To the Forum;
An Atheist put me on the right track.
He spotted these contradictions between Chaps. 1 & 2.
A) "Let the earth bring forth grass, HERB ... the third day" - Gen 1.11, 13.
B) "the Lord God made the earth and the heavens before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any HERB of the field had grown ..." - Gen 2.4-5.
THE CRITICAL FACTOR = HERB.
In Chap. 1 the HERB was on the third day.
In Chap. 2 the HERB was after God made the earth and the heavens.
So then, the Atheist had spotted the difference for me.
I burned with shame that an Atheist could read the Bible better than me.
Alexander Campbell explained this reading the Bible with a creed in your mind as, "they are reading with tinted glasses."
And, that is what had happened to me; "The simple believes every word, but the prudent looks well to his going" (Prov 14.15).
But then the Atheist undid all his good work with these words,
"This proves that the Bible is full of contradictions, and so, there is no God."
"The fool has said in his heart, 'No God'" - Ps 53.1.
Immediately, I said to myself, "I can do better than that."
So then, I ended up with a book manuscript entitled, "The Parable of the 7 Days of Creation."
Day #2 = Gen 37.9-10; Jacob = Sun, Leah = Moon, Sons of Jacob = Stars; combined they = Government; or, Heavens.
Days 6 & 7 = "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is Day [Morning of the 6th Day], Night [Evening of the 7th Day] is coming when no one can work" - Jn 9.4.
Night 7 = "For the Night [Evening of the 7th Day] is far spent, the Day [Morning of the 7th Day] is at hand" - Rom 13.12.
"For the Evening (first) and the Morning were the first day" - Gen 1.5.
Day 7 = "Moreover the light of the [New] Moon [High Priest] as the light of the [New] Sun [King], and the light of the Sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days [of the old Sun] ..." - Isa 30.26.
A) Jesus = New High Priest, Heb 8.1.
B) Jesus = New King (Key of David - Rev 3.7).
C) Light of Israel = 1600 Furlongs (200 Miles) - Rev 14.20.
D) Light of New Jerusalem (in AD 77) = 12,000 Furlongs (1500 Miles).
E) 1600 F. X 7.5 = 12,000 F.
200 M. X 7.5 = 1500 M.
STREET OF GOLD.
"In that Day [AD 77], there will be a Highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that Day
[AD 77] Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria -- a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, 'Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance'" - Isa 19.23-25.
And, prophecy employing symbolism, these three nations referred to the scattered tribes of Israel, in AD 77 (that is another subject).
And, this is the reconciliation of The Parable of Creation (Gen 1), and the Literal Creation (Gen 2).
"There shall be no night there" - Rev 21.25.
The reason that New Jerusalem has no Night is that she replaced the 7th Night.
"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done" - Gen 2.2.
THREE AGES OF MAN.
Pre-flood, Old Heavens, New Heavens (New Jerusalem) - 2Pet 3.6,
3.7-10, 3.13.
THE MARK OF THE BEAST; 3 = 2. See: Rev 13.6; Dan 7.25.
hoaryhead