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Theophilus, your comment: " . . . why can't you take God at his Word?" appears to be directed at me and a personalization that says that I do not take God at his word. We allow considerable freedom to discuss in this forum. We do ask that the discussion be carried on at a higher level than you appear to have done. The central issue in much of the discussion is not whether or not to take God at his word, rather it is a discussion as to what God has actually said. If you do not understand this, you will not understand much of what is discussed in this forum. It presents you as failing to understand the issues. People can differ and be honest. People can differ and be committed to following God. In addition, many of the people who post in this forum are not members of the SDA Chruch. We welcome their discussions with others, some of whom may be SDA members. We need to treat them with respect and not accuse them of not wanting to follow God. If your faith and your beliefs are so weak that you cannot engage in respectful conversation without accusing people of not wanting to follow God, you need to give further thought to the basis of your beliefs.

The Bible is not a book of science. Rather it is a revelation of God and how God has interacted in human life on the planet Earth. As a revelation of God, the Bible is authoritative. However, our understanding as to what the Bible actually teaches is not always accurate. I acknowledge that there may appear to be some contradictions between what the Bible teaches and what science understands. I believe that some of those contradictions are only in the minds of those who have not understood what the Bible actually teaches. But, some remain and await our better understanding of both science and the Bible.

I see him as missing the mark on that statement you highlighted as well. I agreed with his points on the assumed conflicts and have been for many years now....

The Genesis record does leave room for people to discuss and differ as to their understandings: Genesis 1:1 tells us that at the time God began the creation described in that 1st chapter, something already existed. Honest people can differ as to what it was that existed. Genesis 1:14-19 tells us that God created the sun, moon and stars. But it is not clear as to whether those were created at the same time as Earth, or at a different time. Honest people can differ on this. There are other issues that I could cite. But, I will simply illustrate with those two.

This is an important subject. The "Cosmic Week" theory makes Mrs. White's comment that "The Lord could have come err this" heresy. And the chapter of the SDABC the Role of Israel in Old Testament prophecy equally a lie. God has given his people different times that could have finished the work and the end come, dating back to Biblical times. To study the text in their current framework of eschatology gives us information on how to apply the prophecies to our day. But the "Cosmic Week" destroys this way how God is trying to reach us. 1844 was the dawn of the age of exegesis that has opened the doors to where we can study this context. Also, those who like the cosmic week heresy turn to the texts that says that a day to the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. The context is how timeless God is. In Leviticus 23 and 25 and here and there in Deuteronomy gives the Hebrew cycles. As Leviticus 23 points out the Hebrew week was 6 days and the Sabbath, 6 months and the Passover or Day of Atonement, 6 years and the Sabbatical year, and while not in Deuteronomy, 6 Sabbatical years and the Jubilee. Thus the Hebrew cycles are the day, the growing season (or half year) the full year, and in some cases the Sabbatical year. None of these passages speaking directly about the time cycle includes "Day = Thousand years" and the texts that say that a day to the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day does not include the words "Oh, the Holy Spirit forgot to bring this up in the passages which discuss the Hebrew cycles. so please add these words to Leviticus and Deuteronomy". The cosmic week is taking a couple of texts out of context and ignoring the texts who's context is dealing with these cycles. Thus it is preparing hearts to how Satan will use the Bible when he comes claiming to be Jesus.