THE DAY GOD …
Genesis 1
Hope of the Nations
WHY 6 DAYS?
Introduction to Genesis 1
Hope of the Nations
Class Notes:
What is a day?
What is a day?
What is a day?
Hebrew: Yom יום
After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. Genesis 5:4
And in the process of time (yom) it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Genesis 4:3
Couldn’t “Yom” in Genesis 1 be interpreted as long periods of time
(e.g., an era)?
2 Peter 3:8, "that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day"
What is a day in
Genesis 1?
vs. 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Time between vs. 1 and 2? The Bible doesn’t say.
vs. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Time between vs. 2 and 3? The Bible doesn’t say.
vs. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light” …
But the Bible does say how much time passes between the next verses.
What is a day in
Genesis 1?
vs. 5 "God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."
vs. 8 "So the evening and the morning were the second day."
vs. 13 "So the evening and the morning were the third day."
vs. 17 "God set them [the sun and moon] in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
vs. 23 "So the evening and the morning were the fifth day."
vs. 31 "So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Hermenutics�(The study of the methodological principles of interpretation of the Bible.)
Types of Interpretation
Hermeneutics�(The study of the methodological principles of interpretation of the Bible.)
Types of Interpretation
Rules of Interpretation
EISEGESIS
VS.
EXEGESIS
What is a day?
Genesis 1
vs. 5 "God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."
vs. 8 "So the evening and the morning were the second day."
vs. 13 "So the evening and the morning were the third day."
vs. 17 "God set them [the sun and moon] in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
vs. 23 "So the evening and the morning were the fifth day."
vs. 31 "So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
What is a day?
In the day of ox drawn carts, transportation was more challenging.
In the morning and evening of the sixth day of ox drawn carts, transportation was more challenging.
Every time in scripture when “yom” is given a number or is accompanied by the words “evening” or “morning”, the passage is interpreted as a literal day.
Except in one place … Genesis 1
What is the age of the earth?
Anthropic / Geologic Timeline from a Biblical Perspective
Approx. 6,000 Year World History
Creation
1 Week
Global Flood
1 Year
2,200 - 1,500 Years
Approx. 800 Years
Equilibrium Age
2,000 Years
🕆
Volcanic Activity
Sedimentation
Abundant Fossils
Rapid Tectonic Movement
Uplift
Drainage & Trapped Water
Continued Subduction
Volcanic Activity
Glaciation
Glacier Lakes
Catastrophic Dam Breaches
Dust Storms
Ending or Slow Down of Subduction
Lessening Volcanic Activity
Lessening of Glaciation
Drying of Glacial / Post-Flood Lakes
Moderating of Weather and Seasons
Few Fossils
Antediluvian Period
Approx. 1,600 Years
Ice Age
Mount Nyiragongo, DRC
Hayli Gubbi, Ethiopia
Eruptions
Mt. Vesuvius Eruption
Polar ice caps formed
Adam
Noah
Abraham
Job
Moses
David
Jesus
Creation
Pangea
Few Fossils
Minor sediment
Minor erosion
Undergnd water
Tower of Babel
Anthropic / Geologic Timeline from a Secular Perspective
What is the age of the earth?
Biblical 6,000-year age?
Secular 4.5-billion-year age?
Anthropic / Geologic Timeline
Compromise
EISEGESIS
VS.
EXEGESIS
Genesis 1
The rest of scripture
Why?
EISEGESIS
VS.
EXEGESIS
Genesis 1
The rest of scripture
Why?
Science!
sci·ence
Noun
1. the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
SCIENCE
sci·ence
Noun
1. the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
SCIENCE
SCIENCE
What do we observe?
Biblical vs. Secular?�What are the differences?
The starting point determines the ending point.
Belief | Purpose | Focus |
A belief in the origins of a world & universe excluding God will lead to observing the world & universe through naturalism. | The purpose of naturalism is to survive. | When we are surviving, we are interested in only ourself. |
A belief in the creation of the world & universe by God will lead to observing the world & universe through what God says about it in His Word, the Bible. | The purpose of creationism is to glorify God. | When we are glorifying God, we are interested in Him. |
No God
Know God
25 million years old
4,500 years old
Nubian Plate
Somalian Plate
East African Rift
Where do we come from?
No God
Know God
Romans 10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
FAITH
FAITH
SCIENCE
Romans 10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
FAITH
SCIENCE
Romans 10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
If the days in Genesis 1 are literal 24-hour days, why 6 days (144 hours), why did God not immediately create everything?
Was God limited in His power?
No, of course not!
He intentionally took 6 days.
If the days in Genesis 1 are literal 24-hour days, why 6 days (144 hours), why did God not immediately create everything?
He was building a home for the climax of His creation.
If the days in Genesis 1 are literal 24-hour days, why 6 days (144 hours), why did God not immediately create everything?
If it had all been created instantly, we would not know what was the climax of His creation.
If the days in Genesis 1 are literal 24-hour days, why 6 days (144 hours), why did God not immediately create everything?
The Day God Brought Light
The Day God Made Spacetime
The Day God Set the Stage
The Day God Made a Parenthetical Statement
The Day God Provided Bioinspiration
The Day God Breathed Life
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
Psalm 8:4-6
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
Psalm 8:4-6
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than Elohim, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.
Psalm 8:4-6
In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
You
are the reason God took 6 days to create the heavens and the earth.
THE DAY GOD …
An in depth look at the 7 days of the creation week
Hope of the Nations