* RSR's Lists of 24-Hour Indicators, and Gap Theory & Day Age Consequences: Below, see our list of Indicators of the 24-Hour Creation Days. Below that, Bob Enyart and Fred Williams, discuss the Gap Theory claim that the Bible indicates that a long period of time passed between the first two verses of Genesis. There they list the unexpected consequences that typically go along with acceptance of that alleged gap. They also briefly list the unexpected consequences of the Day Age Theory. The claim that the creation days were long periods of time has implications that are not always immediately obvious to those considering that position. (See that list immediately below this paragraph.) So, what isn't always presented upfront is that as supporters of the Gap or Day-Age theories try to maintain old-earth creation views, they then must rearrange the order of those days (since their theory requires the existence of the Sun before Day 4; etc.). Gap theorists also tend to reject that there were no thorns before Adam's sin, Noah's global flood, etc. Christian denominations, universities, and other organizations that adopt the Day-Age theory tend to reject all of that and even that the languages originated at Babel, and they tend to reject the Exodus, Jericho's supernatural fall, Joshua's conquest of Canaan, etc. For the vast majority of Christian groups that make what looks like just a small interpretative adjustment in Genesis 1, trying then to be consistent with that adjustment leads these Christian institutions to reject many seemingly unrelated and plain historical passages in Scripture. Further, accepting an old earth interpretation of the Bible appears to lead to disinterest in, and even outright rejection of, the many fascinating corroborating archaeological and scientific discoveries that affirm the Bible as God's Word.
* The Day-Age Theory Consequences: The initial presentation of Day-Age might seem reasonable, that the word "day" can mean a long age and so Genesis accommodates an old earth. What isn't always presented upfront however is that as supporters try to maintain the Day-Age theory, they not only lengthen the days but then also:
- must rearrange the order of those days (since their theory requires the existence of the Sun before the Earth; of birds after land animals, etc.)
- reject that there were no thorns before Adam (as Genesis states)
- reject that all was "very good" until sometime after Day Six
- reject that there was no death before Adam's fall (as the Bible states)
- reject the great ages that the antideluvians (like Methuselah) lived to
- reject the global flood (and all the evidence for it)
- reject that the languages originated at Babel
- reject the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
- reject the Exodus (and all the evidence for it)
- reject Jericho's fall (and all the evidence for it)
- reject Joshua's conquest of Canaan
- reject Jesus' genealogy in Luke
- reject Jesus affirming Noah entering the Ark before the flood destroyed the rest of the world
- reject that God made us male and female as stated in Genesis and by Jesus
- reject Jesus' statement in Mark 10:6 that God made manking at the "beginning" of creation
- reject Hebrews 1:10 and Gen. 1:1 on God making the Earth at "the beginning" of creation
- reject that God instituted marriage in Eden between one man and one woman
- etc. (for ex., they even reject the 2018 evidence that Solomon indeed made the gates found in Israel)
* Indicators of the 24-Hour Creation Days; The above (like the Gap Theory observations below) is a list of the consequences that result from rejecting normal-length days of creation. A direct way of showing that these Genesis Days equaled 24 hours include observing that:
- On Day Four the sun and moon were to rule over the day and night, virtually mandating literal days 4, 5, and 6
- The Day Three plants needed the Sun of Day Four to survive therefore Day 3 could be hours but not years long
- Each of the six Days have ordinals 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc., which are typically used with literal and not figurative days
- Each of the six Days have evening and morning descriptions typically used with literal and not figurative days
- The 7th Day sabbath model is that God made the heavens, earth, and seas and everything in them in six days
- The purpose of Genesis carefully listing the ages of the patriarchs was for calculating the years since creation
- Jesus said that God created Man at the beginning of, that is, not not long after, creation (Mk. 10:6; etc.)
- Lucifer in the Garden of Eden hadn't yet fallen, no suffering or thorns yet till after "everthing was very good" on Day Six
So it turns out that making a small adjustment in Genesis 1 and overlooking that "the evening and the morning" were the first day, the second day, etc., leads to extensive rejection of other plain historical passages of Scripture. Soon enough such compromise leads also to rejection of the Bible's teaching on gender and God making us male and female (Gen. 1), on sexual morality (Gen. 1, 9, Ex. 20, etc.), on marriage between a man and a woman (Gen. 2), and even the killing of the innocent (Gen. 4, 9, Ex. 20, etc.) through suicide, euthanasia, and abortion. What then, arises, with the adoption of the Gap Theory? Bob and Fred investigate (see below).
Get Tickets! The Moses sequel to Patterns of Evidence hits theaters nationwide March 14, 16, & 19! So RSR urges you to watch the trailer and get tickets early, for yourself and friends, because if it packs theaters like Patterns did, it may sell out at many of the 900 screens where it's showing!
