What the Bible Does Not Say

The Bible does not say that all life on earth was created in six 24- hours days. It said that God created everything in six days, the seventh day, he rested, so it referred to periods of time. (Genesis 1:1-31) For example, it states that the creation of our plane and life on it-during the six creative "days" spoken of in (Genesis 1- occurred in the period of time called "the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven." (Genesis 2:4) So each of the creative "days" during which God prepared the earth for life and created life on it could represent extremely long periods of time.

The Bible does not say that living things cannot undergo changes in their makeup over time. The book of Genesis states that animals were created "according to their kinds" (Genesis 1:24. 25) The Bible word "kinds" is not a specific term, but it seems to refer to broad divisions of life- forms. Thus, a single "kind" may include many species or varieties. This wording allows for the possibility that within a "kind," changes in the variety and the types of species that lived in the same community could occur over time.

Next time: What the Bible Does Not Say - Conclusion 

Fr0m the jw.org publications