Information Related to "Answers from Genesis -- Part 3"
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We continue with general questions about the book of Genesis. Here are the answers as we best understand them in light of the Bible.
Some contend that each of the days of creation in Genesis 1 represented
a long span of time. Yet consider that fruit-bearing plants were created
on the third day while insects to pollinate them were not created until
a few days later. If these were millions of years apart, the plants would
not have survived.
Note that the Bible is quite clear about how long each day was: "So the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5). How long is the daylight portion of a day? Jesus Christ Himself, contrasting day and night, said, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" (John 11:9, emphasis added throughout). There are also 12 hours in the night, for a total of 24.
There are, however, places in the Bible where "day" can symbolically mean an extended period of time, such as the "day of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 5:2), or the "day" when God created all things (Genesis 2:4). But anytime in Scripture when the term day is preceded by a numeral, it always means a literal day of the week.
So evening and morning clearly mean a full rotation of the earth, or a 24-hour period. Besides, Genesis 2:2 mentions the fact that God rested on the seventh day and sanctified that portion of time. This is enshrined in the Fourth Commandment, which requires resting on the seventh day of each week (the Sabbath) as a memorial of God's creative activities on the previous six days of creation week—and it obviously refers to a 24-hour period (see Exodus 20:8-11).
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "Answers from Genesis -- Part 3"
Other Articles by Mario Seiglie
Adam and Eve: