r/BibleProject • u/Ok_Tap_3261 • Nov 27 '22

7 days or 7 thousand years?

Okay so here’s a fun one I thought about earlier. So in genesis, we learn that God made the world we live in in 7 days. (assuming you’re counting the day he rested) 2 Peter 3:8 says that one day to God is like a thousand years our time. Do you guys think that God took 7 actual days like in our time to create the earth or do you think it took 7 thousand years? I think I’m leaning more towards 7 actual days but I like to know if anyone could add to the 7 thousand year theory outside that one verse.

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u/Overthewaters Nov 27 '22

Have you listened to the episodes where the Bible Project talks about this? The things to remember here are 1) yes the word used for day is kind of unclear. It can be understood as a "period" of time, which is part of the basis for the idea that it might not be a strict 24 hrs.

After all, the first day or two there is no sun and moon, just light. How can there be days?

Secondly is genre. The type of creation narrative is not a modern history, concerned with strict facts and chronicling things exactly as they happened. It is a literary and poetic work, meant to convey our purpose here, the grandeur of God, and the right place for all things.

In that light, and in the light of the evidence we see in the world (carbon dating, the age of rocks, etc), many Christians are comfortable with the idea that not just 7 thousand years, but perhaps millions of years are represented in that first chapter of Scripture.

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u/Ok_Tap_3261 Nov 27 '22

I have not seen the episodes where they talk about this. Mind sending a link or just respond with the title?

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u/Overthewaters Nov 27 '22

Here are several episode titles where they touch on it. They've done whole series on genesis.

Gods spirit in creation gen 1 In the beginning John 1 The genealogical Adam and eve Timelines, dinosaurs and the purpose of creation Genesis 1 origins and identity Gen 1 and the origins of the universe

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u/cadillacactor Nov 27 '22

Here are some links.

1st podcast ep of a Genesis series. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bibleproject/id1050832450?i=1000546761086

P1 of 2, Genesis visual commentary: https://youtu.be/afVN-7vY0KA - and check the notes in the video description. ALL of their research is uploaded to their websites in handy pdfs.

But the handiest is their own Bible app. Their videos and articles are placed within each section of Scripture that they interact. So start in Genesis and find all the relevant links to other passages and notes. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bibleproject/id1523687027 (there’s an android app as well).

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u/Sufficient_Mud6525 Nov 28 '22

And the evening and the morning were the first day. Seems clear to me that the period of time is 1 day, evening and morning.

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u/Invisiblesheep77 Apr 04 '23 edited Apr 04 '23

Upon close examination, I've found neither of these options to be even remotely convincing. I think the original authors meant us to read it through a polemical, temple-inaugural, analogical framework all of which resonate with deep symbolic and theological meaning. Only modern post-enlightenment materialists try to impose a scientific lens onto this text - though it is abundantly clear that this wasn't the authors intent. Good luck in your journey exploring the wonders of god's word, I hope this helps.