The creation of the world took place in six days. Some argue between literal and non-literal days. This article will not discuss that. Instead, we will cover what happened on each of the seven days of creation. To begin we’ll address the difference between six and seven days of creation.
Six or Seven Creation Days?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in six days. Within these days are the various things God created. After God was finished creating for six days, he rested on the seventh. So why would the seventh day be considered a day of creation? Because God set apart the seventh day as special.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:1-3).
The seventh day of creation is just as important as the other six — rest is as important as work.
Each day of the six days of creation God created something different. However, there is one important thing to take note of that God did every day of the six days. Each day “God said” and what he called for — became. Other scriptures support the literalness of this.
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen (Hebrews 11:3, NLT).
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth (Psalm 33:6).
When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared (Psalm 33:9, GNT).
God’s word contains creative power.
Day One - Light
On the first day of creation, you might think God created light. In Genesis 1:3, it seems so. “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
However, in 1 John 1:5, we read how “God is light.”
God began the creation process of the universe by extending himself, by sending his energy out. Everything that exists is made of light, including water, and scientists confirm that the universe is still expanding at the speed of light.
On the first day, he separated the light from the dark creating day and night.
Day Two - Firmament (Heavens and Earth)
On the second day, God created an “expanse” or as some translations call it, a firmament.
“Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day (Genesis 1:6-8).
The firmament separated the earth from the heavens.
Day Three - Land and Plants
There are two specific things God accomplished on day three. One is the separation of land from the waters. And the second was creating vegetation. These weren’t random acts. They were deliberate organization for the continuance of life. The water God gathered together, he called seas; and within each form of vegetation he put seeds, “each according to its kind.”
Life as we can recognize it began on day three “and God saw that it was good.”
Day Four - Sun, Moon, Stars
The fourth day’s activity confuses some as God created the sun, moon, and stars after he created light. Our human tendency is to see the sun, moon, and stars as the source of light — but God is light.
These three sources of light are under God’s rule. As it is written, the lights God created were set to rule the day and the night, the days and years, and the seasons.
“Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night — and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:14-18).
These lights that God created to rule over time and seasons are set to endure as long as the earth remains.
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).
Once again, God saw what he had created was good.
Day Five - Birds and Sea Creatures
On the fifth day, God created more life. Once again, he sees it as good. But this time he adds something else.
“Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth” (Genesis 1:20-22).
The Blessing of the Lord enters the world on day five.
Day Six - Animals and Human
Things escalated on the sixth day of creation. God created all the different kinds of animals and “everything that creeps on the ground” and sees them as good.
Then the Trinity is revealed as they declare their intent for humanity.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26).
After that declaration, humanity is created in the image of the Trinity, blessed by them, and given the following decree.
“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food” (Genesis 1:28-29).
Day 7 - A Day of Rest
God decreed the entirety of his creation as “very good” and moved into his rest. An entire article could be written regarding God’s Sabbath. For now, pause and contemplate God’s valuation of humanity in Psalm 8:5, “You made them inferior only to yourself; you crowned them with glory and honor” (GNT).
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Margarita Balashova
Danielle Bernock is an international, award-winning author, coach, and speaker who helps people embrace their value and heal their souls through the power of the love of God. She’s written Emerging With Wings, A Bird Named Payn, Love’s Manifesto, Because You Matter, and hosts the Victorious Souls Podcast. A long-time follower of Christ, Danielle lives with her husband in Michigan near her adult children and grandchildren. For more information or to connect with Danielle https://www.daniellebernock.com/
