Even creationists can't agree on how long it took God to prepare the earth for mankind.

Here are the theories that are presented, they may all be right or they may all be wrong. It doesn't really matter as long as they accept that the universe and everything in it were created by the God of the Bible.

1) The Day/Age Theory says that creation took place in six long eras, not ordinary 24-hour days. But the Bible language won't allow this as the primary meaning of the word "day." Also, how could plants (third day) live for millions of years without the sun (fourth day), or birds or insects (fifth day)?
2) Theistic Evolutionists believe that God was a mastermind who somehow used evolution to accomplish His creation. But the Biblical sequence is completely wrong for that, and also scientists scoff at this because random processes are fundamental to evolution -- their theories wouldn't work with any sort of intelligent intervention. They rely on purely materialistic processes. Evolution is a cruel process of "survival of the fittest," but God is kind and loving. Accusing Him of evolutionist tactics is a slander.
3) Progressive Creationists say that God used physical evolution for most of the creation, but at a number of discrete points He interjected a supernatural creative act. For example, they allow primate-to hominid evolution, but say that then God chose a hominid, created a soul, and named him Adam.
4) Whereas, I believe - that the universe containing the heavens and the earth was created instantaneously when God declared "in the beginning..."

...Gap...

Verse 2 Here you will have many theologians say that there cannot be a gap when the angels were created and existed because the earth was formless and void. Hold on! Who said the angels lived on earth? Let's not go straw man here. They were heavenly beings. They were spirits not requiring a solid place to dwell and they do not die. Hence there was no death before man sinned. Period.
Do they not believe that God, who also is spirit, could exist in a vacuum? Does He require terra firma? Do angels require light?
Ezekiel rightly called Lucifer the king of Tyre, which means rock (the third rock.) Isaiah's wording is more confusing where it appears as if there were stars and other heavenly bodies at the time of Satan's demise. Maybe this could be a future time when Satan will no longer have access to heaven, (Job 1 & 2; Rev 12:7-9) or it could be that God created all the planets and stars (the heavens) the same time He created the earth. That could make day 4 more interesting. There was no man there to witness what was and was to be, so maybe my day 4 theory has more substance than revealed in scripture. Then again, even scientists believe that all the stars weren't ignited at the same time. Quite possibly they were not ignited until the 4th day.
...darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. I believe that when the Holy Spirit moved, hovered, brooded, over the face of the deep, the waters, several things happened: The earth began to rotate and to keep the water from flying off due to centrifugal force, He caused gravity by creating a magnetic field.

Verses 3-5. I believe that God created the sun on the first day when He said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 'owr, ore, H216; (from H215;) illumination or (concretion) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, bright, clear, + day, light (-ning), morning, sun)
To say that this was not the sun, the source of our present daylight would be very confusing. Second, if this were a different source, then how could there be day and night as the light should supposedly be all encompassing and completely bathe the whole earth? Why would God need to create the sun on day four if there was already a source? There is no other explanation. This was the SUN!
We have night and day because the earth is now rotating and it is the amount of time God deemed necessary for one revolution to take place. Quite probably 24 hours.

Verses 6-8. God created a firmament around the earth on Day Two to filter out the sun's harmful rays in preparation for life. Another reason why I believe the sun was created on Day One. The firmament is a made up word to correctly interpret the meaning of the Hebrew word raqiya' H7549, raw-kee'-ah; from H7554; properly a visible expanse similar to an upside down bowl, a solid dome.
raqiya is derived from the root raqa' (H7554), raw-kah'; a primary root; to pound the earth (as a sign of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication to overlay (with thin sheets of metal).
A metallic expanse? Scientists have determined that hydrogen, under certain conditions, can achieve a crystalline state which could explain solidity. If God showed, rather than explained, this to Moses crystalline hydrogen would appear like metal overlaid in the heavens.
"For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water" (2 Peter 3:5) Standing out and in the water? Yes the canopy, the firmament was solid yet made of water.
A lot of creationists will get into lengthy explanations of how or what the firmament is but suffice it to say that it is obviously solid. As there is hydrogen contained in the water that was separated above the expanse and possibly helping to form it. This hydrogen, in crystal form, is also a super-conductor and would float about 7-10 miles above the earth on the magnetic field.
The purpose of this canopy was to not only protect, but very possibly divert the sun's harmful rays along and around the outer side maintaining a constant temperature from pole to pole. The only temperature variation would be caused by the sun's intensity due to it's position during the day. We would therefore have the cool of the day just after sunrise and prior to sunset. Quite possibly why there are fossilized animal and vegetation found in the polar regions.
The canopy would also form a sort of hyperbaric dome at about 2 atmospheres which would supply approximately 3 times the oxygen available today. Plants would grow larger as the ones found fossilized and organisms would live longer. It is recorded that man lived approximately one thousand years under these conditions. It is also quite probable that food would not rot or decay and plants would produce all year round, there being no seasons yet because the earth is perfectly aligned with the sun.

In Glen Rose, TX, the Creation Evidence Museum, which is the home of the world's first Hyperbaric Biosphere, has been doing extensive research on the hyperbaric model since the early '90's.
And God called the firmament Heaven. shamayim (H8064), shaw-mah'-yim; dual of an unused singular shameh, shaw-meh'; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):-- Heaven(s), sky, the plurality could indicate the different atmospheric layers or regions from the visible to the outer limits.

Verses 9-13. On the Third Day God caused the land to rise up out of the water as one continent and produce vegetation. I would venture to say with reasonable and logical certainty that at this time the earth was almost perfectly round because God said it was good. I can't fathom God calling a mishmash of colliding plates causing volcanoes, earthquakes and mountains GOOD.
Also the wording in Genesis 7:20 would indicate that the high hills or mountains were just a little over 20 feet high - "The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered."
The earth was misted like an underground sprinkling system from subterranean fountains. (Gen 2:4-6)

Verses 14-19. I believe the operative phrase on the Fourth Day is "let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;" This is where God caused the earth to orbit the sun, whereas before it was spinning in a stationary position in the heavens.
This is where God created the moon, the lesser light, to always be visible and full at night, because of its perfect alignment.
The wording here would suggest that the moon was without phases and stationary on the opposite side of the earth as the sun. The moon will follow in the earth's gravitational pull as it journeys around the sun. This would be for determining days and years. You will note that months are not mentioned yet because they will be determined later.
He (had) also created the planets and the stars which would allow man, in the future, to determine signs and seasons by observing the position of the celestial bodies now that the earth is orbiting the sun. They would appear to be set in the firmament, now called sky, but in fact be stretched out like a curtain in the heavens.
"I have made the earth, and created man on it. I; My hands; stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded." (Isaiah 45:12) It would appear as if the stretching out of the heavens is continuing after the creation of man. (Isaiah 40:22; Psalm 104:2) Science believes the universe is still expanding.

I didn't go into great detail as you can search the internet and find unlimited references to any area of my post. My sole aim was to set everything into perspective. Most writings, I believe, leave you with more questions than answers. The Bible was written when man's knowledge was limited and explaining what an omniscient God has revealed is understandably lacking in modern day parlance and detail.

I have endeavored to align the Genesis account with various scriptures in the Old and New Testament and proven modern science. In most cases you will see that there is the greatest probability that my assumptions are correctly interpreting the meaning and the essence of the Creators Words.

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Col 2:8)
Next ...the introduction of life forms!

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