If we read Genesis carefully, we see that the earth already existed before the first ‘day’ of creation. The earth existed in a state that was void and without form (Genesis 1:2). The word ‘day’ is not mentioned until God said, ‘let there be light’. [The bible tells us that the light is what God called ‘Day’].
So, what is light? Light in the Hebrew simply means knowledge or illumination. Conversely, the word for darkness, which God called ‘night’ in English means ignorance. Hence, day means knowledge and night means ignorance.
Thus, what God is trying to tell us in Genesis is that knowledge is the pre-requisite to going from chaos to order. Moreover, without the presence of knowledge, ignorance rules; and where ignorance rules, things are surely to be empty and void. [So, let’s not be ignorant…it is not bliss but blightful].
Now consider this: The sun and the moon did not make an appearance in the story of creation until the 4th day (see Genesis 1: 14-19). Hence, what we consider the 24-hour day did not even exist until the 4th ‘day’ of creation. This is clear, since the 24-hour day is ruled by the rising and going down of the sun. Furthermore, the bible itself states that the heavenly bodies were given for days and years (Gen 1:14). Since the concept of our measure of time did not show up until the 4th ‘day’, it is clear that the bible was not referring to our measure of time at least in the first 3 ‘days’ of creation.
When Moses writes about the ‘day’ in Genesis 1, he is not referring to the 24-hour day as we know it, he is taking about a period in which the knowledge of God was in operation to turn the earth from a choatic mess into an oasis fit for mankind.
Consider this as well: When God is active on the earth, it is called day. And when he is not actively working, it is considered night. Consider the words of Jesus when He said: I must work… while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4). Again, the bible calls the time Jesus is meant to return to be active on the earth as the Day of the Lord (anyway I digress…so let’s get back on point). [I can write more about this if enough people are interested].
With regards to creation, how long each ‘day’ or period of creation lasted in terms of our 24-hour day is up in the air. This is indeed because time can be quite relative (especially in the eyes of God and man). What we do know for sure is that it was not six 24-hour days. If we engage science, it is clear that the earth has been around for a long time (something corroborated by the bible in the book of Genesis when we realize that earth existed before the first day).
SuperChamp 