╨╧рб▒с>■  57■   4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                ье┴s ┐сjbjb└ └ "6кkкkс      ]╪╪╪╪╪╪╪ ($*````````╘╓╓╓╓╓╓,AЇ5l╪``````╪╪```````╪`╪`╘ь╪╪╪╪`╘`t`╘╪╪╘LДnr╢`╘C.I.M. OUTLINE #5 THE "DAYS" OF GENESIS ONE ELEVEN REASONS WHY THEY ARE LITERAL DAYS THE PROBLEM: The interpretation of the "days" of Genesis One became a serious problem when the scientific establishment inaugurated the view that the earth was billions of years old. Think about it! If we put all scientific knowledge aside, using only the normal rules of interpretation, how would you interpret the "days" of Genesis One? It is interesting that the liberal commentators who reject the Bible as inspired and therefore have nothing to lose, are almost unanimous that the "days" of Genesis One are normal days. Now the Hebrew word for "day" ("yom") can be used of a long period of time, i.e. an era. "Day of the Lord". However, for the following reasons it seems compelling to interpret "day" in Genesis One as a normal 24 hour day (or whatever it was in those days, but nevertheless a solar day). 1. There is no indication in the text or context that metaphorical or symbolical language is being used. 2. The Hebrew word "yom" occurs more than 2200 times in the OT and 95% of the time it refers to a literal, solar day. 3. When the word is accompanied by a numeral (200 times in OT) it always means a literal day. 4. When the plural form ("yamim") is used it always refers to literal days. It occurs 700 times in the OT. "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day." Ex. 20:11. This verse alone should end all argument! See also Exodus 31:17. 5. In the Old Testament when the word "day" is used in a numbered series, it always has reference to a normal day. See Numbers 29. 6. The qualifying phrase "evening and morning" almost assuredly limits the days of Gen. 1 to solar days. With this language the author seems to be going the extra mile to qualify what he means. The author is talking about the normal interchange of light and darkness. 7. If the days are long periods of time then logic insists that the nights be long periods as well. 8. If a day is long period of time in Gen. 1 it makes the celebration of Sabbath an absurdity. It does not say God is (still) resting on the 7th day. 9. Since the word "days" in Genesis 1:14 is linked with the word "years," it is quite obvious that our well-known units of time are being referred to. If not, the term "years" would be meaningless. 10. There is a good Hebrew term meaning a period of time that Moses could have used if this were his intent ("olam"). 11. Even if "days" are translated as long periods of time they are in hopeless conflict with the geological time column and the evolutionary scheme. NOTE: The objection is often raised that if we interpret the "days" as literal days then we have a serious problem in that we have light before the sun was created on the 4th day. This was certainly not a problem for the original readers who believed that the ultimate source of light was other than the heavenly bodies. See Isa. 60: 19-20 and Ps. 104:2. One should not second-guess what is believed possible for God to do in the early hours of creation. Despite what many of us are taught in the schools there are serious problems with the theories that the planets in our solar system came from the sun. For a discussion of these see THE EARLY EARTH, by John Whitcomb, pp.57-74. One must also remember that when seeking the meaning of the Genesis account one must try to ascertain when Genesis was written, to whom it was written and why. Moses wrote the book just before the Children of Israel were about to enter into the promised land. The book was written to teach the people the truth about origins because the people already inhabiting the land were steeped in the pagan myths about creation. One of the most popular of these myths was that we all descended from the sun. Hence the sun was an all-important deity to the Canaanites. What better way for God to shatter this myth than to reveal to His people that the earth was created before the sun! Christian Information Ministries is a non-profit ministry and is dependent on gifts from God's people in order to operate. If you receive a benefit from our materials would you consider giving a tax-deductible gift to CIM. We suggest $25. a year minimum. Send to: Christian Information Ministries 2050 N. Collins Blvd. #100 Richardson, TX 75080  сBCxyz╕є3t╡Ї5vЛС═ LН▓│ъ!"bЭ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤BCxyz╕є3t╡Ї5vЛС═ LН▓│ъ!"bЭЮ▐  A t | ╗ ў   ] ^ Ш ╫ ы ь - n о ф L s t о Ў   S Р ╧ т у !]^ЮрFЗ╟C~└■<}╝№;z╖ў3oпё/abdfиы-l¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤dЭЮ▐  A t | ╗ ў   ] ^ Ш ╫ ы ь - n о ф L s t о Ў  ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤  S Р ╧ т у !]^ЮрFЗ╟C~└■<}╝№;z╖ў¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ў3oпё/abdfиы-lШ╛▀с¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤lШ╛▀с¤¤¤¤ РА░╨/ ░р=!░'"░'#РЁ$Р&%░ [4@ё 4NormalCJOJPJQJmH <A@Є б<Default Paragraph Font4Z@Є4 Plain Text CJOJQJс6          Р с?сЭ ўсlс  David M. 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