Guide to ... Six Days. How long were the days in Genesis 1? (Answers in Genesis: Petersburg, KY), 2014.
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