Joshua 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

This passage was used by Martin Luther to justify a geocentric model of the universe. I have no doubt that anyone who took Luther to task on the issue of a heliocentricity would reduced to oblivion, due to the apparently clear teaching of the text, and Luther’s uncanny skills of debate. However, what would have been considered hermeneutical gymnastics in Luther’s day is today regarded as phenomenological language.

When John Calvin commented on this passage, it appears that he accepted the notion of geocentricity, but he focused primarily on the theological implications, such as the need to pray to God, and that it was God acting in this situation, not Joshua.

Ex 20:8-11 clearly shows the theological implications of creation: that we are to work six days and then keep one day holy to God. I find it curious that the focus today, and in this discussion, is on the scientific rather than the theological implications. I am so fascinated by the comparison of the account of creation in Gen 1 to Christ, given in John 1. Anyway, throwing all theological implications aside, we should return to discussions of the science.

First, I should say that I hold the Holy Scripture in highest regard. I believe it is inerrant and infallible, the very Word of God. I also believe that God is omnipotent, ubiquitous, omniscient, and most Holy. God did not require 18 billion years, or six days, or even 10 seconds to create the universe. God could have created the entire universe with a single thought just 5 seconds ago with the appearance of age, giving us memories. If God created the universe with the appearance of age, making it appear 18 billion years old, then no matter how intelligent and scientific we think we are, it would be impossible for us to find cracks and defects in God’s design allowing us to determine the actual age, rather than apparent age. In other words, if God created the earth a few thousand years ago in six days with the appearance of an age of billions of years, then no matter how many sophisticated scientific instruments we construct, and no matter how much data we collect, we could never come to any different conclusion other than the universe appears billions of years from every angle and perspective.

It’s possible that God moves the sun and planets around the earth, giving the appearance from every perspective that the earth and planets move about the sun. It’s possible that God created the universe a few thousand years ago, giving the appearance from every possible measurement and observation that the universe is billions of years old. However, I don’t believe that God works this way. I don’t believe that the Scriptures teach the sun moves about the earth, and I don’t believe that the Bible teaches the earth was created in 6 days just a few thousand years ago with the appearance of age. People have incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures in these ways, but their adamant interpretations change over the centuries to conform to reality. The same is true of science. People have incorrectly interpreted data from observations and measurements, but their interpretations change over time to conform to a closer and more accurate perception of reality. There are two problems: man can err when interpreting scientific data, and man can err when interpreting Scripture. Not all things in Scripture are equally clear, and the same goes for science.

Here are some problems I see with common interpretations I encounter of the Genesis account of creation. First, Genesis opens by saying that God created the heavens and the earth. Then it says the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. What does this mean? At this point, it seems we have a heaven, with stars, galaxies, sun, and planets, and one of these planets is earth. The earth at this point is just a large deep ocean with perhaps a solid core and an opaque atmosphere. It doesn’t say here that there is no light anywhere in the universe, it just says that there is no light on the surface of the oceans covering the earth, suggesting an opaque atmosphere.

Next God says, “Let there be light.” It does not say that God created light at this moment, although many jump to this conclusion. Light could have already existed for billions of years throughout the heavens. It’s possible that it is talking about the atmosphere becoming translucent so that light now is able to reach the surface of the earth for the first time. According to the second verse, the frame of reference is now at the surface of the earth, where the Spirit of God is hovering. This is when light came into the world, a symbol of Christ, the true light that came into the world.

Then, God called the light day and the dark night. This appears to teach that there is already a sun, and the earth is already spinning, but this is the first time that light is able to reach the surface for day and night to be distinguished.

This is followed by an interesting phrase, “and then there was evening and there was morning.” How is this to be interpreted, since this phrase is not found anywhere else in Scripture? Is it a poetic refrain repeated after each day? Does it indicate how Yom (12-hour day, 24-hour day, or era), is to be interpreted?

What happens the second day? Is this the creation of Heaven? Or, is the earth now covered by a blanket of clouds with some sky underneath, and this all on top of the ocean?

How about the third day? Is this the day that the earth was created? Or, did the earth already exist before this? It seems that land that was originally at the bottom of the ocean comes up out of the ocean, forming continents with oceans and seas.

Now about the fourth day, is this when the sun, moon, stars, and galaxies were created, or is this when the atmosphere becomes transparent so that the lights from these objects can be seen clearly for the first time on the surface of the earth? If the earth already existed before day three and even before day one, is it possible the heavens with sun, moon, and stars already existed before day four, as stated in verse one?

As we continue, the fifth day begins and ends, the sixth day begins and ends, but what about the seventh day? Is there a verse that says, “and then there was evening and there was morning, the seventh day”? Is it possible that the seventh day hasn’t ended? God is apparently not creating anything new in our present time. There are indications of star formation, but nothing ex-nihilo. We see species going extinct, but I don’t hear anyone saying, “Don’t worry about extinction of the whales, they will evolve again.”

So, I hope you can see that I have concerns about interpretations that insist on a six 24-hour day creation of the universe just a few thousand years ago. I can guarantee that I would have had no chance debating Luther on geocentricity 450 years ago, and I don’t expect this debate over the age of the earth to be resolved for many centuries to come. I would just suggest that you be very sure of your position before telling people they must deny reality to become Christian. I also resolve to work hard to be very sure of my position, that I don’t encourage people to misinterpret Scripture due to errors in scientific theories. Thanks for pointing out resources, which I will continue to investigate in hopes that my errors, which I am sure are many, can be resolved.

Alan

Credo ut intelligan