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Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. As in the ministry, I get asked this all of the time, even in the Church. How long was a Day in Genesis 1? Can it be a literal 24-hour day, or perhaps millions of years?
We have many types of beliefs when it comes to the timeline of Genesis 1: Gap Theory, Day Age Creation, Framework Hypothesis, Theistic Evolution. But as I read my Bible, none of these positions comes from the Bible, but comes from outside sources and influences from the secular world and then we try to interrupt the infallible Word of God through the fallible man's ideas.
What we need is to let outside influences fall by the wayside and let the Bible interrupt itself. Genesis 1, what do we see if we take it literally? God created everything in 6 days. Exodus 20:11 says that God created everything in 6 days. We will address this more in the FAQ section of this post.
Now the word for "Day" is the Hebrew Word "Yom." Now the word "Day" can be translated into different meanings. There is the "Day of the Lord," which means a future event. Or there are some references that "Day" was a period of time, or a past event. So how do we know what to use for Genesis 1? We can tell because of context. Consider the following:
1) "Day" + number is used 410 times in the Old Testament. Each one of those times, it means an ordinary day.
2) Evening & Morning together without "Day" is used 38 times in the Old Testament. Each one of those times, it means an ordinary day.
3) Evening or Morning with "Day" is used 23 times in the Old Testament. Each one of those times, it means an ordinary day.
4) Night with "Day" is used 52 times in the Old Testament. Each one of those times, it means an ordinary day.
So by those examples, let's look at Genesis 1.
1) Night, Evening, Morning, Number, Day
2) Evening, Morning, Number, Day
3) Evening, Morning, Number, Day
4) Evening, Morning, Number, Day
5) Evening, Morning, Number, Day
6) Evening, Morning, Number, Day
By looking at the context and using the Bible to interrupt itself, it is clear that it is an ordinary day. But why do a lot of Churches do not want to accept it? Because they want to add millions of years into the Bible. That is the bottom line. Do we question what the word "Day" means outside of Genesis 1? How long was Jonah in the Fish? One million years, perhaps? No, we know better than that. So why apply that same logic to Genesis 1? Because the Church is allowing outside influence to interrupt the Word of God.
FAQ:
1) Science proves that the Earth is billions of years old. So the "Day" in Genesis 1 must be long periods of time.
When people says that science proves that the Earth is billions of years old, they are using fallible methods and assumptions. All dating methods are fallible and they are based on assumptions, such as Carbon 14 dating and Radiometric Dating. Matter of fact, over 90% of dating methods goes completely against the general accepted dates.
2) Doesn't 2 Peter 3:8 says that a day is like a thousand years?
That is true, but it also says that a thousand years are like a day, so that cancels that out. This is not in the context of the Creation. This means that God is outside of time. That's all. And even if each day was a thousand years, how would it to try and fit millions of years into the Bible?
3) Can I still be saved and still believe in Evolution?
Yes. The Bible says that if we repent and believe on Him, we would be saved. That is not the issue. But it is an issue of authority. If we believe that Evolution is true, we would put death, suffering, thorns, and diseases before sin, and the Bible is very clear on that.
4) The Sun wasn't created on Day 4, so the 1st 3 days can mean anything.
You really do not need the Sun for morning or for evening. Genesis 1:3 says "Let there be light" and there was light on Day 1. All you need is Light and Darkness and you would have morning and evening on Day 1. I believe that God created the Sun on Day 4 so that He can so that the Sun is not the creator of life, as some ancient pagans believed and worshiped, and know even Evolutionist do as well.
If you have any more questions, please do not be afraid to ask. God bless. ^^
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