Was There an 8th Day of Creation?

[Prodigal Son]

For most who read and believe scripture, the account of creation in Genesis is understood to have taken place in six days, the seventh day being that one which was set apart as a day of rest from all that YHWH made. There are, however, some who do not believe that creation ceased on day six, but proceeded to day eight on which Adam, who is normally thought of as the first man, was created.

 

Those who have this view do not consider Adam and Eve to have been the first humans on Earth, but rather believe that those who were made on day six were a separate creation of human/ humanoid beings. Often it is explained in terms of these first ones having been all the various races minus that one which was chosen to bring forth Messiah, who was Adam, created on day eight.

 

It would not be wise to choose either view simply on how the information impresses one at first thought. Neither adhering to the more well accepted sixth day creation because of tradition, nor adopting the eight day view because of its novelty are good foundations for a clear answer. Perhaps many who choose either one, having encountered both, do so on the grounds of one of those two reasons but all interpretation should be tested thoroughly.

 

Support for the belief in an eighth day creation for Adam are often the following:

 

1. There is a clear distinction in the telling of the sixth day "humans" and the later telling of the creation of Adam. (Genesis 1 and Genesis 2)

 

2. The first people were created "in His image" both male and female, rather than Adam who was created alone (and androgynous) and later had a wife made for him out of his own flesh.

 

3. The first people were created, while Adam was "formed" out of the ground

 

4. There is a correlation between the first people created and the "beast of the earth" created on the sixth day.

 

5. The creation of the "eighth day" is evident in the pattern for all of human history - 7,000 years followed by the "eighth day" of the new creation.

 

6. The "breath of life" breathed into Adam is synonymous with a soul or spirit which the first created people did not have. The first people had YHWH's likeness, the second had His spirit.

 

7. Cain mentioned "everyone" who found him would kill him for his crime against Abel and the only explanation for those others is that there were people created prior to Adam and Eve.

 

8. Cain found a wife and this wife must have been one of those of the people who had been made before Adam and Eve.

 

Knowing whether or not these points are a good support for the theory means addressing each one in the context of scripture, demanding that scripture make a probable, not just possible case for it. The same is true of the conventional understanding. His word is not given in a way that requires us to guess. In theend, all correct interpretations will be those which add up to the simplest and most comprehensible answer according to literal language.

 

One Act or Two?

 

In Genesis chapter 1 there is a chronological description of creation, describing each day and what was made on that day. The first day describes the creation of the Earth, light, day and night. On the second day was the creation of the firmament of heaven. On the third day, dry land was made to appear and created plant life. On day four were the luminaries of heaven made, the stars, sun and moon. On day five were made sea creatures and birds. On day six, land animals were made, reptiles, mammals and finally people.

 

"Then 'Elohiym said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind. Cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to its kind," and it was so. And 'Elohiym made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and 'Elohiym saw that it was good.

Then 'Elohiym said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So 'Elohiym created the man in His image, in the image of 'Elohiym He created him, male and female He created them." - Genesis 1:24-27

 

The seventh day is then set apart for rest from all these things YHWH made, but after the description of the seventh day comes another telling of the creation of humans.

 

"And Yahuwah 'Elohiym formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature.
Yahuwah 'Elohiym planted a garden eastward in 'Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed". - Genesis 2:7,8

 

Is this a continuation of the account proceeding in chronological order to the eighth day? There are two points which seriously hinder this being probable. All other days described before this are done in such a precise way as to pointedly mention the beginning and ending of each "the evening and the morning"as in: "So the evening and the morning were Day One." , also giving each day aclear number. This is absent for an eighth day. There is no mention of an evening and a morning encompassing a certain day on which this occurred nor is there any mention of "day eight".

 

The second hindrance is an even more difficult one to justify. The proclamation of the end of the sixth day reads like this:

 

Thus the heavens and the earth and all (kol: whole, all, any every) the host of them were finished (kalah: end, to be finished, ceased). - Genesis 2:1

 

There is a clear statement that all things had been made at this point and that following this was cessation from the act of creation.

 

In His Image: Created or Formed?

 

Is there an indication that the first account describes a simultaneous "creation" of man and woman while the second describes a process of "forming" Adam alone from the clay?

 

The first account reads as follows:

 

"So 'Elohiym created (bara: create) the man (adam) in His image, in the image of 'Elohiym He created him, male and female He created (bara:create) them." - Genesis 1:27

 

Here there is the word "bara" which is pointed out as differing from the word used in the "forming" of Adam in Genesis 2:

 

"And Yahuwah 'Elohiym formed (yatsar: mold, squeeze) the man (adam) of the dust of the ground" - Genesis 2:7

 

If there is a point being made here referencing a different mode of creation employed between the first and second humans, it should by all means remain consistent. It is, however, not the case. In Genesis 4 is the account of the birth of Seth, who is born in replacement of the slain Abel. We must be assured that Seth was the son of Adam and Eve, this being repeated throughout scripture many times, not the son of an earlier creation of humans. Following this account is the use of the word "bara" (create) in reference to Adam and Eve as well as a reference to their creation "in His image".

 

"And 'Adam knew his wife again and she bare a son and called his name Sheth, "For 'Elohiym," she said, "has appointed me another seed instead of 'Hebel whom Qayin slew." And to Sheth, to him also there was born a son and he called his name 'Enowsh. Then men began to call upon the name of Yahuwah. This is the book of the generations of man (adam) in the day that 'Elohiym created mankind. In the likeness of 'Elohiym He made him, male and female He created (bara) them and blessed them and called their name 'Adam in the day when they were created." - Genesis 4: 25,26, Genesis 5:1,2

 

Beast of the Earth connected to First Humans?

 

It is often believed among those who support an 8th day creation that the description of the creation of the "beast of the Earth" in Genesis is synonymous with those first humans created prior to Adam. This is also, many times, connected with the Beast of the Earth mentioned in Revelation.

 

Scripture gives the account of the creation of the "beast of the Earth" in Genesis like this:

 

 "And 'Elohiym made the beast (chay: life,living) of the earth according to its kind, cattle (behemah) according to its kind, and everything that creeps (remes:reptile) on the earth according to its kind, and 'Elohiym saw that it was
good. ." - Genesis 1:25

 

There is perhaps little to be said of this as any connection to the creation of human or humanlike creatures. The word "chay" preceding a list of animals which were made on the sixth day could only logically be a collective statement before a more detailed list. It is not a word which is specific to any certain sort of living creature.

 

Where this connection is usually made, it is included within a doctrine that strongly supports the idea of a superior race and lesser peoples who are made fundamentally different by the manner of their creation. It is often found in Christian identity and British Israelism cults and follows the ages old tradition of an idea which began in the rulership of nephilim over weaker humans. Turned upside down, this idea is given a Christian face with which to
tempt the pride of believers and alienate various ethnic groups from Christianity.

 

Is the Future New Heaven and Earth created on an "eighth day"?

 

It is said that one day is equal to a thousand years in the eyes of YHWH and though the precise days of creation are given in terms of 24 hour intervals, the whole of human history might be sensibly mapped out over a week of millennia. It is completed, therefor, in the same time construct as the act of creation. It is theorized that if Adam was the new creation of the eighth day,his creation coincides with the new heaven and new earth to be created after the thousand year Sabbath of Messiah's reign.

 

The difficulty with this idea is that the model we have been given to observe has no day eight. We are shown a seven day cycle, the last day of which is Sabbath and the following day is not day eight, but day one. The concept of a day eight in the cycle is only applicable within an occult context where there is an emphasis on day eight being the day of the phoenix, the rebirth, the new age.

 

Sabbath by it's very nature, is special because it is the final touch on creation, it is the moment where the labors are enjoyed instead of toiled over, it is the sum reward of all things worked for. When the millennial reign of Messiah ends, we should not expect and eternal rotation of the same patterns of time we now have. By being a new creation, even time itself will not be measurable by any present concept of it, that also, will be new. There can be no day eight in a new creation as eight proceeds from the prior series of numbers1-7 and is not, by definition, new.

 

Did Elohim impart His spirit to Adam but not to the first humans?

 

In Genesis 1:26 it is said that "man" is made in His image:

 

"Then 'Elohiym said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." - Genesis 1:26

 

The later account describes the formation of Adam and how he became a living being:

 

 "And Yahuwah 'Elohiym formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living creature." - Genesis 2:7

 

It is believed by many who see these as separate creations that this describes the difference between those first humans and Adam. While the first received the physical likeness of their maker, the second received His Spirit, indicated by the words "breath of life".

 

The phrase"breath of life"  and "living soul" is understood in this belief to refer to life in a spiritual or eternal sense. The words themselves, though, do not indicate a special or eternal sort of life which was exclusively given to Adam, but rather an animating force which is applicable to all things which live and breathe.

 

"And Yahuwah 'Elohiym formed (yatsar: mold, squeeze) the man (adam) of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (n'shamah: puff, wind, breath)  of life (chay:life,living) and the man (adam) became a living (chay) soul (nephesh: breathing, living creature). Yahuwah 'Elohiym planted a garden eastward in 'Eden and there He put the man (adam) whom He had formed
(yatsar). - Genesis 2:7,8"

 

Here "chay" is used, just as it is used earlier in Genesis to describe the sort of life which animals have. The word "nephesh", which is often translated as "soul" cannot be understood in the sense of what people normally think of as a soul. It, also, is used to describe a creature, any creature, who is living and breathing as shown here:

 

"So 'Elohiym created great sea creatures and every living thing (nephesh) that moves, with which the waters abounded according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind, and 'Elohiym saw that it was good." - Genesis
1:21

 

Was the "everyone" Cain was afraid of an indication of multitudes of humans made before Adam?

 

Cain made this well known statement when he was cursed by YHWH to become a vagabond for the murder of his brother:

 

"And Qayin said to Yahuwah, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!
Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground. I shall be hidden from Your face. I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth and
it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." - Genesis 4:13,14

 

Anyone or "every one" ,as it is given in the KJV, is seen as indicating a great number of people. That indication is not literally present but thought to implied by the way it is often used in the context of the English language. The word is translated from "kol" which properly means, any, all or every. It does not indicate a number, either few or many, but simply describes any or every of whatever certain group is in question. It would make as much sense if Adam and Eve were the only two others as much as it would if there were multitudes of others.

 

Jubilees is a helpful text in considering the theory of the eighth day creation as a whole and it gives a good idea of how many people were on earth as produced through Adam and Eve at the time of this event. Without including possible grandchildren there would have been approximately eleven children of Adam and Eve alive at the time conservatively. All of these would perhaps feel justified in seeking due vengeance for their brother's murder.

 

" And in the third week in the second jubilee she gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth she gave birth to Abel, and in the fifth she gave birth to her daughter Âwân. And in the first (year) of the third jubilee, Cain slew Abel because (God) accepted the sacrifice of Abel, and did not accept the offering of Cain" - Jubilees 4:1,2

 

Where did Cain find a wife?

 

It is often pointed out that Cain could not have gotten a wife anywhere if there had not been "other" humans present who were not of his own parents. There is no reason to assume this, however. The command against incest had not yet been given, and for a good reason, all who were available for marriage in the beginnings were siblings. Jubilees also offers insight to Cain's wife:

 

" And Cain took ’Âwân his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch at the close of the fourth jubilee. And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee, houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city, and called its name after the name of his son Enoch. " - Jubilees 4:9

 

The introduction of the theory of two creations of mankind is an important indicator of the motive, reasoning and philosophy behind it. If it were intended as the interpretation we should receive from His word, its teaching should bear the fruit of that and be identifiable in both ancient Judaism (before Babylon) as well as the early Christian church. Where it has sprung up, though is not in either of these places, but in the mind of a Jew who lived in Alexandria and who was much more a student of Greek pagan philosophy than Judaism.

 

Philo of Alexandria was known for his writings which attempted to meld together traditional Judaism and Greek philosophy. It is an attempt which is not unlike the goal the Catholic church worked toward in melding together Christianity and pagan religious systems. He interpreted nothing in scripture as literally true, but believed in a symbolic and allegoric interpretation which in essence means nothing, as no symbol is meaningful without a clear object or truth which it symbolizes. If YHWH meant to give us riddles which only a few
could understand, why then can we easily recognize the message present in His
word that demonstrates how He uses simplicity and lowliness rather than worldly wisdom and high estate?

 

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength because of Your enemies that You may silence the enemy and the avenger". -Psalm 8:2

 

Philo sought to"reveal" a cryptic and hidden meaning in the bible which was not there, the same snare which continually draws believers, even today, down a path of speculation which inevitably draws ever nearer a pagan religious system and away from a truth YHWH plainly gave.  One of these cryptic meanings he revealed to his followers was the theory of an eighth day creation, stating that the first men were made in a perishable physical image of their maker but the second were created as creatures with His spirit. The very theory that makes it's appearance in the beliefs of many seeking Christians today originated in a man who taught concepts which were derived out of Greek Mystery Religions.

 

We have a Creator who has given us a perfect representation of truth in a most logical, most common sense way. and i have never known anything written to have made as much sense as His word does when read just as it reads. It is the persistent Author of Confusion, Satan, who seeks to make what was simple into something complicated, knotted and difficult to follow. There might be no better general rule of reading His word than "if it is not said, it was not meant.".

 

 

 

[Bean]

i really enjoyed reading this article.. a good friend once explained to me that 'the truth is simple. a lie is complicated.' and any adult who's ever lied knows how true and right that statement is.

even a long non-fiction account of detailed circumstances surrounding a home burglary would be easier to remember six months later than all the matching answers to the questions the police asked regarding a short lie about a similar, but fabricated, robbery.

being at the mercy of unexpected circumstances and, often in addition, being practically helpless against those circumstances usually makes for a blazing recollection of an event.

made-up answers to a detective's interrogation of a person who lied about a break-in would have to be carefully thought out, strategically arranged and meticulously memorized without the benefit of the 'mind burning' trauma that would accompany a real crisis.

those of us who have lied about much lighter things than robbery know how complicated a task it is to keep even a short lie straight, especially compared to the easy-breezy liberty of remembering a long list of the true details of a real event.

the '8th day' idea is so complicated,

a statement like 'At work on the 6th i made a pottery vessel, I didn't make anything on the 7th because i was finished.. i fashioned the vessel from clay.' makes sense.. no one would have cause to believe that 'the vessel from clay' was different than the 'pottery vessel' nor that it had been made at a later date, such as on an unmentioned '8th day'..

'On the 6th day the Creator made man in His image.. on the 7th day He did not work at creating because He was finished, so He rested.. He fashioned the man from clay' - there's no more reason here to suspect that the 'man from clay' is any different than the 'man in His image' or to reason that this separate, heretofore unmentioned man was made at a later unmentioned date.. the idea that he was, is very complicated.

'on day 6 mankind was made then on day 7 there was rest then on another unmentioned day there was another creation of another Adam and even though Adam is real important, more important than the animals made on the mentioned 6th day for example, the specific day he was made is not even brought into the account but that is OK because now suddenly what is important is what is not mentioned by the Creator, but what you are told by others, and what is mentioned by the Creator now is not important.. '

a complicated answer that leaves one questioning and unanswered.. and makes no sense at all other than, as you said, to feed personal Pride, especially when used to explain something as simple as 'He made Adam on the 6th day and rested on the 7th. He formed him from clay.'

Understanding the statements surrounding the creation of Adam is something that used to be taught to 7-year-old children as a thing called 'reading comprehension'.. it used to be a big deal in school..it once was the focus of nearly all English and Literature courses..and the thing which rested upon the endangered and nearly extinct tenets of the now-elusive 'grammar'.. a thing which also used to be taught to young children..

but all of that was 'way back then' when the KJV bible was listed as an '8th grade reading level' book.. a whole (gasp) 20 years ago.

when i first saw that there were 2 mentions of Adam's making i wondered, and i think most people would.. but seeing as how it's stated that he was made on the 6th day and no other subsequent creation day is mentioned, it stood to reason that the second mention simply details the first - and doesn't that make sense?

Adam was the most important element of creation, followed directly by Eve.

Adam was the one who had to exist, followed by Eve, for Messiah to ultimately be born to one of their descendants.. everything else in creation could have been non-existent for that purpose, The creation of Adam and Eve is the beginning of the story of Messiah in the flesh.. there should be no surprise that such an important element as this would be revisited.

it's really not much different than any other news item.. 'Results of the week-long garden competition are as follows; Sunday the 6th-place ribbon went to Sue.. Monday the 5th place ribbon went to Mary.. Tuesday the 4th place went to Tom.. Wednesday 3rd place to Will.. Thursday 2nd place to Thurman.. Friday the grand 1st prize to Fred. The competition ended Friday evening and everyone rested on Saturday. the grand 1st prize went to Fred for his exemplary green-bean plant. the plant was 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Fred was presented with the blue ribbon during a formal event Friday evening.'

the fact that Adam and Eve's formation is revisited provides rational punctuation to the week-long Creation account because it is the real 'genesis' of the history of Messiah on Earth in the flesh, and His work here on Earth - the good news of salvation in Him - which is the main subject of the bible.

 

[Cyprium]

I've always thought...how odd would it be if YHWH had made a regular practice of being intentionally confusing? What purpose would there be for that exactly unless He was not interested in making His message understandable? Would there be a time at judgment that He would rebuke those who never understood what He had never said? His attribute as a just Creator would seem to utterly contradict any such notion.

[Bean]

'..Yahuwah is not the author of confusion but of peace..' 1Corinthians 14:33 

 

'..I am Yahuwah and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth. I did not say to the seed of Ya'aqob, 'Seek Me in vain.' I, Yahuwah, speak righteousness. I declare things that are right.' Isaiah 45:18,19

 

'..if you obey the voice of Yahuwah your 'Eloah, to keep His commandments and His statutes that are written in this Book of the Law and if you turn to Yahuwah your 'Eloah with all your heart and with all your soul.

For this commandment that I command you today is  not too mysterious for you nor is it far off.

It is not in the sky that you should say, 'Who will ascend into the sky for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?'

Nor is it beyond the sea that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?'

But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. 

See? I have set before you today life and good, death and evil,

I command you today to love Yahuwah your 'Eloah, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live..'

Deuteronomy 30:10-16

 

"Would there be a time at judgment that He would rebuke those who never understood what He had never said? His attribute as a just Creator would seem to utterly contradict any such notion." 

 

'He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. An 'El of truth and without injustice. He is righteous and upright.' Deuteronomy 32:4

 

'Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the 'Eloah of my salvation.' Psalms 25:5

 

'For the word of Yahuwah is right and all His work is done in truth.' Psalms 33:4

 

'For Yahuwah is good! His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.' Psalms 100:5

 

'I have chosen the way of truth. Your judgments I have laid before me.' Psalms 119:30

 

'..if you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' John 8:31,32