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CHAPTER NINE
THE EVENING AND THE
MORNING
There are some logistical problems with the standard interpretation of this phrase
that may indicate something unconventional is taking place here. When and where does dawn
arrive on a planet that is in constant rotation? Where is the reference point on the Earth
that experiences the rising sun? At any time during a 24-hour day, the sun is both rising
and setting somewhere on our planet. As experienced from the barren world of the First Day,
without any reference point, it is impossible to differentiate between evening and morning.
Both events are occurring simultaneously somewhere on our world. The problem is that these
terms can only possess their traditional meanings from a particular location on the Earth.
Since no such place is mentioned anywhere in the Creation Story, and the only stated
reference point is the entire planet, these terms - as understood by the general reader - are
illogical. The entire Earth cannot experience a morning or an evening.
This is the most compelling reason that I believe we should abandon the most common
and popular definitions of "evening" and "morning" in this story. The word "evening" is not
describing the setting of the sun, which is followed by twilight and then darkness. "Morning"
is not the introduction of dawn, followed by a rising sun. Neither would make sense in this
passage since the world experiences both events simultaneously, all of the time. Since the
primary definitions produced illogical results, it is necessary to turn to secondary
definitions. "Evening" can be thought of as an "end" or an "ending" to a period of
creativity, while "morning" can be perceived as the "beginning" of another period of
creativity.2
NOTE:
2. Hugh Ross, Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective, Rev. Ed.
(Pasadena, CA: Reasons To Believe, 1983), p.17
(These are selected paragraphs within this chapter. This is not the entire chapter.)
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