When interpreting the Genesis Creation LITERALLY, does there EXIST a better cosmological explanation then a geocentric earth?

Question

The Genesis account of creation tells of YHWH creating the earth and heavens on the first day. Then 3 days later He created the luminaries.

From a literal interpretation, is there an alternative explanation besides a geocentric earth(dryland), which is also more RATIONAL?

Geocentrism (noun) - the concept that the earth is the center of God's creation.

Rational (adj) - Consistent with or based on reason or good judgment; logical or sensible.

Premise

Genesis 1 KJV

10 And God called the dry land earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

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Edit: Please to not down vote this good question because you can't provide a good answer. We are all searching for Truth here.

Science is a method, not a body of knowledge. Any science that is contrary to the words of God must be assumed to have been conducted from bias or without precision and therefore are subjective and wrong. A rational scientific concept is a logically true explanation. What are the logically true explanations of the OT verses in the premise? I can only think of one which spawned the question in my mind.

Answer 1

The real answers to the question will look more like a sidestep, akin to Jesus' response to Nicodemus' question in the garden. I'll get to those, but will start with scientific texts from the Bible on the general topic, as that is what you are ostensibly seeking.

God Stretches Out the Heavens

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (Isaiah 40:22, KJV)

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8, KJV)

Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: (Isaiah 42:5, KJV)

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. (Jeremiah 10:12, KJV)

And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? (Isaiah 51:13, KJV)

Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: (Psalm 104:2, KJV)

Astronomers tell us that it appears the universe is expanding. These verses would appear to say the same. There is a consistent theme with each of them that God is stretching out the heavens. Some apparently put this in past tense, others in present tense. Hebrew does not have tenses, though, so translation is a bit complicated as to exactly when the events occur. Hebrew has many verb forms, but they are directed more at chronological sequence or causation than actual times. And God is a God of the present.

The "Circle of the Earth"

Isaiah 40:22, already referenced above, speaks of the "circle of the earth." The word "sphere" is not found in the Bible, nor is "orb", nor "globe." But all of these are, without doubt, circular objects.

The Sun Goes "Down"

Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. (Isaiah 60:20, KJV)

The language used in the Bible is human language, and humans see everything from their own self-centric perspectives. The sun "goes down" because that is what our senses perceive. Even in English we say this. The sun "sets", there is "sunrise" and "sundown" and "sun up" etc. We know, scientifically, that the earth is rotating on its axis and only very gradually orbiting the sun--but we still don't say things like "the earth rotated us into its shadow." Neither should such unnatural language be expected of the Bible.

The Real Answers

God could simply have told us that He had created all we see in one week's time, resting on the last day to give us a day for commemoration of His work. He needn't have given the details for each day. They really were not significant, as long as we knew that God had created all. But God, in His wisdom and foreknowledge, did not give us the details just as trivia on our origins. He was giving us a prophetic look into the major chapters of earth's history that were about to unfold.

To understand the prophecy, one must first know the time formula to apply. It is found in 2 Peter 3:8 and in Psalm 90:4.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4, KJV)

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8, KJV)

So one day of actual time will represent a millennium in prophetic time. This explains Genesis 2:17 where God tells Adam, who lived to be 930 years old, that he would die the "day" he ate of the forbidden fruit.

Day 1

God created light. Light represents truth; as opposed to darkness which symbolizes error or ignorance. Psalm 43:3 and John 3:21 use "light" and "truth" in parallel fashion.

Prophetic application: The first millennium was filled with truth. No atheists existed. Anyone could speak to Adam and learn the truth from him. They could also see the angels with flaming swords guarding the entrances to Eden. Truth was in abundance--which is why their deliberate choice to rebel was so egregious.

Day 2

God created the firmament and named it "Heaven." This firmament divided waters which were above from the waters below. Waters represent peoples--see Revelation 17:15.

Prophetic application: The waters above, in the "heaven," can represent the saints of God, the righteous. The waters below represent the worldly peoples. The great Flood of Noah's day during earth's second millennium fulfills the prophecy of a separation between these "waters." So complete is the division that the wicked are entirely removed.

Day 3

God caused the dry land to appear and named it "Earth"; then He created grass, plants, and trees upon it. Dry land represents an unpopulated area (since waters represent gatherings of people); grass represents people--see Isaiah 40:6-7; and trees represent leaders among the people--consider Daniel 4 and the king's dream of the tree, etc.

Prophetic application: After the Flood, the earth was largely unpopulated; but the grass (people) then sprung up and trees (leaders, kings, and rulers) came up among them. During this third millennium of time virtually all major nations / civilizations developed, including the Chaldeans, Akkadians, Assyrians (precursors to Babylonians), Egyptians, Hittites, Sino-Tibetans, Canaanites, Israelites, etc.

Day 4

God created the greater light (sun) and the lesser light (moon), as well as the stars (nearly a parenthetical statement as if this might already have taken place at some point prior). The sun, our "morning star" which rises to lighten the earth every morning, represents Jesus--see Revelation 22:16, where Jesus says as much in his own words. The moon, which can only reflect the light from the sun, and cannot originate it (remember that light represents truth), symbolizes the prophets who receive the truth from Jesus and then share it with the people.

Prophetic application: The sun represents Christ himself--who was, by this prophecy, foretelling his own advent to planet Earth. This is why it is said of him that he is "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). Jesus came at the final hour, so to speak, of the fourth millennium, fulfilling this prophecy. The moon, representing the prophets, symbolizes the great majority of the Bible that was written during this time period and/or inspired by the coming of Christ during this day.

Day 5

God created the fish and the fowl. Fowl are foul, and represent the evil spirits and demons--see Revelation 18:2, and consider how the Bible so often speaks of the birds/fowl in the parables, etc. Fish represent the ignorant masses, which follow the crowd not having a real leader, nor knowing where they are headed--see Ecclesiastes 9:12. Teach them, so that they are no longer ignorant (especially spiritually), and the "fish" become "men", as Jesus' analogy of "fishers of men" implies. The "whales" might better be translated as "dragons"--which I won't address here.

Prophetic application: This day presents a fitting picture of what we now call "the Dark Ages." Demons cloud the sky, blocking the light of the sun (truth), and leaving the people in ignorance and darkness. Bibles were burned in the streets during these Dark Ages, and truth was scarce.

Day 6

God created first the land animals; then God creates Man in His likeness. The animals represent nations in prophecy--refer to the beasts of Daniel and Revelation. Man in God's image represents those saints of God who perfectly represent God's character to the world. God's image, His glory, is His character--see Exodus 33:18-34:7.

Prophetic application: The animals/beasts represent kingdoms--fulfilled in the fact that during this present millennium we have more nations than ever before in history. That Man is to be re-created in God's image is the most awesome part of this prophecy. God will have a people who shine for Him, perfectly showing His character to the world. Only when this is true will the conflict between good and evil be finally ended.

Knowing the representations of each symbol can then help us to understand the timeline of what was to take place.

CONCLUSION

While the "real answers" do not satisfy those seeking only a "literal" interpretation, the fact remains that God's primary purpose in setting forth the daily order of His creation is not that of presenting a "literal" guide or mapping to the universe. It is not God's purpose to inform us as to what our exact location within the universe is.

It is my understanding and belief that we are not presently in the center of the universe, even though we are certainly the center of attention; but I believe that once God establishes His kingdom upon this earth-made-new, it will become the center at that point in time. I believe in a Theo-centric universe, as opposed to a geo-centric one. But the Bible does not explicitly give us this information, and we may rest content that it is not necessary for us to know, for God has promised to give us what is necessary for us (see Philippians 4:19).

Answer 2

In a spiritual sense, Earth is definitely the centre of the Universe. It is where God is carrying out his plan, and it is located to provide man with the best view of the rest of the Universe.
("The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." — Psalm 19:1)

In a physical sense, it may or may not be. Depending upon the astrophysical model of the Universe, it's possible that there is no centre to the Universe. (E.g. compare with the 2 dimensional surface of a ball, and ask where the centre of that surface is.)

However, the premise that inspired this problem might itself not be correct.

Premise
The Genesis account of creation tells of YHWH creating the earth and heavens in the first day.
Then 3 days later he created the luminaries.

That is one interpretation.

Another is that while Genesis 1:2 was the beginning of the 6 days of creation, which occurred about 6000 years ago, Genesis 1:1 actually happened billions of years before that.

Briefly:

• God created the entire universe.
• 6000 years ago, the Earth was a chaotic wasteland, shrouded in cloud.
• On the first day of creation, God allowed the clouds to thin, letting in the sun's light.
• On the second day, the clouds rose, uncovering the land and the sea.
• On the third day, God allowed the Earth to produce plant life.
• On the fourth day, the clouds had assumed their present appearance, allowing the Sun and Moon to be directly seen.
• etc.

For more detailed explanations, see my:

• Creation Time Table.
• Creation Verbs in Genesis.

And my answers to:

• Are there any denominations that accept the gap theory? - Christianity.SE.
• Is Genesis 1:1-2 part of the first day? - Hermeneutics.SE.
• Genesis 1:3, Did God Make Light? - Hermeneutics.SE.

Answer 3

1. According to Dr Karl, it was known that the earth was a sphere as far back as Aristotle.

2. The scientists thought Columbus's voyage would fail, not because they thought the earth was flat, but rather because he would have to travel 20000 nautical miles, rather than 5000.

3. For the last 2500 years, in Europe and in the Middle East, the flat-earthers were in a very small minority.

These quotations are taken from an answer on Stack Exchange - Skeptics which demonstrates that it is a fallacy that the majority of humans, for the last couple of millenia (and more) have thought the earth to be flat and the sun to go round it.

Therefore it remains to be proved that the apostles, for example, and the prophets, to give another, were actually convinced about the matter.

Answer 4

Earth is the center of the universe, at least in terms of God's attention.

It might also be at (something approximating) the center of the actual universe. Consider:

• We find distant galaxies about equidistantly far in all directions.
• Earth at the mass center of the universe presents a possible (though, IIUC, no longer well-regarded) solution to the "distant starlight problem".

We know, however, that Earth isn't at the center of our galaxy, just as we know it isn't at the center of the solar system. We further know that there would be problems if it were, given the way the cosmos work. We can guess at why God decided to make things this way, but can't know for certain in this life.

Similarly, we can't know if Earth initially had velocity, or if it was set in motion after the creation of the Sun and other stars. For that matter, it's unclear what "velocity" would even mean without other points of reference.

Most Creationists will observe that Creation Week was probably special, particularly in the sense that the current laws of physics were likely not in force, or were at least considerably different.

In short, however, it's best to recognize that, while God's attention is certainly centered on Earth, there are many reasons why someone creating something (e.g. a painting) might choose to focus their attention somewhere other than the physical/geometric center of their medium. Therefore, there is no need to insist that Earth is the literal, physical/geometric center of the universe, especially when observations of the same universe suggest otherwise.

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In a comment, you asked:

How can the earth be made 3 days before the sun, moon and ALL the TRILLION BILLION stars yet NOT be the center?

Well, that's easy. Consider a painting of a man standing at the edge of a cliff, looking out over a valley with much scenery in the distance. (That is, the viewer is also looking out over the valley, and so sees the man's back.) The man occupies the bottom right corner of the painting, with most of the space dedicated to the valley.

The artist paints the man first.

Is the man in the center of the painting? Clearly he is not! The idea that a lone object surrounded by negative space must be the center of the canvas is simply absurd.

Yet, because he was painted first, the artist may consider him the most important thing in the painting, the "center" of attention.

There is simply nothing in Scripture that suggests Earth is at the exact, physical center of the universe. (Although, as noted above, it might be closer than atheists care to consider!) Just as in the case of the painting, where the man is positioned "off center" for artistic effect, Earth is "off center" due to the design of the solar system and galaxy. We could speculate endlessly why God chose for the primary source of light to be a gigantic nuclear furnace rather than something else, but short of asking Him, we don't know. What we do know is that this design is highly effective within the Laws of nature that God has established... which also result in effects such as the Earth orbiting the Sun.

Answer 5

How literal of a literal interpretation is required here? One thing that makes perfect sense is to note that Moses (traditional author of the Book of Genesis) was from a pre-modern civilization that had no space travel and no notion of science fiction. From their cultural point of view, it's well-nigh impossible to imagine a viewpoint beyond the bounds of this world. And everything written in the Genesis creation narrative makes perfect sense from a modern understanding, if the "camera" is fixed firmly on the ground.

During the first creative period, the creation begins as Earth becomes a distinct body. There is light in the skies from an indistinct source, that fades in and out on a well-defined day/night cycle.

During the second and third creative periods, things on the newly-formed, chaotic Earth begin to settle down. The atmosphere clarifies. Clouds and bodies of water form.

During the fourth creative period -- and this is the part where it's important to remember that the viewpoint is stuck on the ground -- the lights in the heavens appear. The sun and the moon were there all along, but they don't become visible as distinct bodies until the atmosphere has cleared up enough for them to be seen.

Nothing about this sequence implies geocentrism in any way; only that the vision in which Moses, or whoever passed the knowledge down to him, witnessed the creation of the Earth was shown from a familiar viewpoint.

Answer 6

The answer is no. If the Bible is read literally, there is no better cosmological explanation than a geocentric Universe.

The reason is fairly clear:

• The Earth is already there when God starts to create:

When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

• Night and Day are created prior to the Sun

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

• The Sky was created after the Earth

... God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

• God brings forth vegetation, but there is still no Sun.

Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

• Finally, on the fourth Day, God sets in place the Sun, the Moon and the stars.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky 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 dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

The fact that this account presents Sun and other celestial lights being placed in the Sky long after the Earth exists makes a geo-centric universe the only logical choice if one reads the text literally. It may be possible to justify the account on the grounds that the Earth was once covered with clouds, and so the Sun only appeared on the "fourth day." But the text literally says that God placed the Sun in the Sky at that time, not that it appeared from behind the cloud cover.

Thus, a geocentric universe is the best explanation for a literal reading of Genesis 1.

Answer 7

There exists no explanation more rational than a Geocentric earth when interpreting Genesis 1 literally.

An Objective study of the creation's design reveal much about the Nature of our God and Father.

Day 0

• Only 1 Person is conscious in a dark room. The 1 Eternal conscious being; I AM

Day 1

• This 1 alone Person made water, heavens and the earth without form…. All the material is floating around a dark room. Water and earth in strange random distribution and formations throughout this dark room.

• God said let there be light and there was light… humans do not understand light today(John 1:5). Is it a photon or a wave, or some quantum unknown...who knows? The Creator does.

• God desired light. He wanted to see what He had created so that He could begin forming like clay all the material of dry land He had just created.

Day 2

• The waters, the Spirit of Life. God decided at this point that he wanted to separate the heavens from the clay directly and created a physical barrier to divide the heavens which He created on the day prior from the clay(earth and water).

• It was at this point God revealed in metaphor the conduit of the life to come, His Spirit consciousness, which bridges the waters that are separated here. Jesus is that upgraded bridge.

Day 3

• The Seed of Life - His whole mechanism for life and how His Spirit, the water can bring forth new life.

11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the 3rd day.

Day 4

• The Father is unapproachable Light. Thee only source of all life. The source of all energy that powers every movement of we see.
• God wanted to make His creation semi-automated. He designed it to have consistent, repeatable cycles that are predicable....In all systems ever designed, repeatability and consistency of a task serves as a prime candidate for automation.
• So He created the 2 major luminaries to take on this task that just runs on a loop.
• God is an artist/engineer/architect. He created all the laws by which He creates as well. He chooses His own limitations to His design so that His creation can be inhabited by us. His prize creatures intended to be one with Him in consciousness. At this point He dwells on both sides of the firmament.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great [d]lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the 4th day.

Day 5 -

-Sentient Life Begins - If you’ve ever designed a system, first you create the environment then define rules and laws that govern how the system will function in that environment. On the fifth day, He is now ready to start creating the higher forms of creatures that will be governed by these Laws (the PURE physics)

• God uses 2 days to design and create all the diverse creatures with sentience. On this day he creates all the creatures that reproduce in the water and also the birds.
• We see He is progressing how He designs. From micro organisms to fish, and then birds. Now the waters and the empty space enclosed by the firmament both are inhabited with creatures.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the [f]firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

Day 6

• God makes a distinction here in that He now brings forth a progression of consciousness from the earth. First in the form of what we call mammals.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God 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 God saw that it was good.

• But He’s not done yet on this day. He likes the number 7 so He wanted it to be complete before the 7th day.
• At this point He created His most amazing and complex, beyond any understanding of the very creatures themselves…. Mankind. We are His prize possession. We are the entire reason He decided to create for His pleasure in the first place….So that He can communicate and dwell with His children….just like a good Father would.

Day 7

• Flips the switch from manual to full-auto and God chills.