God's creative activities during the six "days" outlined in Genesis.

The following chart sets forth God's creative activities during the six "days" outlined in Genesis.

EARTHLY CREATIVE WORKS OF JEHOVAH

Day No. Creative Works Texts

1 Light; division between day and night Ge 1:3-5

2 Expanse, a division between waters
beneath the expanse and waters above it Ge 1:6-8

3 Dry land; vegetation Ge 1:9-13

4 Heavenly luminaries become discernible
from earth Ge 1:14-19

5 Aquatic souls and flying creatures Ge 1:20-23

6 Land animals; man Ge 1:24-31

Genesis 1:1, 2 relates to a time before the six "days" outlined above. When these "days" commenced, the sun, moon, and stars were already in existence, their creation being referred to at Genesis 1:1. However, prior to these six "days" of creative activity "the earth proved to be formless and waste and there was darkness upon the surface of the watery deep." (Ge 1:2) Apparently, a swaddling band of cloud layers still enveloped the earth, preventing light from reaching its surface.

When God said on Day One, "Let light come to be," diffused light evidently penetrated the cloud layers even though the sources of that light could not yet be discerned from the earth's surface. It seems that this was a gradual process, as is indicated by translator J. W. Watts: "And gradually light came into existence." (Ge 1:3, A Distinctive Translation of Genesis) God brought about a division between the light and the darkness, calling the light Day and the darkness Night. This indicates that the earth was rotating on its axis as it revolved around the sun, so that its hemispheres, eastern and western, could enjoy periods of light and darkness.-Ge 1:3, 4.

On Day Two God made an expanse by causing a division to occur "between the waters and the waters." Some waters remained on the earth, but a great amount of water was raised high above the surface of the earth, and in between these two there came to be an expanse. God called the expanse Heaven, but this was with relation to the earth, as the waters suspended above the expanse are not said to have enclosed stars or other bodies of the outer heavens.-Ge 1:6-8; see EXPANSE.

On Day Three by God's miracle-working power the waters on the earth were brought together and dry land appeared, God calling it Earth. It was also on this day that, through no chance factors or evolutionary processes, God acted to superimpose the life principle upon atoms of matter, so that grass, vegetation, and fruit trees were brought into existence. Each of these three general divisions was capable of reproducing according to its "kind."-Ge 1:9-13.

The divine will concerning luminaries was accomplished on Day Four, it being stated: "God proceeded to make the two great luminaries, the greater luminary for dominating the day and the lesser luminary for dominating the night, and also the stars. Thus God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth, and to dominate by day and by night and to make a division between the light and the darkness." (Ge 1:16-18) In view of the description of these luminaries, the greater luminary was quite apparently the sun and the lesser luminary the moon, though the sun and moon are not specifically named in the Bible until after its account of the Flood of Noah's day.-Ge 15:12; 37:9.

Previously, on the first "day," the expression "Let light come to be" was used. The Hebrew word there used for "light" is ?ohr, meaning light in a general sense. But on the fourth "day," the Hebrew word changes to ma??ohr?, which refers to a luminary or source of light. (Ge 1:14) So, on the first "day" diffused light evidently penetrated the swaddling bands, but the sources of that light could not have been seen by an earthly observer. Now, on the fourth "day," things evidently changed.

It is also noteworthy that at Genesis 1:16 the Hebrew verb ba?ra??, meaning "create," is not used. Instead, the Hebrew verb `a?sah?, meaning "make," is employed. Since the sun, moon, and stars are included in "the heavens" mentioned in Genesis 1:1, they were created long before Day Four. On the fourth day God proceeded to "make" these celestial bodies occupy a new relationship toward earth's surface and the expanse above it. When it is said, "God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth," this would indicate that they now became discernible from the surface of the earth, as though they were in the expanse. Also, the luminaries were to "serve as signs and for seasons and for days and years," thus later providing guidance for man in various ways.-Ge 1:14.

Day Five was marked by the creation of the first nonhuman souls on earth. Not just one creature purposed by God to evolve into other forms, but literally swarms of living souls were then brought forth by divine power. It is stated: "God proceeded to create the great sea monsters and every living soul that moves about, which the waters swarmed forth according to their kinds, and every winged flying creature according to its kind." Pleased with what He had produced, God blessed them and, in effect, told them to "become many," which was possible, for these creatures of many different family kinds were divinely endowed with the ability to reproduce "according to their kinds."-Ge 1:20-23.

On Day Six "God proceeded to make the wild beast of the earth according to its kind and the domestic animal according to its kind and every moving animal of the ground according to its kind," such work being good, as were all of God's previous creative works.-Ge 1:24, 25.

Toward the end of the sixth day of creative activity, God brought into existence an entirely new kind of creature, superior to the animals even though lower than the angels. This was man, created in God's image and after his likeness. While Genesis 1:27 briefly states concerning humankind "male and female he [God] created them," the parallel account at Genesis 2:7-9 shows that Jehovah God formed man out of the dust of the ground, blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul, for whom a paradise home and food were provided. In this case Jehovah used the elements of the earth in creative work and then, having formed man, He created the female of humankind using one of Adam's ribs as a base. (Ge 2:18-25) With the creation of the woman, man was complete as a "kind."-Ge 5:1, 2.

God then blessed mankind, telling the first man and his wife: "Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving upon the earth." (Ge 1:28; compare Ps 8:4-8.) For humankind and other earthly creatures, God made adequate provision by giving them "all green vegetation for food." Reporting on the results of such creative work, the inspired Record states: "After that God saw everything he had made and, look! it was very good." (Ge 1:29-31) The sixth day having come to its successful conclusion and God having completed this creative work, "he proceeded to rest on the seventh day from all his work that he had made."-Ge 2:1-3.

Concluding the review of accomplishments on each of the six days of creative activity is the statement, "And there came to be evening and there came to be morning," a first, second, third day, and so forth. (Ge 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) Since the length of each creative day exceeded 24 hours (as will be discussed later), this expression does not apply to literal night and day but is figurative. During the evening period things would be indistinct; but in the morning they would become clearly discernible. During the "evening," or beginning, of each creative period, or "day," God's purpose for that day, though fully known to him, would be indistinct to any angelic observers. However, when the "morning" arrived there would be full light as to what God had purposed for that day, it having been accomplished by that time.-Compare Pr 4:18.

Length of Creative Days. The Bible does not specify the length of each of the creative periods. Yet all six of them have ended, it being said with respect to the sixth day (as in the case of each of the preceding five days): "And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, a sixth day." (Ge 1:31) However, this statement is not made regarding the seventh day, on which God proceeded to rest, indicating that it continued. (Ge 2:1-3) Also, more than 4,000 years after the seventh day, or God's rest day, commenced, Paul indicated that it was still in progress. At Hebrews 4:1-11 he referred to the earlier words of David (Ps 95:7, 8, 11) and to Genesis 2:2 and urged: "Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest." By the apostle's time, the seventh day had been continuing for thousands of years and had not yet ended. The Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, who is Scripturally identified as "Lord of the sabbath" (Mt 12:8), is evidently part of the great sabbath, God's rest day. (Re 20:1-6) This would indicate the passing of thousands of years from the commencement of God's rest day to its end. The week of days set forth at Genesis 1:3 to 2:3, the last of which is a sabbath, seems to parallel the week into which the Israelites divided their time, observing a sabbath on the seventh day thereof, in keeping with the divine will. (Ex 20:8-11) And, since the seventh day has been continuing for thousands of years, it may reasonably be concluded that each of the six creative periods, or days, was at least thousands of years in length.