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Question: Are the 7 days when God created the earth the same as our
days? 

1. The caller no doubt has reference to the "Day-Age" Theory which
states that the 6 creation days of Genesis 1 were not days, but
rather long ages or eons, possible millions of years long.

2. We know the days of Gen. 1 are literal 24-hour days because the
word day is defined in the context of the passage: Gen. 1:5--"And
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the
evening and the morning were the first day." Day is here defined as
the light period in the regular succession of light and darkness,
which, as the earth rotates on its axis, as continued ever since. 
1:14--"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven
to divide the day from the night: and let them be for signs, and
for seasons, and for days and years." This verse clearly
distinguishes days from years and seasons. If the days were not
days, but were ages involving millions of years, then what were the
years? Unless we are willing to take a passage in its context, and
let Scripture interpret Scripture, we will be hopelessly confused.

3. The fact that the days of Gen. 1 are 24 hour periods is
consistent not only with the context of Gen. 1, but with the rest
of the Old Testament as well. The word day, when modified by the
numerical adjective, can only be taken to mean a period of 24
hours.

4. Further, the Hebrew phrase translated "evening and morning"
occurs over 100X in OT with the word Day. Each time it refers to a
literal 24 hour day.

5. If one holds to the day-age theory, there are many problems for
which there are no answers. For example, on Day Three, the
vegetation and plant life appeared. But if the day was a geologic
age, then half of that age was darkness. How could plant life
survive for millions of years in total darkness? This must
necessarily be the case since the text clearly states that these
days consisted of periods of evening and morning.

6. The Sabbath command in Ex. 20:8-11 can be understood only when
the days of the creation week are considered to be 24-hour days. In
Ex.20:9,11: "Six days shall thou labor, and do all thy work...For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is." No one would think that they were to work for 6 eons
and then rest on the seventh eon.

7. Perhaps the most damaging statement from the Day-Age theory
comes from Jesus teaching in Mark 10:4--"But from the beginning of
the creation, Male and female made he them." In other words, God
made man and woman "from the beginning of the creation. But this
could not be if the Day-Age theory were true, because it places
man, not at the beginning of creation, but at the end of millions
or billions of geologic time.  If we believe Jesus to be the divine
Son of God, we must believe what He believed.  Only reason for not
taking text as it reads: to fit in speculations of evolutionists.
(Source consulted:Reason & Revelation)

If you have corrections, questions, comments or suggestions about these questions and answers, please contact Leon Mauldin directly at [email protected]

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