The birth announcement of the world

creationism Recently I was shown an article by William Smouter, entitled, “the birth announcement of the whole world“. Smouter contends that we may not read Genesis 1 as a scientific model. For a longtime he has been charmed by creationism, but has disappointingly turned away from it, since quite a few claims of this movement have fallen by the wayside as pseudo-science. historical What Smouter has kept from Genesis 1 is the truth that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. How long it took God to do this is for him not anymore important, because Genesis 1 is not written to inform us about it, he says. The conclusion seems justified, but Smouter fails to clarify the situation regarding the six days that Genesis 1 speaks about. In all of this, he is indicating that he will not take Genesis 1, literally. With this, Smouter has chosen a dangerous route, because the book of Genesis, including the first chapter, presents itself as a through-and-through historical document. The days that are spoken of in Genesis 1 are normal days, starting in the morning and ending in the evening. If the days in Genesis 1 are not literal days, what about Adam and Eve in Genesis 2, what about the first offense in Genesis 3, etc.? In that case, why should we accept those details as literal facts? These chapters present themselves not only as historical (“really happened”), they were clearly so understood by Jesus and Paul (e.g., read Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15). alternative Smouter throws away, with the bath water of creationism, also the baby of a literal reading of Genesis 1. There is an alternative, as I had indicated earlier; an alternative in which both rock-cliffs have been circumvented. Twice, God has spoken His creation words: once at the creation, itself, and secondly, when He revealed them to man. To this revelation to man, the six days of Genesis 1 refer. In six days, God revealed His creation words to Adam, in the Garden. the birth announcement Thus: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…” (Gen.1:1), whenever that might have been. But “in six days God did heaven and earth…” (Ex.20:11), i.e., in six days He gave His report, His story. To speak with Smouter: in six days, the birth announcement of the world came into being. Or, as the Septuagint in Genesis 2:4 shows: “… the book of the genesis of heaven and earth…”.  ——————————— translation: Peter Feddema

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