The Creation "Days" Were Not 24 Hours Long

I will first state my beliefs and then offer a rebuttal to some your statements. Definition of "Day"The Hebrew word for Day is yom has three definitions: a) standard 24-hour day; b) the 12-hour portion of the day which is lit by the sun and occasionally c) an indefinite period of time. In Genesis 1:4 the Bible states that God separated "light from the darkness" and then in Genesis 1:5 we see that "God called the light day, and the darkness he called night", clearly describing what happens during a standard 24-hour day. For certain clarity, Gen 1:5 finishes off by stating "And the evening and the morning were the first day. " This phrase is used after each and every day during creation, "evening and morning. "Many words and phrases in the Bible have been used symbolically an are not to be taken literally. To set a standard for a particular word to be used appropriately symbolically in later portions of the Bible text, it must be clearly defined initially. The first occurrence of the word "day" was meant to set a standard of a time period for the word "yom", specifically definition b) above. If we have an arbitrary time period for the first occurrence of "yom" then any reference to "day" throughout the Bible would also be arbitrary - this is clearly not the case given the documented proof of certain historical events and timetables described in the Bible. For example, in each of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) it is clearly stated that the Christ will rise from the dead on the third day. When Jesus appeared to his Disciples after he rose from the dead, the word "day" most certainly means a 24-hour period. How else would it be possible for Jesus to interact with those who saw him die on the cross if a day meant thousands or millions of years? In several places in the Bible, the word "day" is specifically contrasted against longer periods of time, some of them indefinite. For example, in Genesis 1:14 we read that God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. " If day didn't have a standard definition of 24-hours, it could not be contrasted against the word years. The word years becomes meaningless without a firm definition of the word day. Lastly, the word day appears in the KJV 1,759 times. During the six days of creation, the word day appears 12 times. If the word day didn't mean a standard 24-hour period, the remaining 1,747 occurrences of the word day would make the entire bible moot due to the arbitrary nature of time itself since day was initially defined in Genesis. The collection of historical accounts in the Bible is the most historically verified written document known to man (as measured by supporting documentation discovered and cross-referenced) - this documented support fully delineates that the word "day" means 24-hours. The Nature of God HimselfWith respect to creation , of all the definitions of the nature of God the two primary characteristics that allowed God to do in six 24-hour days the impossible are the characteristics of OMNIPOTENCE and TRANCENDENCE. - TRANSCENDENCE - God transcends that which He created, i. e. , He "goes beyond" that which He created, He is not limited to, He is not bound by that which He created (www. godonthe. net). God's nature and power is wholly independent of (and removed from) the material universe in which we live and in which the Laws of Nature abide (www. wikipedia. com). Given God's transcendence over the laws of nature, an adult immediately capable of reproduction can be fashioned out of clay; a sun can be created out of nothing; a tree full of fruit can appear; etc. .. That which is impossible over the lifespan of the entire human existence can occur in a nano-second (or immediately since God doesn't abide by time as understood by humans). God created time but is not bound by time. - OMNIPOTENCE - typically defined as "All Powerful". The creator of the universe, the One who always has been and will be, the one who has all power to do anything He chooses, even that which is logically impossible (www. wikipedia. com, et al. ). This characteristic essentially states that God is limitless and has the sole authority to create in the manner and under conditions determined by God himself. Further, given that God created man and knows of man's physical needs and limitations, a day/night structure was designed for our health and well being. Since it was God's ultimate plan to create man in the physical/material realm, prior to man inhabiting the earth day/night, air, water, plants and animals must be there prior to the arrival of man. Since man needed the differentiation between day/night over a 24-hour period, the 24-hour period must have been created first, as it is written in Genesis 1:4. Rebuttala) As stated above, God is transcendent meaning He is not bound by the concept of time. Further, God is Omnipotent meaning He has the authority to do what He chooses in the manner he chooses. Therefore, God has the authority and ability to create a plant/tree fully laden with seed or fruit without the process of growth over time. b) Re: Dinosaurs, man cannot prove that dinosaurs actually lived. We can only prove that their fossils exist. What man has seen a living dinosaur? Given God's transcendence and omnipotence, how can man know for a fact that God didn't create the fossils without allowing the dinosaurs to walk the earth? Re: "At last, here is one of my own kind," the term "At last" means in this case the pinnacle of His creation. When building a house, the foundation is set, frame constructed, roof installed, electrical and plumbing installed, interior and exterior finished and then "at last" it is complete. The second the final touches are complete, a feeling of accomplishment is then achieved. What we read is simply God commenting on his satisfaction of his total creation ending with the pinnacle of his accomplishment, man. "At last! " He states. Definition of time: Although Pro uses one of the defined term for "yom", he chose the least likely definition. Given that none of us were there for days 1-6, we must use the most likely definition using Hebrew texts as a guide. Only occasionally do historical Hebrew texts use definition c). "Without exception, in the Hebrew Old Testament the word yom is never used to refer to a definite long period of time with specific beginning and end points. Furthermore, it is important to note that even when the word yom is used in the indefinite sense, it is clearly indicated by the context that the literal meaning of the word day is not intended. " (www. godonthe. net). Given that creation definitely ended on day 6 (we are not currently experiencing creaton), the word yom in this case cannot mean a longer period of time than 24-hours. That is all for now. Over to you Pro.