This is the first of 15 articles examining progressively the age of the Earth using the whole of Scripture. These articles need to be read in strict sequence to make sense.
Jesus laid much emphasis on the law and the prophets. And no wonder because He fulfilled all 100 prophecies in His lifetime, as illustrated in this booklet I purchased from Hendrickson Publishers.
A further three books, I purchased from the same publishers, illustrate beautifully, in great detail, how Jesus also fulfilled the prophetic symbolisms of the Temple rituals and two of the major Feasts of Israel. Passover and Pentecost have been fulfilled by Jesus and the church, but the world has yet to see the Feast of Tabernacles come to pass.
Apart from God's dealings with man the Bible is all about prophecy! Yet how many in Christendom realize that these bible themes also prophesy the whole of world history from the very beginning to the very end of time including the 1000-year Millennium with Christ? They also reveal the true age of the Earth and the true time-frame for the so-called 'six days' of creation. The wordings in Chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis allow us to choose four different lengths of time for each day of the creation. Christendom has generally settled for each day to mean a 24-hour period, but the prophetic themes in the Temples and the Feasts of Israel, and the entirety of Scripture do not confirm a 24-hour period nor any other period of time, but a 1000-year period of time for each day of the creation! A notable omission in these Roses books is the lack of reference to how these details and Temple measurements confirm the timeline of world history that I provide here in my 15 articles on the real Age of the Earth. I am not alone in this as many churches are aware of the same. In this regard, the only relevant mention in these resources by Roses is that the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (Sukkot) is yet to be fulfilled by 'the final harvest when all nations will share in the joy and blessings of God's kingdom'.
If you haven't already seen the videos of Pastor Derek Walker, Oxford Bible Church, UK, in the Introduction, then please view them here or just go on reading:
In this first article I ask why creation science has ignored what Jesus and the apostle Peter believed. The apostle even exhorted the church not to be ignorant of this one thing! Peter implied that one day with the Lord in heaven is equivalent to 1000 years on Earth. The book of Psalms says that the period between evening and morning is equivalent to 1000 years. (Psalm 90:4, and supported in Psalm 84:10, where it refers to 1 day in His heavenly court as compared to 1000 years on Earth). The rest of Scripture also supports 1000-year days through numerology and prophetic themes. Speaking prophetically, Jesus referred to the period of the 2000-year church age and the 1000-year Millenium (AD 33 to AD 3033) as three days, 'And He said to them: You go and tell that fox: behold, today and tomorrow, I cast out demons and I complete cures, and the third day I will be finished' (Luke 13:32).
Why did God give us 15 chapters on the Tabernacle of Moses but only two chapters on the creation? Evidently there are treasures to be found in the Tabernacle of Moses. Many of the features of the Tabernacle allow one to deduce the timing of the Second Coming, but, as is fundamental to the Christian faith, there will always remain an element of faith - that is how God tests our hearts. Otherwise, every academic scholar will enter heaven on the basis of his intellect, God forbid. See my article on "The Holy of Holies".
"No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6, Good New Bible).
The same is true with Solomon's temple. How can creation scientists ignore apostolic doctrine for that is what they are doing? Over the next 15 articles we shall see that 1000 years for one of God's days makes perfect sense for the creation and the time-frame of world history. This becomes evident as we examine the whole of scripture.
A. HOW TO READ GENESIS CHAPTERS 1 AND 2
Do we realize that chapter breaks, as we know them, did not exist in the Hebrew texts? Chapters and verses were somewhat arbitrarily put in by translators for convenience of referencing, by making an educated guess as to where ancient texts could logically be broken up into smaller bits. They looked for gaps in the text and other indicators. Chapter divisions are man-made and were mostly invented between AD 630 and1300. Bible scholars have noted that chapter and verse divisions cause difficulty in interpretation. See also,
What about the first two chapters of Genesis? May the Holy Spirit help us to read them as was intended.
Genesis 1:1 is a proclamation and summary of what God did to begin with – ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ Moving on to the next chapter, we read in Genesis 2:4 – ‘These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens’. Genesis 2:4 is also a summary, a closing statement, repeating that which had already been said. It repeats Genesis 1:1, but adds something new. It tells us that there had been a sequence of events involved.
Consider Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:4, like two brackets, with the information of what happened over 7 days in-between:
Firstly we have [Genesis 1:1] proclaiming the entire event then we are given the description of the 6 days of creation, day 1, day 2, day 3…. plus a 7th day of rest. Then all is summarized once again in [Genesis 2:4]. Following Genesis 2:4, the author begins to fill in more details as to what happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:4.
CONSIDER THIS NEWS REPORT ANALOGY
The structure of this report on a tennis match helps to get across what I mean:
“[Federer wins at Wimbledon]. Roger beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic on July 16, 2017 to win his eighth singles title. The first set 6-3, the second 6-1 and the third 6-4. [Federer won by beating Cilic - in three sets at Wimbledon]". 'In three sets' is the additional detail.
GENESIS Chapters 1 AND 2 WILL NOW MAKE MORE SENSE
It has been claimed by some that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 contradict themselves, but nothing could be further from the truth. Genesis Chapter 1 presents a strict chronology of the sequence of creation, day 1 followed by day 2, followed by day 3, etc. Subsequent to Genesis 2:4, chapter 2 looks back at Chapter 1 to fill in details here and there much like flash-backs are frequently employed in modern film making. Therefore, Chapter 2 verse 4 onward makes no claim on strict chronology. Chapter 1 has already set the chronological framework. Genesis 2:4 onward supplies further detail into that framework.
B. 24-HR DAYS FOR THE CREATION? THAT’S NOT WHAT THE WORD SAYS
My approach, in looking at the duration of the days of creation, will be to look at the context of each use of the Hebrew word ‘yom’ for ‘day’ in Genesis 1 and 2, and then consider what the whole word of God has to say about the age of the Earth.
I fail to comprehend why ‘24-hr and billion-year creationists’ have not done a thorough search themselves. I realize what a terrible blow it will be for creationist organizations when they discover that there is something seriously wrong about 24-hr days for the creation in all their publications and dogmatic public presentations. Nevertheless, it has to be faced because of the prayer of Jesus in John 17. The Father will answer the prayer of Jesus. Jesus prayed that we be one, as the Father and Jesus are one. In that case, we also must have the one true doctrine. There can only be the one true doctrine.
My plea is that we don’t just superficially look at the Hebrew word for ‘day’ (YOM), in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, and take everything at face value as some creationists unashamedly proclaim and are proud of it. We were meant to chew on the word. Disciples able to rightly divide the bread of life need to meditate on the word of God and search out its depth of meaning. God's word contains much more than what just meets the eye.
'It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter' (Proverb 25:2).
‘Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth’. (2 Timothy 2:15).
Are you willing to look deeper into the word and see what God meant when He used the word 'Yom'?
Firstly, by looking at the different usages of ‘yom’ and then consider the whole of the Bible.
Secondly, by considering the context of ‘yom’ in Genesis 1 and 2 alone.
Thirdly, by considering what the whole word of God has to say indirectly about the age of the Earth.
Fourthly, by considering what the whole word of God has to say prophetically about the age of the Earth.
We shall consider points 1-3 in the first two articles. The prophetic material, requiring much more background and development, is discussed in subsequent articles. The two articles on the Creative and Redemptive Weeks confirm that God works according to a pattern. He is not a haphazard God but works according to a predetermined plan. The extra article on Sabbatical and Jubilee Years, listed in the Menu on 'More', further confirms that recurring cycles of 7's are crucial to the workings of God's pattern regarding timings.
1. As Wikipedia explains: ‘yom’ can mean any duration of time according to context.
‘Thus "yom", in its context, is sometimes translated as "time" (Gen 4:3, Is. 30:8); "year" (I Kings 1:1, 2 Chronicles 21:19, Amos 4:4); "age" (Gen 18:11, 24:1 and 47:28; Joshua 23:1 and 23:2); "age" (1 Samuel 9:20); "always" (Deuteronomy 5:29, 6:24 and 14:23, and in 2 Chronicles 18:7); "season" (Genesis 40:4, Joshua 24:7, 2 Chronicles 15:3); "epoch or 24-hour day" (Genesis 1:5,8,13,19,23,31) …… Yom relates to the concept of time. Yom is not used just for day and days, but for time in general. How yom is translated depends on the context of its use with other words in the sentence around it…..The word 'day' is used somewhat the same way in the English language, for example: "In my grandfather's day cars did not go very fast" or "In the days of the dinosaurs there were not many mammals"… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom
2. Usage of ‘yom’ in Genesis 1 and 2: Genesis uses four different meanings for ‘yom’. Immediately following the blessing of the 7th day, in Genesis 2:3, we read in Genesis 2:4
‘These (H428) are the generations (H8435) of the heavens (H8064) and of the earth (H776) when they were created (H1254) in the day (H3117) that the LORD (H3068) God (H430) made (H6213) the earth (H776) , and the heavens (H8064)’. (Genesis 2:4, KJV with Strong’s numbers).
Note what the first part of Genesis 2:4 says. It begins with ‘These’, a plural! These are the generations or history, or the sequences in which the earth and the heavens were made. It is a summary of the processes of the whole Creation already described in Genesis Chapter 1.
Next, it says in the 'day' (H3117 Hebrew, yom) that the Lord created these things. In this case, the word day is used to cover all six days of the creation. To rephrase, yom is used in Genesis chapter 1 for each individual 'day', but in Genesis 2:4 the same word yom is used as a collective summation of days 1-6.
In other words, yom can either mean a single day or a period of time covering six days. This should immediately make any one wary about being prescriptive that yom is a 24-hr period, in which case, in Genesis 2:4 a yom would be 6 x 24 hrs = 144 hours. So what is the guarantee that a yom in Genesis 1 is 24-hrs? Because of the mention of ‘evening and morning’? But that is a dangerous assumption, because for the first three days there were no evenings or mornings. God only created the Sun, Moon and Stars on day 4. Creationists assume that they are the evening and morning of days we are familiar with today preferring to read God’s word superficially ignoring their context and ignoring the apostle Peter's exhortation not to be ignorant of this one thing! The Hebrews used 'evening' and 'morning' as the beginning and end of a general period of time.
As Dr Otto J Helweg points out, "Evening and morning" is an idiomatic expression in Semitic languages. Like all idioms, its meaning is nonliteral but clearly understood by native speakers. The phrase "evening and morning" can, like yom, denote a long and indefinite period. The Old Testament, itself, unambiguously uses the "evening and morning" phrase in just such a way. In Daniel 8 we read the account of Daniel's ram and goat vision and the interpretation given by Gabriel. The vision covers many years; some commentators believe the time has not yet been completed. Daniel 8:26 says: "The vision of the evenings and the mornings that have been given to you is true, but seal up the vision for it concerns the distant future" (RSV). In Hebrew manuscripts, "the evenings and mornings", is not in the plural but in the singular, identical to the expression we find in Genesis 1. Translated literally, the verse would read: "And the vision of the evening and the morning that has been given you" Here we have a clear indication from scriptural usage that this phrase does not demand a 24-hour-day interpretation and can refer to an indefinite epoch.
3. A 12-hour and 24-hour day appears on the scene only on day 4
The 12-hr daylight (yom) and 24-hr day (yom) words for ‘day’ are not related time-wise to the days of creation (yom, H3117 Strong's number). The Sun, Moon and stars were only created on day 4. There were no 24-hr days before then because God put the Sun, Moon and stars in heaven for seasons and marking time. According to Genesis 1:4, 12-hr daylight (and evening) and 24-hr days only came into existence from day 4 onward.
‘And God said: "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day (H3117) from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days (H3117) (Actually 'day'), and years, and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth": and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day (H3117) and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day (H3117), and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good' (Genesis 1:14-18).
Thus a 12-hr period of daylight and the 24-hr day was first established only on day 4 of The Creation. The same word ‘yom’ was used for each. Evenings and mornings, separated by 12 hours, did not exist as such until then. The Earth was bathed in an ethereal light from day 1 onward. I repeat the evenings and mornings were idiomatically used by the Hebrews as the beginning and end of a period of time or season.
For days 4, 5, 6 and 7 there is nothing to indicate that they were any other than the period of time allotted to days 1, 2 and 3 of the Creation. This means that we now have to deal with four types of ‘days’ – 12-hr yom, 24-hr yom, 1-day yom and 6-day yom, all, in Genesis 1 and 2 alone! How certain can we be that a 1-day yom is the same as a 24-hour yom? Would you stake your life on it? Have you?
C. IN 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT?
Day 6 was a very, very long day
According to Genesis 1, which is chronological, on day 6 God first made all the animals. Then He turned His attention to Adam and fashioned him from the dust of the Earth. God conversed with him and set him to work. He was given tasks well before God presented him with Eve. Eve was the last of God’s miracles on day 6:
‘And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to do work in it and take care of it. And the Lord God gave the man orders, saying: you may freely take of the fruit of every tree of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not take; for, on the day when you take of it, death will certainly come to you. And the Lord God said: "It is not good for the man to be by himself: I will make one like himself as a help to him"; and from the earth the Lord God made every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and took them to the man to see what names he would give them, and whatever name he gave to any living thing, that was its name. And the man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of the air and to every beast of the field; BUT ADAM HAD NO ONE LIKE HIMSELF AS A HELP.’ (Genesis 2:15-20)
ON HIS OWN, Adam:
listened and understood God’s command what he could and could not eat.
Was told to name all the animals. What's more? It says that he completed the job!
tended the Garden of Eden.
named every living thing, including birds and fish that God brought to his attention.
could not have refrained from touching and interacting with the animals. Their appearance and behaviour spurred ideas for their naming. Animals only became aggressive and predators after The Fall.
observed nature and animal behavior. He noted that every animal had a partner of their own kind. God knew he was getting lonely. God already had in mind to make a comparable helper for him, but waited to make Adam even more appreciative of Eve as his longing continued.
Adam observed that every creature had a partner except himself. This implies that he wandered and looked around, as he would have done to name them according to their behaviour or appearance as indigenous people also do. He did not just stand there for God to parade all the animals before him like on a conveyor belt so that he could name all the animals before the sun went down.
Time, time and more time was needed for all that. Yet, day 6 was not over yet!
After all this, God put Adam into a deep sleep and made Eve from a rib by opening up his chest. When God awakened Adam God introduced Eve. I cannot imagine Adam just saying hello and call an end to day 6. He would have walked around her, inspected her and watch with amazement her eyes following him. He somehow knew that she was a derivative of his own bone. ‘And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man’. (Genesis 2:23). It was something he knew about her that made him call her woman using the same principle he had used to name animals. Even scientists name plants and animals according to similar principles.
Why is the sloth called a sloth? Because he moves so slowly and deliberately. Or, for instance, Tyrannosaurus Rex, meaning king of the terrible lizards? One would have to observe their behavior first. In botany, names are given according to appearance or peculiar properties. For example, Helianthus angustifolius just means narrow-leaf sunflower in Greek because its head follows the sun and the plant has unusually narrow leaves. You would have to observe it for days on end to come up with that conclusio0n. If the name ends with angustiflorus, it simply means ‘small-flowered’. Nurseries like to impress customers with their knowledge of botanical “scientific” names. Nothing very scientific about it, is there? But observation does require time and Adam would have taken time to observe every moving creature. He didn’t just dream up names from a selection of letters in the alphabet. They were all descriptive just like the native tribes of New Guinea are accustomed to do. All this in less than, say, six hours of daylight left? Highly improbable.
One would have to be foolish or devoid of reason to imagine that Adam could accomplish all that in the late afternoon of day 6. Everything about the Genesis account demands time!
Observations concerning Adam and Eve
In writing about Eve in the Garden of Eden, we generally refer to her as Eve. However, that was not her name in the Garden of Eden! She was called woman. That is all that Adam knew about her. Adam called her 'woman' because she was taken out of man! (Genesis 2:23). As mentioned above, she was not known by the name of Eve. In Genesis 1 and 2 she is only referred to as 'woman'. See the interesting article by an expert 'Ish & Ishah - Together Fully Human by Lois Tverberg'.
Only after The Fall, when Adam became conscious about procreation, and after the Tree of Knowledge had opened his eyes to see her nakedness in a different way, did Adam eventually call her Eve. He prophetically called her Eve because she was to be the mother of all living! (Genesis 3:20). He probably did not even know what he was saying. Their relationship took on a different role after The Fall. Only after The Fall did they become embarrassed about their sexual organs. (Genesis 3:7). That is why they tried to hide from the eyes of God and cover themselves with leaves. This is why they could spend so much time together in the Garden of Eden without having children for a few thousand years before The Fall.
Leaves wilt quickly. When God evicted them from the Garden of Eden God made them coverings of fresh animal skins instead apart from also teaching mankind the need to be covered by innocent blood. That is the true origin of the fashion industry except, that now, it has been largely corrupted to use fashion and cosmetics to incite lust or display wealth. That is also why the sons of God were more attracted to the daughters of men (Cain and his rebellious siblings) than to the daughters of the sons of righteousness. The daughters of righteousness dressed modestly and were trained by Adam and Eve. They were therefore sexually less attractive.
Adam, on the other hand, was already called Adam in the Garden of Eden because he was of rosy appearance - the flush of blood under his skin. This is the meaning of 'Adam' in Hebrew according to Strong's dictionary. King David and Jesus also had a rosy appearance (1 Samuel 16:12; Song of Solomon 5:10). This gives us further evidence about naming. Naming animals required Adam to know something about them, something about the way in which they lived. It required him to observe and to interact. It was not just a simple job of assigning a title as if animals were briefly shown to him on a moving belt. It all took time.
D. THE PATRIARCH’S OLD AGES
1000 years for a day in Genesis 2:17
‘In the day you eat of the tree you shall surely die’, but Adam lived to a ripe old age of 930 years. Oh yes, he certainly 'died' immediately in spiritual relationship to God, but there still had to be a physical outworking of that. God never lies, so how did God carry out His original threat? And it had to apply to all of mankind that followed because their DNA was in Adam (also their breath of life – see a later article). God placed the Earth and every living thing in it under the curse till our redemption is completed at the beginning of the Millennium. Jesus said, concerning the very end of time: 'And when these things begin to happen, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draws near' (Luke 21:28)
Although God wanted Adam and Eve to procreate after The Fall, their progeny were doomed to die within the same day that they were born. God promised that! Furthermore, Adam and Eve also immediately entered the process of aging, a process they had not known before - so did their many sons and daughters, and their many sons and daughters that followed. (Genesis 5:4).
‘But death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is the type of Him who was to come’ (Romans 5:14). ‘For as in Adam all die, even so, in Christ all will be made alive’ (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Could we say that not one person managed to live a full day of 1000 years? That is what God promised if they ate of the fruit of the tree - they would die within the same day!
E. WHY WILL GOD WAIT A FURTHER 1000 YEARS TO THROW SATAN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE WHEN THE ANTICHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE ALREADY THERE?
The Lake of Fire is the final place where the wicked will suffer eternally. There is no return from the Lake of Fire. At Christ's return (His Second Coming), all the wicked die at the brightness of Christ's coming. The false prophet and the beast, who caused all to receive the mark of the beast, are thrown directly into the Lake of Fire - never to return (Revelation 19:19-20).
However, Satan will suffer a different fate. He is 'chained up' and imprisoned in the abyss for 1000 years. During this time all the resurrected Christians can enjoy the presence of Christ on Earth during the Millennium - it is the day of rest that Hebrews 4:9 speaks of. At the end of the Millennium Satan is released for a short time and is only then thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:2-3). Why is that?
In the context of the Creation and The Fall, Satan rejoiced that he had caused God to curse the Earth and shorten man's life span. Satan thought he had already won by ruining God's plan for mankind. God had spectacularly failed to create mankind in His own image or so Satan thought. After The Fall, no man was to live out one of God's days by God's decree - 'The day you eat of the fruit of this tree, you shall surely die'. As our previous chart shows Methuselah got the closest to living out one of God's days. Methuselah died at the age of 969 years, 31 years short of 1000 years. Remember that time for counting age only began to tick after sin entered in.
As God had already promised the serpent back in Genesis 3:14 the serpent was to eat dust for the rest of his days. And that is true biologically as well. To track their prey, in addition to using infra-red detection, snakes use their forked tongues to sample the dust ahead and present the dust to the two glands on either side of their jaw (Jacobson's organ). This auxiliary olfactory organ allows them to decide whether to head towards the left or towards the right. So snakes literally 'eat dust'.
Spiritually, God had a lot more in store for Satan than just that demeaning gesture. God really wants to rub the serpent's nose into the dust by allowing him to witness that man can now live on Earth, in his flesh, beyond 1000 years. Satan has been, and continues to be, a hateful creature and will deserve being shamed. Isaiah (14:9-19) prophetically taunts Satan about his future demise and how he will be mocked by others in hell. The curse which Satan rejoiced over was lifted through the blood of Christ. Satan will kick himself for the rest of eternity! While he will be tormented eternally mankind will be able to live in peace eternally.
ADAM AND EVE HAD A FORETASTE OF ETERNITY
Before they sinned Adam and Eve could have maintained their eternal life-style. Many sincere Christians balk at the idea that Adam and his woman lived for ages in the Garden of Eden, even through the 7th day of God's rest, before they sinned. God rested for a thousand years on the 7th day. Then Adam and Eve lived for a few more 'days' before Satan came and tempted the woman. How can that be? A few thousand years more? We know that Adam died at the age of 930, but remember that he only began to age after he sinned. Ageing is a characteristic of The Fall. Where there is a total absence of sin there is no ageing. That is why we all will be able to live for 1000 years in the presence of Christ in the Millennium and then afterwards for all eternity (Revelation 20:4).
Before Adam sinned he could have gone on to live forever in the Garden of Eden, couldn't he? There was nothing that could have prevented that except disobeying God's command not to, in which case, God's threat would have come into effect. Why did he die? Because he sinned. The same happened to Moses and Aaron. Moses died because he struck the rock twice in the wilderness in disobedience to God.
If Adam and Eve had not sinned he and the woman could have gone on to live forever, couldn't they?
Why will you be able to live for 1000 years with Christ on this Earth? Because those who participate in the first resurrection shall have no sin.
Why will you be able to live forever when God creates a new heaven and new Earth? Because there is no sin, right? Will you be aging in heaven, getting older and older with a long beard and missing teeth? Of course not! Why not? Because after the resurrection you are totally redeemed and without sin. There can be no aging process. It will be impossible to age in eternity.
If, perchance, sin entered into your life in heaven would you continue living forever? No. Why not? Because you would have to die in the day that you sinned. That's what God promised and He never changes His promise.
The day you sin is the day you begin to age. So Adam's 930 years age was only counted from the day he sinned!! God has safeguarded resurrection life in heaven in such a way, that once resurrected it will be utterly impossible to sin again because we are finally totally in Him at our final redemption.
'When these things begin to happen, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near' (Luke 21:28). In this context He is talking to those who already have been redeemed. There is a final touch to come.
After The Fall, from a biological point of view, DNA became more and more corrupted as DNA copied (replicated) itself over and over again - trillion to trillions of times over generations, the natural life spans of their progeny decreasing all the while towards our current life expectancy. My previous graph on life spans shows that events leading up to Noah's Flood had an enormous impact on sharply reducing our life spans, such was the influence of exceedingly great sin. The world is steadily progressing towards the same fate as immorality and corruption gain increased momentum:
'For this is hidden from them by their willing it, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of the water, and through water, being held together by the Word of God, through which the world that then was, being flooded by water, perished. But the present heavens and the earth being kept in store by the same Word, are being kept for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But, beloved, let not this one thing be hidden from you, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up. Then, all these things being about to be dissolved, what sort ought you to be in holy behavior and godliness, looking for and rushing the coming of the Day of God, on account of which the heavens, being on fire, will melt away, and the elements will melt, burning with heat? But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells'. (2Peter 3:5-13).