Safely Home
By Randy Alcorn

"This book has been recommended to me by more people than any other book. An incredible story." - Steve H.

"Is this the day I die?" wonders Li Quan as he endures persecution for his faith. Half a world away his college buddy, businessman Ben Fielding, steps on the plane to China. Reunited after 20 years, both men face decisions that will determine their destinies---and the fates of their nations and the world. 400 pages, softcover from Tyndale.

The Days Of Creation

Here's a list of what God created on each of the six days of creation:

Day 1: The heavens, the earth, light and darkness.

Day 2: Heaven

Day 3: Dry land, the seas, and vegetation.

Day 4: The sun, the moon and the stars.

Day 5: Living creatures in the water, birds in the air.

Day 6: Land animals and people.

Day 7: God "rested".

There is something interesting to note in this list. Let me ask a question:

What are most dinosaurs?

They are land animals.

When were all land animals created?

Day six. So on what day must dinosaurs have been created? On day six, the same day people were created.

That's interesting. Could it be the Bible is saying people lived with dinosaurs? Is there any evidence that people lived with dinosaurs? The answer to both of these questions is, "yes". But let's start at the beginning to understand what the Bible is saying.

How Long Is A Day?

There is a theory that says each of God's days in Genesis were actually millions of years for us. Is this true? Maybe we need to ask what does the word "day" mean in Genesis?

The Hebrew word "yom" is translated as day in Genesis. Just as our word "day" can have different meanings based on its context, so can the word "yom". For example, in the Old Testament "yom" is translated to mean a 24 hour day 1109 times. It means a long, long period of time--such as an age--about nine times.

However, every time the word "yom" is used with the term evening or morning in the Bible, it means a regular 24 hour day.

Every time the word "yom" is used with a number, such as "40 yom" (40 days), it means a regular 24 hour day.

What we now see is that in Genesis chapter one God is going out of His way to emphasize that each day is a normal 24 hour day. For example in verse five He says:

"And there was evening and there was morning, one day."

Verse 8: "And there was evening and there was morning, a second day."

Verse 13: "There was evening and there was morning, a third day."

For each day of creation the pattern is the same: evening, morning, number, day. Just part of that pattern, for example using the words "evening" and "day" together, tell us it was a 24 hour day. But God tells us in three ways -- evening, morning, number -- that the word day means... an ordinary 24 hour day.

God is making it very clear: He created everything in six ordinary days.

• The Days of Creation
• Millions of Years vs. 6,000 Years
• Dinosaurs and People Living Together
• Dinosaurs in the Bible

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