In the account of the creation given in Genesis, it is important to understand that the grammar of the text clearly speaks of creation in six literal days... The Hebrew word yom (יוֹם), or “day,” always refers to a distinct 24 hour solar day when it is used in reference to evening and morning or when used in reference to a stated number of days.
The formula, "it was evening, and it was morning, one day", further indicates that day follows night, since light was created (and separated) out of darkness.
The idea of a literal six days of creation is also the foundation for the weekly Sabbath itself: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Exodus 20:11).
The notion that "day" refers to an indefinitely long period of geological time is a modern invention. Attempting to reconcile the evolutionary “theory” with the account of creation given in the Bible actually undermines the message of the gospel itself, since it puts death, disease, and suffering before the fall of Adam and Eve and the death that then entered the world (Romans 5:12).
There are those who believe that the fossils, and the evolution old-earth scientists claim they represent, can be reconciled with the biblical record by claiming that the "days" referred to in scripture are actually "ages". But, this does not provide the justification they seek. However long the days were, there was no death in the earth until the fall. While calling these days ages, and claiming that perhaps they represent "millions of years" may allow their uniformitarian methods to build mountains of sand. They do not allow for the death of animals, and the subsequent fossilization of their bones.
As discussed in the book, A Flood of Hope, evolution is a theory of death. Evolution has, as its engine, the death of organisms. Survival of the fittest has as a basic precept, the death of the weak. Prior to the fall (a planet-wide event) there was no death and therefore no engine for evolution.
It is clear that Jesus believed in the literal creation of Adam and Eve (Mark 10:6), just as he believed in a worldwide flood during the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39).
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