The Bible clearly teaches that God created in 6 literal, 24 hour days a few (6-7)thousand years ago. As Shaun points out, the Hebrew word for day in Genesis is yom. In the majority of its uses on the OT it means a literal day. When it doesn't, the context makes this clear. Also, the context of Genesis 1 clearly shows that the creation days were literal days. First, yom is used in its two literal senses; the light portion of the light/dark cycle and the whole light/dark cycle. next, yom is used with "evening and morning" Third, yom is modified with a number; one day, two days ect. Exodus 20:9-11 blocks all attempts to fit millions of years into Gen 1. "six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all thats in them, and rested on the seventh day. therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. The Bible seems to have actually gone out of its way to parenthetically spell out the 24 hour days of creation, with evening and morning after every verse in Gen 1

Young earth suggests that everything was perfect (very good as God said) upon creation. An old earth would mean death and disease before the fall. This would mean that God looks upon animals killing one another and random death/disease as a "very good" part of his creative works. The reason animals kill one another and disease exists, is that the earth was cursed after the fall. Prior to this there could not have been any death or disease. Genesis teaches that death is the result of Adams sin. Gen 1:29-30 tells us that animals were originally vegetarian. All of the alleged millions of years of earth history in the fossil record shows evidence of animals eating each other, diseases like cancer in their bones, violence, plants with thorns and so on. All of this supposedly takes place "before" man appears on the scene, and thus before sin (and its curse of death disease, thorns, carnivory, ect) entered the world. If this were true than death cannot be the penalty for sin and cannot be described as the last enemy. 1 Cor 15:26 God created a perfect world, and when we view this present world, we are not looking at the nature of God, but at the results of mans sin.

You still need to address the 'seventh day'. It's not 24 hours long.


KT

Got a letter in the mail today. Turns out I am a direct descendant from one of the major authors of the best selling book the Bible. I will be receiving a never ending royalty from now on. Great stuff!

To think that if these people had invested this amount of time and effort into the study of classical literature, art, philosophy, and science instead of fairy-tales, we would be a much more enlightened society.

Baby steps. We're still defining a "day." Why I don't know. The text is unambiguously clear about it, but religion has always been about Man warping God's message to suit his needs, whether conquering lands, or debating on a BBS.

I dont understand what you mean by this.

After the six creative 'days' there was a seventh.
It has not yet ended. We're in it.

If it started after man's creation 6033 years ago, it is not a 24 hour 'day'.


KT

Disturbing that those who read and have faith in the bible cannot agree on what it actually says. So many mixed messages, hidden meanings, and contradictions that folks need to *interpret* the message to support their belief. Days are not days and corners don't imply corners...it's all rather silly...

And who has their finger on the "red button" awaiting "rapture"?

I dont really see the mixed message. The text is very straightforward. What happens is that people use other verses in various parts of the Bible and then apply them to a different chapter. The Bible is meant to be read just like any other book. Although everything has a spiritual meaning. But when something is meant to have a spiritual meaning it is very clear. Example, Jesus says "I am the door" He is clearly not implying that he is an actual door, and what he exactly meant could be interpreted in different ways by different people. Now read Gen 1 thru the 6 days of creation. This is clearly a written account of the creation. I think that some people have trouble believing certain parts of the Bible and need to somehow have an explanation for the parts that they dont understand. After all, if one can believe that Jesus can raise people from the dead, control the weather, heal diseases instantly, be killed and raise himself from the dead, why is it so hard to believe that he could create the earth in 6 days?

Whoa!

There is no scripture that indicates Jesus resurrected himself. Jesus is not Jehovah.
The term "God's Son" is used over and over. You can't be your own father or your own son.

In the Bible Jesus is shown to be lesser than God, being sent by God, doing the work he was given, he was created and he is never called God Almighty.


But were getting off topic, once again :rolleyes:


KT

Thats not what John 1:1-14 says. Even way back in Genesis the evidence of a triune God is pictured. "let US make man in OUR image" It is as difficult a concept to grasp as trying to understand how God can be outside of time.

"God" being 'outside time' is a very easy concept to grasp, as time is relative.

Anyone ever consider that when he said "us" he may have been talking to the Angels? As angels and God were like a family, as 'us' the family.