September 3, 2000 Humble Messenger

"Days" of Creation = Ages? srf

Last Sunday evening's sermon presented evidence that the six "days" of creation in Genesis chapter one were days as we know them, normal solar days of about 24 hours. If you are missed the lesson and would like to have the information, you can download an article, "The Days of Creation," at the church's web site, that contains much of the material presented in the lesson. Go to http://www.kingwoodcable.com/colblip/humblechurchofchrist/.   In the search box type, "days of creation." You will then be given the choice to select a copy of the Humble Messenger where the article can be found.

However, some, even among brethren, have made arguments from Scripture in support of the "day-age" view. We will look at some of these.

Argument: Adam could not have named all the animals in a 24 hour day, Genesis 2:19-20.

Answer: There is much we can not know about this event. How did God bring the animals to Adam? What were the "names" he gave them? Did Adam give names to "kinds" or to species within kinds?

"All" and every" sometime are used, not mean every single one, but to all kinds of the things mentioned. For example, Gen. 24:10 says Abraham's servant departed with "all his master's goods" in his hand (NKJV). All--every single one? Left Abraham with nothing?! NASB reads, "with a variety of good things" and the NIV, "all kinds of good things." Acts 10:12 says that in Peter's vision, "there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air." NASB. Note that "kinds of" is in italics because there is no word for them in the original, though they not italicized by the KJV and NKJV. "Literally, all, but clearly all varieties, not all individuals. Both clean and unclean animals are in the sheet." Robertson's Word Pictures. Other examples: Acts 2:17, "all flesh" - i.e. "sons," "daughters," "young," "old" - regardless of sex or age; 2 Kings 8:9, "every good thing" (compare versions).

How long did it take? If he named ten kinds a minute (one every six seconds), he could have named 3,000 kinds in five hours. Naming "all kinds" would have served the purpose (see below). Is this what happened? We do not and can not know.
There are some things, however, we can know.

The purpose of this event was to impress on Adam there was no creature in the animal kingdom suitable as his companion: "but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him." (Contrast the order of creation in this chapter with the order of creation in chapter one. Birds were created on the 5th day, beasts and cattle on the 6th day, and man and woman on the 7th day--chapter one. But in chapter two the birds, beasts, and cattle exist before the woman. Chapter two is in order of thought to focus on the purpose of this event.

The second thing we can know is that the six days of creation were six normal days, not ages. See the evidence in the article referenced above. Adam, therefore, named the animals within the period of a normal day.

Argument: The seventh day has not ended. So, if it is an age of thousands of years, that justifies interpreting the other days in the same way. What is the evidence it hasn't ended? Three arguments follow.

#1 - Since there is no statement about the seventh day like the other days ("and there was evening and there was morning, the ____ day"), that means the seventh day has not ended. God is still "resting."

Answer to #1: The statement at the end of the other six days puts the creative work done on each respective day in a definite time frame. It may be that since nothing was done on the seventh day, the Holy Spirit saw no need to "frame" the day with an ending statement. There was no work following on an eighth day to be distinguished from the seventh as with the other days. Whether that be the reason or not, the fact is that Exodus 20:8-11, where the focus is the seventh day, clearly conveys the meaning of a normal day (see this point in the article referenced above). See also Ex. 31:12-17.

#2 - Heb. 4:1-9 teaches that God's Sabbath rest remains for us to enter. If His Sabbath from creating the world remains, the seventh day is not considered to have ended.

Answer to #2: Heb.4:1-9 does NOT say God is still in the seventh day of His rest from creation. It DOES say "God rested on the seventh day," v.4. It DOES talk about "His rest," i.e. one He promised - to Israel in the wilderness, 3:7-19, and one he promised to Christians, 4:1-11. It does NOT say that the 7th day, the day God rested, is continuing until now.

#3 - In Jn. 5:16-18 , Jesus argues that he can do some work on the Sabbath because God the Father works (through providence), though He is still observing his Sabbath (rest from creating new life - Gen. 2:2-3). If God is still observing that Sabbath, the seventh day is not considered to have ended.

Answer to #3: That God is working "though He is still observing his Sabbath," is not in the text. Nor is that assumption necessary to Jesus' argument. The Father was working on "the Sabbath" in question, and Jesus was claiming that same authority, "making himself equal with God."
Though God is no longer creating as He did on the first six days, it does not change the fact that the text says he began his "rest" on the "seventh day," and that Moses defined what he meant by "day" in chapter one and in Exodus (See the "Days of Creation" article for supporting data.).

NEWS
Judy Munday is home and doing well under the circumstances after the surgery. The tumor was classified as "fast-growing" and they were unable to get it all. She will begin radiation on Tuesday for a period of five weeks, and then will receive chemotherapy after that. . . . Victoria Dickson's mother is not doing well . . . Zelma Bobbitt's daughter has been having biopsies to monitor her for cancer . . . Need ideas for a sermon or a class? Go to http://ebible.ws/ . . . If you would like to work the Ecclesiastes lessons on your computer, you can download a copy from the church's web site . . . Classes for the new quarter begin today . . . Wednesday morning class begins September 13, 10:00 A.M. . . . Visitation group one will meet briefly after evening assembly . . . Due to scheduling problems, the men's training class will be postponed until October . . . Zelma Bobbitt needs a ride this evening. Can you help?

Transportation for Zelma Bobbitt
SEPTEMBER
Sun. 3 pm
Wed. 6 pm Lauren
Sun. 10 pm Legg
Wed. 13 pm WLO
Sun. 17 pm
Wed. 20 pm WLO
Sun. 24 pm
Wed. 27 pm Rocky

Wednesday Evening Close
Sep 6 Doug Bernard
Sep 13 Johnathan Bernard
Sep 20 Jeff Bogs
Sep 27 John Cannon

SCHEDULED TO SERVE

Lord's Table, AM & PM
Bread: Jeff Bogs
Fruit of the Vine: Doug Bernard
Contribution: John Cannon
Assistant: Verlan Wilson
If you are a scheduled song leader but know you will be unavailable, please notify Jim Crain.
If you are scheduled to serve in any other capacity but cannot serve as scheduled, please notify Doug Bernard.