Topical Bible: Creation: Effected in Six Normal Days

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The account of creation as described in the Bible is foundational to understanding the origins of the universe, life, and humanity. According to the Book of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth in six days, with each day consisting of a normal, 24-hour period. This interpretation is based on a literal reading of the biblical text, which emphasizes the power and intentionality of God's creative work.

Day 1: Light and Darkness
Genesis 1:1-5 describes the initial act of creation: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness He called 'night.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." This passage indicates the creation of light, marking the division between day and night.

Day 2: The Expanse
On the second day, God created the expanse, or firmament, to separate the waters. Genesis 1:6-8 states, "And God said, 'Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.' So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse 'sky.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day." This act established the sky and the division of waters.

Day 3: Land, Seas, and Vegetation
The third day saw the formation of dry land and the gathering of waters into seas, as well as the creation of vegetation. Genesis 1:9-13 records, "And God said, 'Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.' And it was so. God called the dry land 'earth,' and the gathering of waters He called 'seas.' And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.' And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day."

Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars
On the fourth day, God created the celestial bodies to govern time and seasons. Genesis 1:14-19 states, "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.' And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day."

Day 5: Sea Creatures and Birds
The fifth day involved the creation of life in the waters and the air. Genesis 1:20-23 describes, "And God said, 'Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.' So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed, according to their kinds, and every bird of flight according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day."

Day 6: Land Animals and Humanity
On the sixth day, God created land animals and humanity, the pinnacle of His creation. Genesis 1:24-31 states, "And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.' God also said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.' And it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day."

The six-day creation account underscores the orderliness and purpose of God's creative acts, with each day building upon the previous one, culminating in the creation of humanity, who is made in the image of God and given stewardship over the earth.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: why the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Involution
... At six thousand feet, if we may accentuate the ... full of ethical possibility is this
single creation that one ... of the axial rotation of the earth effected in the ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter x involution.htm

The Scaffolding Left in the Body
... seldom makes anything new; her method of creation is to ... this seems to have been mainly
effected by a ... external ear from the coalescence of six rounded tubercles ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter ii the scaffolding left.htm

The Origin of Species.
... to have been attracted by their six-fingered cousins ... origin of species by special
creation which have ... their nutritive processes, which are effected by changing ...
/.../huxley/lay sermons addresses and reviews/xii the origin of species.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... of time in which this work of creation had been ... come about so gradually that they
are effected before we ... It occasionally attains to a length of six and a half ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire --(Continued)
... The "opening" once effected, the double became free, and the ... mother, Nofritari, who,
after five or six centuries of ... to Amon the entire work of creation when Shu ...
/.../chapter ithe close of the.htm

Fourth Tractate. Problems of the Soul (2).
The Six Enneads. ... ordering, which is their gift to the universe, is effected by methods ...
the Nature precedes the determined body which is its creation, made and ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/fourth tractate problems of the.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire
... like Egypt, was always an artificial creation, liable to ... was the condemnation and
execution of six women and ... removal of entrails had not been effected, but the ...
/.../chapter iiithe close of the.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... Irrigation was effected formerly, as ... of divinities and kings from the time of the
creation down to ... chaps, i. and iii., the whole of the first six chapters date ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm