We now consider efforts to prove that the days of creation must involve long ages. Many have already been discussed; we will consider some others. All arguments must be viewed in light of the evidence for literal days. As each is considered, ask yourself whether or not it constitutes evidence convincing enough to set aside the evidence we have offered for literal days.
Several attempts are made to argue that "day" can refer to a period longer than 24 hours. But we have already agreed the word can occasionally have such a meaning. However, that is not the meaning in contexts of literal history when used in the plural, with a number, with "evening and morning," etc., as already discussed. And "day" never refers to periods lasting millions of years.
A few cases are of special interest.
* Deut. 10:10 - See on "day" with an ordinal number.
* 2 Peter 3:8; Psalms 90:4 - See on "day" with a
cardinal number.
* "Day" means "time" and only context can
tell how long - See on "days" plural.
This verse, in the creation context, refers to "the day" that God made earth and heavens. It is argued that this must include more than one literal 24-hour period.
* We have granted that "day" in the singular may occasionally refer to more than just 24 hours. But that does not touch the arguments we have made regarding use of the plural, use with a number, etc. What evidence is there here to set aside the evidence we have offered for literal days of creation?
* Even if 2:4 referred to the whole creation period, that would only be six literal days, not a period of years, let alone millions of years.
[Note: My own personal belief is that Gen. 2:4 does refer to a literal day -- day 1, the day on which God created heaven and earth. Note how the events for each day in chap. 1 are described till the day concludes with "so the evening and the morning were the X day." If this view is correct, then the first day of creation began in 1:1 when God created heaven and earth. Then He created the light, etc., till the end of the day in 1:5. So all of 1:1-5 would have occurred on day 1. But whether this view is correct or not, nothing in Gen. 2:4 sets aside the additional evidence showing that "day" is literal in Creation accounts.]
It is argued that the events of day 6 must have taken longer than just 24 hours. If so, then the others may also be longer. Some specific arguments are as follows:
2:4-6 do not refer specifically to events on the sixth day of creation, but to earlier days. By any approach, two days passed from the time God made heaven and earth (2:4; cf. 1:1) till He caused plants to grow (2:5; cf. 1:11). And there is no record of rain for many years later - the earth was watered by a mist. So at the point in time referred to, God had not yet caused these things to happen - i.e., they happened later.
So what is the problem? We speak this way. If we are doing something for a few hours, but some part of it is not completed, do we not say we have "not yet" done that part? How does this prove creation involved many years, let alone millions of years?
The point is that Adam had viewed all the animals and none met his need for a companion (vv 18-20). When woman was created, "at last" he had found the one who met the need that all the others did not meet.
Again, what is the problem? If we are working on a difficulty for several hours then we finally find the solution, do we not say, "At last..."? How does this prove days had passed, let alone millions of years?
* Adam named only the land animals, cattle, and birds - vv 19,20. He did not need to name the fish or creeping things (insects or reptiles).
* He did not necessarily name every "species" according to modern definition. He may have named only a representative of each more general kind.
* The purpose was to demonstrate that none were suitable as a companion for him to marry and mate - vv 20-24. This would not require much time for each.
* Remember, creation events were miracles, which do not follow natural law. If God could speak into existence the earth, heavenly bodies, plants, animals, and people, why couldn't He likewise empower Adam to call out names for all kinds of animals in a few hours? If God could empower prophets to predict the future and do miracles clearly beyond human ability, why couldn't He empower Adam to name the animals in the time the Bible says it happened? Cf. Exodus 4:11,15 - Moses thought he could not speak what the Lord required, but God said He would be with Moses' mouth. Likewise, those who claim Adam could not speak what the Bible says He spoke need to realize that, if necessary, God would be with his mouth.
Regardless of the intent, arguments like this simply amount to a denial of clear Bible statements about miracles in order to satisfy human "scientific" reasoning. This demonstrates a lack of faith on the part of those who claim to believe the Bible. This exactly illustrates why we find the long-age view so troublesome. It becomes reasonable to ask, "What will we deny next?"
"Science" also says woman cannot come from man's side, and creation cannot occur simply because someone speaks commands, and the whole earth cannot be flooded by water, and a man cannot be born of a virgin, and a man cannot be raised from the dead, etc., etc. If we deny one Bible description of a miracle because it does not make sense to us, where will we stop?
What is there here that proves creation occurred, not in six days, but over billions of years?
Some claim that God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:1-3), and He is still resting (from creation) today (cf. Heb. 4:1-9). Unlike the other creation days, the seventh does not end by saying it consisted of "evening and morning." This implies the seventh day must not yet be complete. So the seventh "day" lasted thousands of years, therefore all the days could be long periods.
Our previous discussion demonstrated that "evening and morning" means, not simply completion, but a literal 24-hour day. This plus our other evidence proves that the other days were literal, which is our basic contention.
"Rested" in 2:2,3 is past tense. It simply means God took a break, a temporary rest. He did this in the past. He rested and was "refreshed" (Ex. 31:17). Is He still being refreshed today? The language means, not that God is still resting, but that He rested before Moses wrote about it.
God is clearly working today, not resting (John 5:6-18; etc.). We know that God is no longer creating, as in the days of creation, because 2:1 says he finished the heavens and earth and all their host. But this does not prove He is still resting in the sense of vv 2,3.
Hebrews 4:1-9 does not say God is still resting. It simply uses His rest on the seventh day to illustrate Israel's rest on the Sabbath day and our rest in heaven.
As discussed previously, God rested on the seventh day (v2) and blessed the seventh day and hallowed "it" (v3). What "it" did He hallow? He hallowed the seventh day for man to keep, because "it" was the day when God had rested - Exodus 20:8-11. But the Sabbath day - the "it" that man kept - was a literal day of rest following six days of labor. Therefore, the seventh day on which God rested was a literal day.
To try to disprove the significance of the time element in creation, some have cited examples of miracles that they claim were not instantaneous: creation required six days; the virgin birth required nine months; Jesus was in the tomb three days; the walls of Jericho were encircled seven days; giving the 10 Commands required 40 days; the wilderness wandering took 38 years; the conquest of Canaan took many years, etc.
For whatever reason, such arguments usually confuse what the actual miracle was. Remember, the miracle is the part that is impossible by natural law. For example:
* The miracle of the virgin birth was not the nine months in the womb nor even the birth, all of which happened according to natural law. The miracle was the conception, which was instantaneous (Matt. 1:20).
* The miracle of the resurrection was not the three days in the tomb but the restoring of life to Jesus' body. See Luke 24:23; Acts 1:3; 25:19; Revelation. 1:18; 2:8.
* The miracle of Jericho was not the marching but the falling of the walls.
* The revelation of God's will (such as the giving of the 10 Commands) was not a miracle of confirmation. God revealed His will gradually over hundreds of years, but He gave men specific powers to confrm the revelation was from Him. It was these miracles of confirmation that are so often said to be immediate or instantaneous.
* Creation was not one miracle but a series of many miracles accomplished one by one over a period of six days. By comparison, Jesus' miracles were often described as being immediate. Shall we deny that each miracle was instantaneous, because He did many of them over a period of three years?
* Where does the Bible ever say that the wilderness wandering or the conquest of Canaan was a miracle? Various specific miracles occurred during those periods, but neither event was miraculous of itself.
Bible "scholars" should be ashamed to use such cases to try to disprove the time element stated for creation. But suppose someone tried to apply the long-age approach to these events, like some folks do to creation? Suppose someone said the "days" Israel marched and the "days" Moses received the law and the "days" Jesus was in the tomb were actually long ages. Would he be a true Bible believer? If not, then why argue for long ages in creation?
As discussed previously, the time element is often an essential characteristic to demonstrate the supernatural nature of a miracle. If we deny that supernatural time element in order to harmonize with human wisdom and "science," then we undermine the miraculous nature of the event. We belittle the power of the miracle as evidence for God and His word, and we make it easier for people to believe that the event occurred by natural power.
Furthermore, we take the first step toward undermining other supernatural aspects of other Bible miracles. Where do we stop?
The only way to benefit from the power of Bible accounts of miracles is to accept those accounts as literal historic fact.
Some argue that other Old Testament "sabbaths" involved years not days (Lev. 25:4,5,8-55). So the point of importance regarding the Sabbath day was not the length of the days of creation but the number seven. The days of the week just represent the seven periods of creation, like the 8 days of the Feast of the Tabernacles represent the years of wilderness wandering.
The emphasis of all sabbath commands was on rest. The word means "rest," not "seven."
Some sabbath rests occurred at intervals unrelated to the number seven (Lev. 16:31; 23:32; 26:34; on 23:24,25 see KJV; Heb. 4:9).
The passage clearly states that God created all things in six days, so the people were to work for six days. Then God rested on the seventh day, so the people were to rest on the seventh day.
The only way to know what a holy day represented is by Scripture. Regardless of what other days represented, the Sabbath day represented the fact that God worked six days then rested on the seventh. God says so!
So a "sabbath" was a time of rest. It may or may not relate to the number seven. But the Sabbath day relates to the number seven because that is the day on which God rested. This was a Divine decree!
When people deny such clearly stated facts, they simply confirm our concerns. They follow human wisdom instead of God's clear statements. What will they set aside next?
On the sixth day God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and fill the earth. But obviously this took many years to accomplish. Some say this shows that long ages intervened between the days of creation: on the days of creation God simply gave the commands for things to exist, but many years were required for the commands to be fulfilled. (A similar argument is made on the growth of trees from Gen. 2:9, but everything said below applies there as well.)
The command to reproduce was fulfilled after the sixth day of creation ended, but this is not true of God's creative commands. The Bible says God's commands were fulfilled on the days of creation.
As already discussed the creation account clearly states, at the end of various creation days, that God saw what He made on that day and it was very good. So His creation commands were obeyed immediately, not gradually over millions of years. His commands were not just issued on the days of creation; they were fulfilled on those days.
Exodus 20:8-11 clearly says God made all things "in six days."
The reproduction of Genesis 1:28 cannot properly by compared to God's creative commands. God's creative acts were miracles accomplished by His supernatural power. The command to reproduce was not miraculous but occurred according to natural law.
Creation of the first man and woman took very little time because it was a miracle. But reproduction takes much longer, because it occurs by natural law. Are Progressive Creationists saying that creation occurred by natural law? If so, then that is simply theistic evolution! If not, then the comparison is not valid.
So Genesis 1:26-28 actually illustrates our real concern. To argue that fulfillment of God's commands took million of years is to contradict the Bible account and make it appear that God's creation commands could have been fulfilled by natural law, rather than by miracle. That is exactly what troubles us about this whole issue!
Some argue that the heavenly bodies measured the "days" beginning on day 4. Prior to that time there would be no way to determine the length of the days. Therefore, the "days" in Genesis 1 must be of undetermined length.
The argument itself grants this to be so. So surely the "days" could be literal days from day four onward. But the word "day" is used for all the days, they all consisted of "evening and morning," and they were all counted individually, etc., as already explained. Therefore "day" means the same when referring to the days before day four as it does when referring to the days after day four.
So literal days existed after day four; but all the days of creation were the same. Therefore all the days are literal days.
The heavenly bodies were assigned the task of measuring the days on day 4, but the days themselves existed since day 1. The days simply existed temporarily without the heavenly bodies to measure them.
Saying the length of days cannot be known if there were no heavenly bodies to measure them is like saying time cannot exist if you don't have a clock to measure it. Time passed at a consistent rate since the beginning of creation. It was measured as "evening and morning." The movement of the heavenly bodies just gave living things on earth a way to measure time.
Even without a "clock," God knows how much time passed. He says the events took place "in six days"!
Nothing here disproves our evidence for literal days and it surely does not prove the days of creation lasted millions of years each.
Some argue that God "created" (Heb. BARA) some things and this means forming from nothing (1:1,21,27 - the heaven and the earth, sea animals and birds, and man). But other things were "made" (ASSAH) and this means arranging and assigning a function to what already exists.
Some use this argument to defend a "gap" between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 - God "created" heaven and earth, but then millions of years later He "made" everything else from what He had already "created" (Ex. 20:11). But even if true this would not prove that the days of creation in general were long days. Nor does it explain the use of "create" for the sea animals and man in 1:21,27.
Is the point that "creating" was miraculous, but "making" occurred by natural law so it would take long periods to accomplish? If this is not the point, then the argument proves nothing for long ages. But if this is the point, then it unquestionably argues for a form of theistic evolution!
Exodus 20:11 - God "made" (ASSAH) all things in six days. That includes the heaven and the earth and everything on them, which would include the sea animals and birds and the people that Genesis 1:21,27 says God "created." So what Genesis 1 says God "created" (BARA), Exodus 20 says He "made" (ASSAH).
Genesis 1:26,27 - V27 says God "created" (BARA) man in His own image, but v26 says God "made" (ASSAH) man in His own image.
Genesis 6:7 - God would destroy the man and animals and birds He had "created" (BARA) for He was sorry He "made" (ASSAH) them. Specifically, Gen. 6:7 says God "made" (ASSAH) the birds, but Gen. 1:21 says He "created" (BARA) them.
Genesis 2:4 - The heavens and the earth were "created" (BARA) in the day that God "made" (ASSAH) them. Surely this is the same event, not two separate events separated by millions of years. (Cf. v3.)
Genesis 5:1 - In the day God "created" (BARA) man He "made" (ASSAH) him in God's likeness.
Genesis 1:21 - God "created" (BARA) the sea animals, but He "made" (ASSAH) everything in the sea - Neh. 9:6.
Genesis 1:16 - God "made" (ASSAH) the sun, moon, and stars, but He "created" (BARA) them - Psalms 148:3-5.
Isaiah 43:7 - God "created" (BARA) everyone whom He "made" (ASSAH).
Clearly this argument proves nothing for long days in creation.
Some argue that God reveals Himself in nature and in the Bible (Psalms 19:1; Romans 1:20). We are then told that the Bible does not clearly tell how long creation took. The Bible account is "subjective" whereas science is "objective," so we must turn to nature (i.e., science) for the answer.
The Bible says only that nature can show us God's existence (Godhood), power, and glory (Rom. 1:20; Psalms 19:1). We cannot learn His will for our lives, nor can we learn history.
Nowhere does Scripture say science is a book of revelation, nor does it say it is equal to Scripture in authority.
The Bible says we can learn some lessons from the things God made: things of Divine origin (the heavens, etc.). But science is of human origin. It is conclusions man has reached from his observations about nature. It is fundamentally human wisdom, not Divine wisdom.
No Scripture says human wisdom and learning should be relied on as equal to Divine revelation. Rather, we will see that God often warns against the dangers of it.
As discussed earlier, the scientific method involves repeatable experiments about current processes. But the facts of creation are history. They cannot be repeated. So the only direct evidence about creation must be, not science, but history. See again John 8:17; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15.
Science may demonstrate that current processes could not form earth and life as we know it. This can be used to disprove evolution. That strengthens the case for creation by default, but science cannot directly prove the facts of creation.
Specifically, science can never prove or disprove any miracle, because by definition a miracle does not follow natural law! History can testify that miracles occurred, but to use science to establish the facts of a miracle is to miss the whole point!
Job 38:4,12 - Who was present to witness the historical facts of creation? "Were you there?" Only God was present, so only Deity can testify to the facts about what happened.
The only source of credible historical evidence about creation repeatedly testifies that it occurred in six days. Science cannot disprove this, because it is a supernatural event and a matter of history.
Note further that physical evidence about the distant past would be greatly altered by the flood. Forty days of rains accompanied by underground flooding (and probably volcanic action) followed by standing water worldwide for a year would cause incredible changes. This would also make it impossible for modern science to know for sure what happened before the flood.
The Bible claims to be the very word of God Himself -- 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2:10-13; Ephesians 3:3-5; John 16:13; Matthew 10:19,20; Galatians 1:8-12; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Luke 10:16.
As such, the Bible cannot be wrong, because God is never wrong. It never changes, because it never needs correction - Psalm 119:128; Titus 1:2; John 17:17; Psalm 33:4; 19:8; 147:4,5; Rom. 3:4; Job 37:16; Num. 23:19; Heb. 6:18; Deut. 18:20-22.
Where does the Bible ever make such claims for science?
Scientists openly and freely admit that science has often been wrong. Scientific views are continually being revised.
So where is the basis for claiming that science is as authoritative as Scripture in any area in which Scripture speaks?
Remember, science is human learning, human wisdom.
Consider these warnings:
1 Timothy 6:20 - Paul warned to avoid "science falsely so called" (KJV). Contrast this to what is said about Scripture in the verses above.
Romans 3:4 - Let God be true but every man a liar.
1 Corinthians 1:18-29 - Human wisdom often leads people to reject the gospel and the salvation it offers.
We should reject human wisdom whenever it disagrees with Scripture -- Matthew 15:9,13; Galatians 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Colossians 3:17; Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 14:12; 3:5,6; Revelation 22:18,19; 1 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:13.
It follows that whenever science touches on matters revealed in God's word, Scripture must be accepted as authority. We must never accept "science" when it contradicts Scripture. In the end, true science will not contradict Scripture; but if human scientists disagree with Scripture then we must accept Scripture and realize that the human scientists are simply mistaken.
What about those who said the earth was the center of the universe till disproved by Galileo?
Those who opposed Galileo were leaders of the Catholic Church. Their views were actually based on ancient Greek scholars, not Scripture. The issue was not Scripture vs. science, but old "science" vs. new "science"!
So instead of teaching that Scripture should accommodate "science," Galileo's case proves the danger of compromising religious truth in order to accommodate "science." The case argues, not against those of us who defend the Scriptural teaching of literal days in creation, but against those who defend long ages in order to accommodate modern scientific hypotheses!
Of course, we must take care to properly understand Scripture. Nevertheless, the primary issue must always be what Scripture says. If Scripture clearly teaches a viewpoint, then we must defend it regardless of "science."
They argue that the Bible is not clear about how long creation lasted, but in reality Scripture is perfectly clear. The root problem generally is that people do not want to accept the Scripture because it disagrees with scientific theory!
Actually, a simple study of Scripture alone would never lead anyone to conclude that creation lasted long ages, let alone millions of years. Consciously or subconsciously, the idea of long ages in creation is placed in men's minds by so-called science.
Those who argue for long ages based on "two books of revelation" have actually rejected the teaching of Scripture in order to accommodate science. They have made human wisdom a higher authority than Scripture. This again demonstrates why we find this issue so troubling. Where else will human wisdom lead men to disagree with Scripture?
Some have written reams defending long ages, they have argued long that literal days cannot be proved, they have encouraged teachers to indoctrinate children to believe the long-age view, they have themselves traveled around the country teaching this to children (without the knowledge or consent of parents), and they have implied that those who teach literal days are driving people from faith in God.
But when others learn what's happening and object, then we are told that the issue is not important so we should keep quiet, while those who advocate long ages continue teaching error! (Some may drop the issue, but many vocal defenders do not.)
I am continually amazed at loose-thinking, liberal-minded people who continually say some issue is not important, so the rest of us should hush and let them have their way! If the advocates of long ages think this issue isn't important, why do they keep arguing about it? Why don't they drop the subject, instead of expecting those of us who disagree with them to hush?
Having defended our view at length, let us summarize the reasons we have given why the issue does matter:
1) Long ages undermine the integrity of Bible authority. If we reject clear statements in historic and doctrinal portions of Scripture relating to major Bible doctrine, what will we reject next?
2) Long ages deny a clear supernatural element (the time element) of a major Bible miracle. The effect is to make natural explanations seem more believable, thereby undermining the power of the miracle as evidence for God and His word.
3) Defenders of long ages use human wisdom (scientific hypothesis) as authority equal to - and in practice greater than - the authority of Scripture.
4) Rejecting a basic element of a major Bible miracle naturally leads to loose thinking and ultimate rejection of basic elements of other miracles, and ultimately to a complete rejection of the miracles themselves. Some long-agers already claim the flood may have been local instead of worldwide. What's next and how far do we go? Further compromises with theistic evolution? Compromises of the virgin birth or the resurrection? Where does it stop?
Biblical creation is at war with naturalistic evolution. As in every such war, compromise of principle weakens the side of truth. Instead of bringing the two extremes together, it simply adds another alternative view that alienates people into even more warring camps.
And such compromises satisfy neither side. Long ages will never satisfy those who insist on the historic and doctrinal accuracy of Bible accounts. But long ages likewise will never placate advocates of evolution. Much evidence can be cited to prove that they too are not fooled. People of both persuasions recognize long ages for what they are: a compromise of the evident intent of the Genesis account.
(End of series.)
(C)
Copyright 2002, David E. Pratte
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