Genesis 1:1, Exodus 20:8-11, Psalm 33:6-12, Psalm 104, Hebrews 11:3, John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:16-18

Summary: Another theory of the creation of the universe in opposition to the record given in Genesis 1 is the “Day/Age” Theory, and like the previous two we looked at, it has neither the science nor Scriptural foundation to verify its claim.

We have looked at two of four “theories of creation” used to explain our origins apart from what is clearly and unapologetically presented in the first chapter of Genesis. The first theory is known as “theistic evolution,” which teaches that God used evolution as part of the creation process. The second theory is the “Gap” theory. It was an attempt to “rectify” a possible “gap” of undisclosed time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, allowing evolution to occur or that there was a previous world that had been ruined somehow and needed to be re-created by God.

Both of these “theories” are an attempt to blend Darwinian evolutionary theory and Scripture in order to sound palatable to some in the scientific community and the skeptics, and is a way to “fit in” with the world system that, in the end, rejects the authority of the Bible and the existence of God Himself. Any “theory” apart from what God has shown to us in His Word is nothing more than a compromise of belief and a demonstration of shame for the truth (John 14:6, 17:17; Romans 1:17; 1 John 2:15-17).

I want to present the third of these theories, known as the “day/age” argument. We’ll look at what it proposes and how it either stands or falls in light of both science and the Bible.

The “day/age” theory supporters believe that life evolved over billions of years. They teach that God guided this evolutionary process by intervening at critical stages when it became necessary to correct the mistakes that were generated through natural selection. Day/age theorists also believe that the geological column and fossil records are proof that the earth’s history was laid down in uniform fashion. They view this assumption as something that Christians must reconcile with their faith if they ever hope to be taken seriously by educated friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

To accommodate these suppositions, the day/age theorists insist that the days of Genesis are not to be viewed as literal 24-hour days but rather as six periods of extended time. Each long period of time is essentially made to correspond to one of the six days of creation. On the contrary, my professor of the Old Testament at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary affirmed and professed a literal six-day creation in the class I took on Genesis. So much for fear of being ostracized or criticized by the “educated” class (Acts 17:22-34; Romans 3:4; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25). All of my professors in seminary were firm Bible believers, and for that, I am thankful.

The same scientific problems addressed in dealing with theistic evolution and the “gap” theory are the same for adherents of the “day/age theory. However, I want to concentrate on the Scriptural problems with the “Day/Age” theory. The first is that its proponents redefine the word “day” in Genesis 1 to mean a long period of time. The Hebrew word for “day” is “Yom.” This word is used 2,291 times in the Old Testament and typically refers to a literal 24-hour day.

In Genesis 1, God defines the “light” and “dark” cycle as “morning” and “evening,” which obviously describes a literal 24-hour day. The terms “evening” and “morning” are used 38 times in the Old Testament and always refer to, again, a 24-hour day. In Exodus 20:8-11 God explains humanity’s work week, defined as six days of labor and one of rest. He paralleled it with the same pattern He set during His creation work week, laboring six days and hallowing the seventh as a day of rest.

Mixing and matching literal days and indefinite periods of time in such parallel contexts would appear to be a desperate attempt to promote personal ideology at the expense of Scripture. It is also a faulty means of Bible interpretation. If each day of creation somehow represents a period of undisclosed millions or billions of years, then we have to believe that Adam also lived that long. Human beings have never lived that long, even in the antediluvian (pre-flood) world.

The order of creation, as presented in Genesis 1, does not agree with any type of evolutionary theory. The day/age theory cannot accommodate both days of Genesis and the basic tenets of evolution. Here’s an example: We read in Genesis 1:11-12 that God created plant life on the third day and the sun on the fourth. While plants may be able to survive one day without the sun, they certainly could NOT survive without the sun for long ages of time.

Here is something else to consider: A perfect God would not create imperfection. Why would God take so long a time to create everything? In Psalms 33, 104, and Hebrews 11:3, God spoke, and His creative will was done instantly. If you accept His miraculous power to heal the sick, raise the dead, or calm the sea instantaneously while rejecting His power to create in the same manner, it is an unnecessary and troublesome position for a Christian to maintain.

The supporters of the day/age theory seem determined to reconcile a supernatural creation with atheistic ideas of naturalism. Any accommodation theory apart from what Scripture records (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) is a slippery slope that gradually leads to an abandonment of the biblical teachings about God’s miracles in general and Jesus’ miracles in particular.

It should be noted that this “slippery slope” of compromise, or a “downgrade” of belief, was the main reason that the effectiveness of Christianity dwindled in the United Kingdom at the end of the 19th century. The “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), fought so hard against this compromise that it damaged his health and was one of the factors that led to his early demise.

Are there any preachers, teachers, or believers in these last days willing to fight for the truth of the Gospel, or have we become ashamed of it?

We are in just as much of a “downgrade” of biblical authority today. Let us stand firm in what is recorded in the Word of God. It works better that way.

Resources for further study:

“Battle for the Beginning” and “Ashamed of the Gospel” by John MacArthur

“Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers” by Lewis Drummond

“The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics” by Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner

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Luke 9:26: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of Him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Romans 1:16-17; “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for Salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith, for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Isaiah 50:7: “For the Lord God helps me; therefore I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” 1 Peter 4:16: “But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in that name.” Romans 5:5: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Just a few more. Romans 10:11: “For the scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 8:1 is an absolute promise from the Father, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” And then Isaiah 40:31: “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 41:10: “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Anytime the Father says, “I will,” it is a pure and holy covenant with us.

The current craziness and increasing evil in this world are getting us closer to just how bad it was just before Noah and his family entered the ark. God destroyed all of mankind and animals except for Noah and his family and the animals that God put on the ark with them. From these few humans and animals, God replenished the earth.

Several thousand years have passed, and Jesus Himself said there would be a turning away from the Gospel near the end of this age (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Recent reports by groups like Barna are showing a definite decline in Christianity all around the world. In some areas, just proclaiming Jesus as your Savior will get you martyred.

America was founded with one major principle, that people could worship however they chose, or even not to worship at all without being persecuted. Of course, no religion would be allowed to have human sacrifices. This has worked out quite well, at least up to about a decade or so ago.

Attitudes have gone through some major changes, and all of a sudden, anyone who professes to be a follower of Jesus and bears the name “Christian” is labeled a “hater.” Satanic worship is out in the open as never before, and what God called abominations are becoming more and more accepted by a lot of people as the new normal. They are saying that the Bible is nothing more than a book of ancient stories, and what’s given in it does not apply today.

Jesus told us in Luke 21:28, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” We are the generation that saw the Fig Tree (Israel) bloom on May 14, 1948, and we are nearing the end of that generation.

We have no idea as to the exact day or hour that all true believers will be taken up, or Raptured, to meet Jesus in the air to be with Him forever. Also, this will happen to fulfill the Father’s promises to keep us from the coming Wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 and Romans 3:10). What we do have are the signs given by the Word of the Father about what it will be like toward the end of this age, and what to be watching for.

Everything is just as His Word said it would be. The next major event on the prophetic timeline will be the Rapture, followed by the coming out of the ultimate antichrist and his false prophet. Then, this earth will experience seven years of horrible events as never before. Persecution will reach a level that will be unbelievable. Afterward, Jesus will put down the rebellion and rule from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. One point to be made before all this is for all true believers to stand firm and not be ashamed of our Lord.

Baynard L. Fox wrote a song in 1958 that states, “I’ll Tell the World That I’m A Christian.” Though the song is over 60 years old, it could very well be our absolute declaration today.

1.) I’ll tell the world that I’m a Christian; I’m not ashamed His name to bear. I’ll tell the world that I’m a Christian; I’ll take Him with me anywhere. I’ll tell the world how Jesus saved me, and how He gave me life brand new. And I know that if you trust Him, that all He gave me, He’ll give to you. I’ll tell the world that He’s my Savior; no other one could love me so. My life, my all, is His forever, and where He leads me, I will go.

2.) I’ll tell the world that He is coming; it may be near or far away. But we must live as if His coming would be tomorrow or today. For when He comes and life is over, for those who love Him, there’s more to be. Eyes have never seen the wonders that He’s preparing for you and me. O tell the world that you’re a Christian; be not ashamed His name to bear. O tell the world that you’re a Christian, and take Him with you everywhere!

It’s amazing that people would worship a fallen angel who has done nothing but try to pull souls away and into eternal damnation. All this because he has a major self-pride issue. The thing is, Satan and all the fallen angels, or demons, cannot be forgiven for turning against the Father.

Our Savior willingly gave His life on a cruel cross (John 10:18) so that all humans who would receive and accept His free gift could have a pathway to the Father and eternal life in Paradise.

It almost seems like this would be a no-brainer. Follow Satan – Lake of Fire forever. Follow Jesus – eternal life in Heaven forever. Yet more and more are turning away from the Savior every day, just as He said they would toward the end of this age.

To be saved, simply follow the steps given in Romans 10:9-13. The hard part is to believe it’s just that easy. Man-made religions demand works and deeds, money contributions, and whatever else they can dream up.

Our Father loves us so much that He sent a part of Himself to be our pure, sinless blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of all the sins of the Savior’s true flock. He even provides a pathway to forgiveness when we do sin, which is given in 1 John 1:8-10. And please know we all will sin as long as we’re on this earth as humans (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23).

Satan is eternal death in hell with him; Jesus is eternal life in Heaven with Him. No other option exists, and it’s completely a choice each and every individual must make for themselves.

We don’t know when the call will come, so today would not be too early to ask Jesus to forgive you and be your Savior forever. He will turn no one away who truly seeks Him, and no one has sinned so greatly that His blood will not cover them.

Call today, as it will be the most important decision you will ever make in this lifetime. Your eternity depends on where you stand when you take your last breath on this earth.

Come, Lord Jesus!

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