TThe Six Days of Creation Debate
Part 1
Part 1
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As some of my readers will know, for literally centuries now, a great controversy has raged amongst both theologians and regular laymen regarding the proper interpretation of the events which are described for us in the opening verses of Genesis chapter one. In particular, one debate concerns the actual meaning of the word "day". I first addressed this issue quite a number of years ago in my 1997 article called "Adaptation, EVILution and the Six Days of Genesis".
However, due to an incident which recently occurred, I felt it would be a good idea to write a new article in which I focus specifically on the meaning of the word "day" in the aforementioned Bible verses. As I was scrolling through my news feed on Facebook, I came upon a post where a certain Christian brother was sharing his understanding regarding the age of the Earth. Upon reading his explanation, I felt compelled to say something to him.
If you have taken the time to read my article entitled "The Earth is Under Seven Thousand Years Old!", then you will already know that similar to a substantial number of other Bible-believing Christians, and in fact similar to the Jews -- although Jews differ by a few hundred years -- I believe and am personally convinced that the age of the Earth hovers within a few decades of being approximately six thousand years old.
At this current time -- March 30, 2025 -- I have estimated the Earth's age to be 6,036 to 6,060 years old depending on certain factors. If you are interested in learning exactly how I calculated this particular age, then please consider reading the aforementioned article. It's full of a plethora of supporting Bible references.
Regard the Christian brother I mentioned, in the beginning of his post, he at first seemed to be in agreement with and acknowledged the 6,000 years figure, and he even wrote "I see a lot of posts talking about the Earth is 6,000 years old according to the Bible." Notice in particular that he said "according to the Bible," thus suggesting that he in fact agrees with the Biblical genealogical record.
However, only a few sentences later, sadly he went off on a major tangent, and he totally contradicted what he had just written. The way in which he did this was in the following manner. The very first step in his contorted process was to quote from 2 Peter 3:8 to his readers, which states the following:
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
As I will explain in a moment, this was his first mistake. However, it was actually with his second and third mistakes where he really deviated from the Scriptural truth. For no apparent reason, this fellow multiplied 6,000 x 365 due to the obvious fact that there are 365 days in a year. However, as I mentioned earlier -- aside from the fact that there is nothing in the Bible which says to multiply 6,000 by 365 -- this was a mistake because the approximate age of the Earth is NOT based on 365-day years. In reality, it is based on a Biblical or Jewish year, which consists of 360 days. So even if we were to accept his unexplainable, crazy calculations, it was evident to me that the guy was ALREADY way off course.
Thus, with his first calculation, this brother arrived at the age of the Earth being 2,190,000 days old, based on the Earth being exactly 6,000 years old, which again, is just a close approximation. This is where his personal understanding of 2 Peter 3:8 entered the picture. Again, based on his misguided understanding of this verse, which to him meant that one day equals a thousand years, he multiplied 2,190,000 days x 1,000 years to arrive at 219,000,000 years. In fact, on his page he even states the following:
----- Begin Quote -----
Now if you take the number of days times 1,000 you get 219 million years.
God's worked miracles from the beginning. Science just shows us how he did it.
Oh and just to let y'all know, I didn't figure this out, I asked God and he showed me.
----- End Quote -----
My friends, aside from his very obvious deceived mental state where he foolishly claims that it was God who showed him how to do the previous misguided and unscriptural calculation, do you by any chance notice anything that's very wrong with what this man wrote? I will just tell you. 2,190,000 days x 1,000 years doesn't equate to 219 million years. It actually equals 2 billion 190 million years.
Of course, in reality, it does not matter which of those two figures one chooses to accept, because they are still BOTH wrong. As I told my friend -- even though he did not like to hear it one single bit -- everything he did was just silly, personal conjecture and crazy speculation with absolutely no basis in reality whatsoever. It was pure imaginary guesswork. Quite frankly, my friends, it was simply ridiculous.
As I asked my friend, let me ask you, my online readers, the very same questions. With what right and authority can any of us make such equations? With what right and authority can any of us try to twist the meaning of what is so plainly stated in the Scriptures? As I told my friend, it is very foolish to dare to tamper with God's Word in order to make it say what we want it to say, so that our minds are better able to grasp it. As some of my readers will probably know, in that very same chapter, and only eight verses later, the Apostle Peter referred to this practice of trying to reinterpret verses as wresting [twisting, perverting, distorting] the Scriptures to their own destruction, as we see here:
"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
As you can plainly see, the Apostle Peter obviously viewed the intentional perversion of God's Word as a very serious matter. Thus he concludes the verse by writing "unto their own destruction." My dear friends, clearly, Peter's words should be a stark warning to all of us to NOT tamper with God's Word. We need to respect it and accept it exactly as it is written, unless there is some serious and compelling reason to doubt a particular translation.
In other words, while we should definitely trust God's Word in the original languages, as I explain in my series called "Is the KJV Bible the Inerrant Word of God?", that may not necessarily always be the case with regard to translations into our modern languages. Sometimes serious errors, and even intentional omissions, do creep in.
At any rate, we find a very similar warning at the end of the Book of Revelation as well. Consider the following two verses, taking particular note of how the warning is not just to those people who try to add to God's Word, it is also to anyone who would dare try to take away from it as well. So this warning certainly applies to a number of the modern translations where entire verses have been removed, and not just a few:
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Returning to my friend, sadly, that is not only what he did, but it is precisely what many other Christians do today as well. You see, in his timeline post, my friend mentioned the fact that he does not like the fact that the Holy Scriptures and modern science don't agree with each other when it comes to the true age of the Earth. He remarked that it results in confusion.
While I did not tell my friend this, the truth of the matter is that the ONLY real reason why such a contradiction would ever cause confusion in his mind, is because he is believing more in the words of mere men than in the Word of God. Wow! If any Christian possesses utmost faith in the Bible being the inspired Word of God, then there should be no confusion. It is only when doubts regarding the validity of God's Word creep in, that confusion creeps in as well. So think about that!
But that is not all. There is another angle which is likewise directly related to this issue. Do you know what it is? I am sure I have mentioned it in some of my previous articles. My friends, it is shame. You see, certain weak Christians are actually ashamed of God's Word. As such, they will even try to tone down or hide their belief in God's Word, because they are ashamed, and it embarrasses them, because so many things in God's Word are contrary to, and are diametrically opposed to, the way that the secular world thinks and believes. This is particularly true in the area of science.
Let's be honest about this, my friends. In the world there is a tremendous amount of pressure to conform, and to fit into the accepted mold. Think of your Christian school-aged children. I am sure that some of you parents know exactly what I am referring to. This is in fact something which I personally went through a number of decades ago when my own child was in elementary school.
In school, they are told that they must believe in evolution in order to pass a certain grade. It is repeatedly pounded into your children that the Universe is billions of years old. They must agree that we humans came from protozoans and apes, and so much other nonsense. On top of it all, there are other mean, worldly children who go along with the party line, who will tease and make fun of and bully your children because they believe differently and act differently. It is a tough battle to fight for young children!
Meanwhile, back at home, your children are taught the exact opposite if their parents are truly responsible Christian parents. In Christian homes we have very different beliefs, different morals, a different dress code, etc. So whether one is a child or an adult, it can be really difficult to survive in this modern world when one is truly a dedicated Christian. There are only two choices regarding this matter. Either one learns to endure hardness as a soldier of Jesus Christ, or else they will eventually crack under shame and personal embarrassment. Consider the following group of sample Bible verses which discuss this issue:
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."
"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
"Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
Returning to my Facebook friend, and other Christians who are confused, ashamed of, or embarrassed by God's Word, what do some of them end up doing? Well, in some cases they look for a loophole and a way to get around what God's Word says, so that they don't feel so uncomfortable. While my friend may not ever admit it to himself, I suspect that this is exactly what he did.
As I mentioned earlier, he was very bothered by the conflict which exists between the Holy Scriptures and modern science, particularly when it came to the age of the Earth, because it caused him confusion. So what did he do? Well, he did his little mathematical trickery -- if you want to even call it that -- and he "magically" transformed the Biblical 6,000 years into millions and billions of years. He in fact found his supposed loophole which made him a lot more comfortable. If you doubt that this is so, let me remind you again of exactly what he wrote:
----- Begin Quote -----
God's worked miracles from the beginning. Science just shows us how he did it.
Oh and just to let y'all know, I didn't figure this out, I asked God and he showed me.
----- End Quote -----
You see. He found the deception that he needed to remove his discomfort. The sad thing is, as I have mentioned before, if we don't have the faith to simply believe God's Word for what it says, and if we want to be deceived, then sometimes God will not only allow us to be deceived, but He'll choose our delusion for us. If you doubt that this is so, then consider the following eye-opening Bible verses:
"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
". . . because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
"And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."
To continue, do you understand what my friend is basically saying there? If not, the spirit of it is basically this: "Look folks! I found a solution! There's really no conflict between God's Word and modern science! I just had to find the right equation!" Sadly, my friend is now so deceived that he has even convinced himself that God revealed this mathematical "truth" to him. However, in reality, what he has actually done is placed man's word over God's Word.
But perhaps the craziest part of my experience with him is how he outright contradicted himself. As I mentioned earlier in this article, my friend started out at the very beginning of his post by readily acknowledging that the Scriptures say that the Earth is about 6,000 years old. However, after he had performed all of his not-so-fancy math, he had convinced himself that the Earth is supposedly 219 million years old, and not 6,000 years old according to Biblical genealogical records.
As I mentioned earlier, sadly, this Facebook friend did not accept a single word which I had to say to him. Instead, he in fact put up a rather stiff wall of resistance and accused me of "blasting" him, and not respecting Romans 14 where the Apostle Paul writes "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." But rather than just give up on him, I decided to push a little more to see where it would lead.
Thus, I explained to him that the reason why I had "blasted" him -- as he had put it -- is simply because he had outright contradicted what is plainly stated in the Holy Scriptures regarding the age of the Earth, based on the genealogical record and other Biblical events. I likewise informed him that I had offered him correction because he had foolishly claimed that God had given him the information, when it is very doubtful that He did. I also reminded my friend that God does not contradict His own Word.
In addition to all of the above, I further explained to him that, tragically, besides being terribly deceived by his own mind, what he apparently did not realize is that by sharing that false information publicly on his timeline, he was in fact deceiving other people as well. THAT was in fact my greatest concern. It is one thing to be deceived ourselves. It is quite another when we begin deceiving other people too by publicly sharing our false information. God does NOT take it very lightly. As I mention in another recent article, if we are not careful, we can in fact become the Devil's very Agents of Deception. Consider the following sample verses:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him . . . For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."
As I continued to converse with my friend, I really tried to maintain a soft but firm tone as I wrote to him. I also told him that while he accused me of "blasting" him, the truth of the matter is that if I did not care, then I would have kept my mouth shut, and just let him continue on in his personal deception. However, the Holy Scriptures remind us of the following truth:
"Open rebuke is better than secret love."
It was at that point in our conversation that I recalled an incident which is found in the Book of Acts. As some of my readers may know, in Acts chapter 18, while a brother named Apollos was preaching publicly, a nearby Christian couple by the names of Aquila and Priscilla discerned that Apollos' doctrine wasn't exactly correct -- or perhaps we could say up-to-date -- because Apollos only knew the baptism of John. Thus, Aquila and Priscilla took time to correct Apollos, as we see by the following group of Bible verses:
"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
So as I explained to my friend, Aquila and Priscilla could have just kept their mouths shut and been on their way, just as my friend wanted me to do. However, they did not do that, did they? They were more concerned with making certain that Apollos was preaching proper doctrine, because what he was preaching would affect the lives of other people as well.
In similar fashion, I told my friend that I hadn't done any differently for him than what Aquila and Priscilla had done with Apollos. As you will see momentarily, the truth of the matter is that I took my time to share Bible verses with my friend, and provide him with multiple examples so that he could better understand why he was wrong.
I didn't resort to yelling at him. I didn't call him names. I didn't attack him. I simply shared Scriptures with him which revealed the error in his current thinking. However, despite my soft approach, instead of humbly accepting the correction, due to his pride, he got offended and all huffy with the attitude "I hear from God, and I don't care what you or anyone else thinks!" My friends, as shocking as it may be, that is exactly what he said. I told him that was just his pride speaking; but of course, that didn't help, because his heart was already too callous and unreceptive to Scriptural truth.
Regarding what he had said concerning respecting Romans 14, I informed him that he was free to believe as he wished, and to be persuaded in his own mind exactly as the Apostle Paul had written. However, I also reminded him that when someone begins to share false information publicly as he was doing, which will deceive others as well, that is when it becomes necessary for someone to step in and address the issue. In this particular case, it just happened to be me.
Now for those of my friends who are reading this article who also struggle with the Six Days of Creation, and who have a hard time understanding it, or perhaps defending it against the naysayers, I am now going to share with you the very same information which I shared with my friend. While this information may not necessarily persuade any of your hard, non-believing friends any more than it persuaded my friend who is already a Christian, at the very least, I am hoping that it will strengthen your personal faith, so that you may be able to endure any trials which may come your way as a result of this particular topic.
So, first things first. If the Book of Genesis says a day, then as Bible-believing Christians, we simply need to accept by faith that it really means a literal day, even if it is difficult for our logical minds to grasp. After all, what right do any of us have to intentionally try to limit God's power and what He is able to do? Obviously none. So if we are plainly told that He created everything in six literal days, then it is simply our Christian duty to accept it, no questions asked. Again, that is what faith is all about.
However, I am not so cruel as to just leave you with that. Thus, I am now going to provide you with some Scriptural fuel to pump up the level of your faith. To begin with, in case you were not aware of it, in two indirect ways, even Moses and Jesus confirmed that the Six Days which we find mentioned in Genesis are six very literal days. You need to understand that failure to recognize a day as a literal day throughout the Scriptures, can very quickly result in total confusion. So let us begin by considering what Moses had to say in the following verses which are found in the Book of Exodus:
"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
Now, it should be rather obvious to you that Moses is quite clearly talking about six literal days in the previous set of verses. Or do you really think that he is talking about literal days with regard to the six-day work week and the sabbath, and then suddenly for some inexplicable reason he switches to meaning thousands or millions of years when he mentions the Six Days of Creation? It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
Do you think that the Israelites would have even grasped it? I mean, does it make any sense to you that Moses would be telling the Israelites that they had to rest for thousands or millions of years? Of course not! It would be ridiculous! So we have a solid example here where the six-day work week and the Six Days of Creation are both mentioned right next to each other. Therefore, the word "day" must mean the same thing in every case. Do you agree?
Now if you have any doubt that a literal day is what is meant to be understood in the previous verses, then let's allow Jesus to clear it up for us. In the Gospel of John, when speaking of the daylight hours, as opposed to the nighttime hours, notice what the Lord very clearly says in John chapter eleven:
"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him."
Do you see that? It should be evident to you that Jesus is clearly contrasting the twelve daytime hours with the twelve nighttime hours, which equates to what? One 24-hour day. And there you have it. Those two verses should be our guideline for how we understand the word "day" throughout the Bible. Jesus himself told us what length of time a day represents throughout the Scriptures.
Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.
⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .
Bill Kochman
Published On :
March 4, 2025
Last Updated :
March 30, 2025
Centuries-Long Six Days Of Creation Debate, Earth Is About Six Thousand Years Old According To The Scriptures, A Very Misguided Christian Brother, His Improper Interpretation Of 2 Peter 3:8, Crazy Made-Up Theory, Wrest The Scriptures: Do Not Dare Tamper With God's Word, Firm Warning In Revelation, Conflict Between Genesis Account And Modern Science, When We Doubt God's Word Confusion Results, Ashamed And Embarrassed Of Biblical Truth, Pressure To Conform To The World, School Battles, The World's Standard Versus Christian Home Standard, Endure Hardness As A Good Soldier, Looking For A Loophole, God Will Send Delusion If We Desire It, Be Fully Persuaded In Your Own Mind, God Does Not Contradict His Own Word, Don't Become An Agent Of Deception, Aquila And Priscilla: Christian Duty To Correct Doctrinal Error, When Pride Speaks, Accept A Day Is A Literal Day In The Bible, Example: Six-Day Work Week And The Sabbath, Example: Jesus Said Daylight Equals 12 Hours
As some of my readers will know, for literally centuries now, a great controversy has raged amongst both theologians and regular laymen regarding the proper interpretation of the events which are described for us in the opening verses of Genesis chapter one. In particular, one debate concerns the actual meaning of the word "day". I first addressed this issue quite a number of years ago in my 1997 article called "Adaptation, EVILution and the Six Days of Genesis".
However, due to an incident which recently occurred, I felt it would be a good idea to write a new article in which I focus specifically on the meaning of the word "day" in the aforementioned Bible verses. As I was scrolling through my news feed on Facebook, I came upon a post where a certain Christian brother was sharing his understanding regarding the age of the Earth. Upon reading his explanation, I felt compelled to say something to him.
If you have taken the time to read my article entitled "The Earth is Under Seven Thousand Years Old!", then you will already know that similar to a substantial number of other Bible-believing Christians, and in fact similar to the Jews -- although Jews differ by a few hundred years -- I believe and am personally convinced that the age of the Earth hovers within a few decades of being approximately six thousand years old.
At this current time -- March 30, 2025 -- I have estimated the Earth's age to be 6,036 to 6,060 years old depending on certain factors. If you are interested in learning exactly how I calculated this particular age, then please consider reading the aforementioned article. It's full of a plethora of supporting Bible references.
Regard the Christian brother I mentioned, in the beginning of his post, he at first seemed to be in agreement with and acknowledged the 6,000 years figure, and he even wrote "I see a lot of posts talking about the Earth is 6,000 years old according to the Bible." Notice in particular that he said "according to the Bible," thus suggesting that he in fact agrees with the Biblical genealogical record.
However, only a few sentences later, sadly he went off on a major tangent, and he totally contradicted what he had just written. The way in which he did this was in the following manner. The very first step in his contorted process was to quote from 2 Peter 3:8 to his readers, which states the following:
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
2 Peter 3:8, KJV
As I will explain in a moment, this was his first mistake. However, it was actually with his second and third mistakes where he really deviated from the Scriptural truth. For no apparent reason, this fellow multiplied 6,000 x 365 due to the obvious fact that there are 365 days in a year. However, as I mentioned earlier -- aside from the fact that there is nothing in the Bible which says to multiply 6,000 by 365 -- this was a mistake because the approximate age of the Earth is NOT based on 365-day years. In reality, it is based on a Biblical or Jewish year, which consists of 360 days. So even if we were to accept his unexplainable, crazy calculations, it was evident to me that the guy was ALREADY way off course.
Thus, with his first calculation, this brother arrived at the age of the Earth being 2,190,000 days old, based on the Earth being exactly 6,000 years old, which again, is just a close approximation. This is where his personal understanding of 2 Peter 3:8 entered the picture. Again, based on his misguided understanding of this verse, which to him meant that one day equals a thousand years, he multiplied 2,190,000 days x 1,000 years to arrive at 219,000,000 years. In fact, on his page he even states the following:
----- Begin Quote -----
Now if you take the number of days times 1,000 you get 219 million years.
God's worked miracles from the beginning. Science just shows us how he did it.
Oh and just to let y'all know, I didn't figure this out, I asked God and he showed me.
----- End Quote -----
My friends, aside from his very obvious deceived mental state where he foolishly claims that it was God who showed him how to do the previous misguided and unscriptural calculation, do you by any chance notice anything that's very wrong with what this man wrote? I will just tell you. 2,190,000 days x 1,000 years doesn't equate to 219 million years. It actually equals 2 billion 190 million years.
Of course, in reality, it does not matter which of those two figures one chooses to accept, because they are still BOTH wrong. As I told my friend -- even though he did not like to hear it one single bit -- everything he did was just silly, personal conjecture and crazy speculation with absolutely no basis in reality whatsoever. It was pure imaginary guesswork. Quite frankly, my friends, it was simply ridiculous.
As I asked my friend, let me ask you, my online readers, the very same questions. With what right and authority can any of us make such equations? With what right and authority can any of us try to twist the meaning of what is so plainly stated in the Scriptures? As I told my friend, it is very foolish to dare to tamper with God's Word in order to make it say what we want it to say, so that our minds are better able to grasp it. As some of my readers will probably know, in that very same chapter, and only eight verses later, the Apostle Peter referred to this practice of trying to reinterpret verses as wresting [twisting, perverting, distorting] the Scriptures to their own destruction, as we see here:
"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
2 Peter 3:16, KJV
As you can plainly see, the Apostle Peter obviously viewed the intentional perversion of God's Word as a very serious matter. Thus he concludes the verse by writing "unto their own destruction." My dear friends, clearly, Peter's words should be a stark warning to all of us to NOT tamper with God's Word. We need to respect it and accept it exactly as it is written, unless there is some serious and compelling reason to doubt a particular translation.
In other words, while we should definitely trust God's Word in the original languages, as I explain in my series called "Is the KJV Bible the Inerrant Word of God?", that may not necessarily always be the case with regard to translations into our modern languages. Sometimes serious errors, and even intentional omissions, do creep in.
At any rate, we find a very similar warning at the end of the Book of Revelation as well. Consider the following two verses, taking particular note of how the warning is not just to those people who try to add to God's Word, it is also to anyone who would dare try to take away from it as well. So this warning certainly applies to a number of the modern translations where entire verses have been removed, and not just a few:
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
Revelation 22:18-19, KJV
Returning to my friend, sadly, that is not only what he did, but it is precisely what many other Christians do today as well. You see, in his timeline post, my friend mentioned the fact that he does not like the fact that the Holy Scriptures and modern science don't agree with each other when it comes to the true age of the Earth. He remarked that it results in confusion.
While I did not tell my friend this, the truth of the matter is that the ONLY real reason why such a contradiction would ever cause confusion in his mind, is because he is believing more in the words of mere men than in the Word of God. Wow! If any Christian possesses utmost faith in the Bible being the inspired Word of God, then there should be no confusion. It is only when doubts regarding the validity of God's Word creep in, that confusion creeps in as well. So think about that!
But that is not all. There is another angle which is likewise directly related to this issue. Do you know what it is? I am sure I have mentioned it in some of my previous articles. My friends, it is shame. You see, certain weak Christians are actually ashamed of God's Word. As such, they will even try to tone down or hide their belief in God's Word, because they are ashamed, and it embarrasses them, because so many things in God's Word are contrary to, and are diametrically opposed to, the way that the secular world thinks and believes. This is particularly true in the area of science.
Let's be honest about this, my friends. In the world there is a tremendous amount of pressure to conform, and to fit into the accepted mold. Think of your Christian school-aged children. I am sure that some of you parents know exactly what I am referring to. This is in fact something which I personally went through a number of decades ago when my own child was in elementary school.
In school, they are told that they must believe in evolution in order to pass a certain grade. It is repeatedly pounded into your children that the Universe is billions of years old. They must agree that we humans came from protozoans and apes, and so much other nonsense. On top of it all, there are other mean, worldly children who go along with the party line, who will tease and make fun of and bully your children because they believe differently and act differently. It is a tough battle to fight for young children!
Meanwhile, back at home, your children are taught the exact opposite if their parents are truly responsible Christian parents. In Christian homes we have very different beliefs, different morals, a different dress code, etc. So whether one is a child or an adult, it can be really difficult to survive in this modern world when one is truly a dedicated Christian. There are only two choices regarding this matter. Either one learns to endure hardness as a soldier of Jesus Christ, or else they will eventually crack under shame and personal embarrassment. Consider the following group of sample Bible verses which discuss this issue:
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."
2 Timothy 2:3, KJV
"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
2 Timothy 4:5, KJV
"Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
James 5:10-11, KJV
"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13, KJV
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
Ephesians 6:10, KJV
"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 2:1, KJV
Returning to my Facebook friend, and other Christians who are confused, ashamed of, or embarrassed by God's Word, what do some of them end up doing? Well, in some cases they look for a loophole and a way to get around what God's Word says, so that they don't feel so uncomfortable. While my friend may not ever admit it to himself, I suspect that this is exactly what he did.
As I mentioned earlier, he was very bothered by the conflict which exists between the Holy Scriptures and modern science, particularly when it came to the age of the Earth, because it caused him confusion. So what did he do? Well, he did his little mathematical trickery -- if you want to even call it that -- and he "magically" transformed the Biblical 6,000 years into millions and billions of years. He in fact found his supposed loophole which made him a lot more comfortable. If you doubt that this is so, let me remind you again of exactly what he wrote:
----- Begin Quote -----
God's worked miracles from the beginning. Science just shows us how he did it.
Oh and just to let y'all know, I didn't figure this out, I asked God and he showed me.
----- End Quote -----
You see. He found the deception that he needed to remove his discomfort. The sad thing is, as I have mentioned before, if we don't have the faith to simply believe God's Word for what it says, and if we want to be deceived, then sometimes God will not only allow us to be deceived, but He'll choose our delusion for us. If you doubt that this is so, then consider the following eye-opening Bible verses:
"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
Isaiah 66:4, KJV
". . . because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
2 Thessalonians 2:10b-11, KJV
"And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD? And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace."
1 Kings 22:13-27, KJV
To continue, do you understand what my friend is basically saying there? If not, the spirit of it is basically this: "Look folks! I found a solution! There's really no conflict between God's Word and modern science! I just had to find the right equation!" Sadly, my friend is now so deceived that he has even convinced himself that God revealed this mathematical "truth" to him. However, in reality, what he has actually done is placed man's word over God's Word.
But perhaps the craziest part of my experience with him is how he outright contradicted himself. As I mentioned earlier in this article, my friend started out at the very beginning of his post by readily acknowledging that the Scriptures say that the Earth is about 6,000 years old. However, after he had performed all of his not-so-fancy math, he had convinced himself that the Earth is supposedly 219 million years old, and not 6,000 years old according to Biblical genealogical records.
As I mentioned earlier, sadly, this Facebook friend did not accept a single word which I had to say to him. Instead, he in fact put up a rather stiff wall of resistance and accused me of "blasting" him, and not respecting Romans 14 where the Apostle Paul writes "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." But rather than just give up on him, I decided to push a little more to see where it would lead.
Thus, I explained to him that the reason why I had "blasted" him -- as he had put it -- is simply because he had outright contradicted what is plainly stated in the Holy Scriptures regarding the age of the Earth, based on the genealogical record and other Biblical events. I likewise informed him that I had offered him correction because he had foolishly claimed that God had given him the information, when it is very doubtful that He did. I also reminded my friend that God does not contradict His own Word.
In addition to all of the above, I further explained to him that, tragically, besides being terribly deceived by his own mind, what he apparently did not realize is that by sharing that false information publicly on his timeline, he was in fact deceiving other people as well. THAT was in fact my greatest concern. It is one thing to be deceived ourselves. It is quite another when we begin deceiving other people too by publicly sharing our false information. God does NOT take it very lightly. As I mention in another recent article, if we are not careful, we can in fact become the Devil's very Agents of Deception. Consider the following sample verses:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
John 8:44, KJV
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
2 Timothy 3:13, KJV
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him . . . For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15, KJV
"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."
1 Corinthians 8:2, KJV
As I continued to converse with my friend, I really tried to maintain a soft but firm tone as I wrote to him. I also told him that while he accused me of "blasting" him, the truth of the matter is that if I did not care, then I would have kept my mouth shut, and just let him continue on in his personal deception. However, the Holy Scriptures remind us of the following truth:
"Open rebuke is better than secret love."
Proverbs 27:5, KJV
It was at that point in our conversation that I recalled an incident which is found in the Book of Acts. As some of my readers may know, in Acts chapter 18, while a brother named Apollos was preaching publicly, a nearby Christian couple by the names of Aquila and Priscilla discerned that Apollos' doctrine wasn't exactly correct -- or perhaps we could say up-to-date -- because Apollos only knew the baptism of John. Thus, Aquila and Priscilla took time to correct Apollos, as we see by the following group of Bible verses:
"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
Acts 18:24-26, KJV
So as I explained to my friend, Aquila and Priscilla could have just kept their mouths shut and been on their way, just as my friend wanted me to do. However, they did not do that, did they? They were more concerned with making certain that Apollos was preaching proper doctrine, because what he was preaching would affect the lives of other people as well.
In similar fashion, I told my friend that I hadn't done any differently for him than what Aquila and Priscilla had done with Apollos. As you will see momentarily, the truth of the matter is that I took my time to share Bible verses with my friend, and provide him with multiple examples so that he could better understand why he was wrong.
I didn't resort to yelling at him. I didn't call him names. I didn't attack him. I simply shared Scriptures with him which revealed the error in his current thinking. However, despite my soft approach, instead of humbly accepting the correction, due to his pride, he got offended and all huffy with the attitude "I hear from God, and I don't care what you or anyone else thinks!" My friends, as shocking as it may be, that is exactly what he said. I told him that was just his pride speaking; but of course, that didn't help, because his heart was already too callous and unreceptive to Scriptural truth.
Regarding what he had said concerning respecting Romans 14, I informed him that he was free to believe as he wished, and to be persuaded in his own mind exactly as the Apostle Paul had written. However, I also reminded him that when someone begins to share false information publicly as he was doing, which will deceive others as well, that is when it becomes necessary for someone to step in and address the issue. In this particular case, it just happened to be me.
Now for those of my friends who are reading this article who also struggle with the Six Days of Creation, and who have a hard time understanding it, or perhaps defending it against the naysayers, I am now going to share with you the very same information which I shared with my friend. While this information may not necessarily persuade any of your hard, non-believing friends any more than it persuaded my friend who is already a Christian, at the very least, I am hoping that it will strengthen your personal faith, so that you may be able to endure any trials which may come your way as a result of this particular topic.
So, first things first. If the Book of Genesis says a day, then as Bible-believing Christians, we simply need to accept by faith that it really means a literal day, even if it is difficult for our logical minds to grasp. After all, what right do any of us have to intentionally try to limit God's power and what He is able to do? Obviously none. So if we are plainly told that He created everything in six literal days, then it is simply our Christian duty to accept it, no questions asked. Again, that is what faith is all about.
However, I am not so cruel as to just leave you with that. Thus, I am now going to provide you with some Scriptural fuel to pump up the level of your faith. To begin with, in case you were not aware of it, in two indirect ways, even Moses and Jesus confirmed that the Six Days which we find mentioned in Genesis are six very literal days. You need to understand that failure to recognize a day as a literal day throughout the Scriptures, can very quickly result in total confusion. So let us begin by considering what Moses had to say in the following verses which are found in the Book of Exodus:
"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
Exodus 20:9-11, KJV
Now, it should be rather obvious to you that Moses is quite clearly talking about six literal days in the previous set of verses. Or do you really think that he is talking about literal days with regard to the six-day work week and the sabbath, and then suddenly for some inexplicable reason he switches to meaning thousands or millions of years when he mentions the Six Days of Creation? It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
Do you think that the Israelites would have even grasped it? I mean, does it make any sense to you that Moses would be telling the Israelites that they had to rest for thousands or millions of years? Of course not! It would be ridiculous! So we have a solid example here where the six-day work week and the Six Days of Creation are both mentioned right next to each other. Therefore, the word "day" must mean the same thing in every case. Do you agree?
Now if you have any doubt that a literal day is what is meant to be understood in the previous verses, then let's allow Jesus to clear it up for us. In the Gospel of John, when speaking of the daylight hours, as opposed to the nighttime hours, notice what the Lord very clearly says in John chapter eleven:
"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him."
John 11:9-10, KJV
Do you see that? It should be evident to you that Jesus is clearly contrasting the twelve daytime hours with the twelve nighttime hours, which equates to what? One 24-hour day. And there you have it. Those two verses should be our guideline for how we understand the word "day" throughout the Bible. Jesus himself told us what length of time a day represents throughout the Scriptures.
Please go to part two for the conclusion of this article.
⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .
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